In the past several years, we have taken the two oldest granddaughters, Ayden and Gracie, to the beach at Galveston. Not this year. We reported earlier regarding the recovery in Galveston and it is still not suitable for RV visits since the Galveston State Park was wiped out.
This year we decided to find places of interest in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since this would give us an opportunity to visit with family and friends. We started off with a whirlwind tour of Fort Worth. The city is one of the oldest in Texas. Fort Worth was an integral part of the Chisholm Trail during the 19th century. Here is what you would have seen in 1876. (Click photo to enlarge)
Just over 40 years later the town had been transformed into a city. (Click on this 1920 photo to enlarge.)
I’m sure that the Tarrant County Courthouse hasn’t changed much since its erection in 1895. Its location causes traffic to swing around the building in the middle of the city.
Different branches of the Trinity river flow through both Dallas and Fort Worth. Look at our last posting regarding the river in Dallas. The Fort Worth version is a little prettier.
A couple of miles north of the courthouse is the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. Between 1866 and 1890 more than four million head of cattle were trailed through Fort Worth which was also known as Cowtown.
Most people know the stockyards as the location of the world’s largest honky tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas, but it is a lot more than that. There are several museums, walking tours, dining establishments, mechanical bull riding, and other activities.
At 11:30 and 4:00 every day, you can be treated to a cattle drive. While we waited, the girls cooled themselves with one of the several misting units along the street.
This is what Tinka saw while watching the cattle drive.
Click on the photo above to see Rick’s view. What steers?
The girls had a chance to visit with one of the cowboys before the cattle drive.
Here’s something that is fun. They have constructed a giant maze with walls that are about 7-feet tall. There are hidden “letters” that must be retrieved and your time is clocked to see how quickly you complete the maze. One of the letters is on the platform at the top of the stairs shown here.
The girls stayed together and finished in about 22 minutes. We were on an observation platform and could help them when we could. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see them most of the time.
The Stockyard area is loaded with restaurants. Most of them are in what looks like an old railroad loading area.
Before leaving the Stockyards, the girls decided to jump on their own horses for a quick ride. One sidesaddle and the other with a straw in the mouth
