Amy's Rear View Mirror
Arlington, TXAugust - September 2002
Arlington, TXAugust - September 2002
I went to Cedar Hill State Park and took a hike through the Cedar woods. Lady had a good time running on the trail. It had been a while since she had been out off a leash. It was really hot ... and hardly any shade on the trail. On the way home I drove around the south end of Joe Pool Lake and then back up the western edge following the lake.
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Thursday I went to Pioneer Plaza which commemorates Dallas’ beginnings by celebrating the trails that brought settlers to Dallas. It's a re-creation of a cattle drive in bronze with longhorn steers being driven by three cowboys on horses. Each bronze statue was created by artist Robert Summers of Glen Rose, Texas.
From the 1840's until right after the Civil War, cattle, mostly longhorn from south Texas ranches, were driven along the Shawnee Trail to northern markets in Missouri. The Shawnee was the first trail of its kind in Texas and marked the beginning of an era that would make cattle the number one agricultural product in the Texas economy. The Shawnee Trail crossed near the site of Pioneer Plaza and proceeded up the Preston Trail (now Preston Road in Plano TX) to the Red River then turning northeast to Missouri.
By the late 1850's, an epidemic of tick fever slowed the northern cattle drives. During the Civil War, cattle drives were diverted to southern markets but with the capture of New Orleans and Union control of the lower Mississippi River, the long cattle drives ceased all together. By the time the war ended in 1865, the railheads in Missouri had been extended to Kansas. The Chisholm Trail, through Fort Worth, became a more direct route to northern markets. As common trails developed, many cities evolved along these trails. The Shawnee Trail led to the development of Dallas.
After visiting Pioneer Plaza, I went to Old City Park which is what Dallas was like between 1840 - 1910. There are 38
historic structures including a working farmstead where they manage live stock, tend an herb and vegetable garden, can what they grow, and work a blacksmith shop; a traditional Jewish household; Victorian homes, a school, a church; post office; law office; general store & other commercial businesses. All of the Park workers are reenactors who stay in character wearing period costumes.
Besides walking through all the buildings and talking to some of the reenactors, I rode around the village on a wagon pulled by 2 donkeys named Nip and Tuck. The phrase 'nip and tuck' is from the early 1800's and means the individuals or opponents are nearly equivalent or 'neck and neck'. So it's a great name for these donkeys.
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Friday I went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. That's where I went last spring when the Zebra tried to take a bite out of my car. Well, this time the Zebra liked ME ... he stuck his head in my window and kept wanting to get closer to my face. I was laughing as I tried to shoo him away and I'm scooting more and more into the passenger seat ... I ended up just slowly moving the car forward until the Zebra thought it a good idea to pull his back outside.
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Saturday I went to Las Colinas where Laird got to see the Flowerclock and the famous Las Colinas Mustangs. I went into the Mustang Exhibit and watched the movie which told the story of how the Mustangs were built, transported to the square and setup.
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Sunday I went to Sundance Square and walked around for a while. Fort Worth was once named Cowtown and was a popular stopping spot on the Chisholm Trail as well as the eastern terminus to the Texas and Pacific Railway. Downtown Fort Worth, has preserved the architecture and heritage of it's colorful past. Sundance Square is a 14-block section of restored and replicated turn-of-the-century storefronts, with colorful landscaping and brick paved streets.
It's mostly just restaurants, no shops ... but we saw a really cool painting of the Chisholm Trail on the side of a building. The painting looks 2 dimensional when you
look at the building but when we looked at the pictures I took, it appears to be 3 dimensional. I ended up in Barnes & Noble where I enjoyed browsing through the books. Before heading home I stopped in Starbucks for a cold coffee drink.
Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday were among the outlaws, cattlemen, cowboys, gamblers, and others inhabiting a place known as Hell's Half Acre in the glory days of the Old West. Hell's Half Acre provided saloons and bawdy houses for cowboys and havens for desperadoes. Now that area is downtown Fort Worth.
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Monday I went to the Water Gardens in Ft Worth. These are huge water fountains in the center of town where people play to cool off from the heat. The park features three pools of water: the aerating pool, the quiet pool, and the active pool with water tumbling down a series of terraces to a small pool. I had a great time walking around looking at the fountains and watching everyone play in the water ... I didn't get wet since I had my camera. There were a few guys in the plaza practicing their juggling and unicycle riding ... they were entertaining to watch.
Portions of the movie Logan's Run were filmed at the active pool.
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For pictures and detailed information on Fossil Rim, the Flowerclock, and the Las Colinas Mustangs, click on the '2002 Travelogues' link below. Once on that page, click on the 'Arlington, TX' link to read all about them. I visited these places back in the spring when I was here.
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