At the close of the war with Mexico, General Winfield Scott sent a troop
of the Second Dragoons in command of Major Ripley A. Arnold to North
Texas to establish a post to protect the then sparsely settled territory
from the forays of the Indians which then inhabited this section.
Major Arnold selected this as the most central point for this purpose.
The post was first called Camp Worth in honor of Brigadier General
William Jennings Worth. It was established on the sixth day of June,
1849. On November 14th, 1849, the name was changed to Fort Worth, and it
was abandoned on the 17th day of September, 1853, and the troops
stationed here were sent to Fort Belknap, about a mile from the present
site of the town of Belknap. There was never a fort at this point and
the only buildings were the barracks at the head of and a little west of
Houston street.
The first settlement in the county of any magnitude grew up about the
military post and on its abandonment the buildings were used as stores
by those who had settled near the post. Among those who were in business
here were Col. Abe Harris, who at this writing still lives in the city,
the late James F. Ellis and G. P. Farmer who subsequently located a farm
about twelve miles south of the city.
When the soldiers left there was only a meagre country population in the
vicinity; barring a few supply trains no current of trade had yet begun
to flow through this section of Texas. There were no cattle trails;
nothing permanent to arouse enthusiasm for this straggling settlement on
the Trinity Bluff and the seed of civilization planted and protected
during the brief military occupancy, might, on good and relative
grounds, have experienced the same blight that befell Fort Phantom Hill
and Fort Belknap.
But this nucleus of citizens, among whom, besides those named, were E.
M. Daggett, C. M. Peak and John Peter Smith, whose names later became
associated with every enterprise in which the city was interested.
The County was created by the Legislature in December, 1849, and the
county seat was located at Birdville. The spirit of conquest was rife in
the veins of the early settlers and at the instance of Capt. Daggett and
others, the Legislature was induced to permit an election to decide upon
the county seat. Birdville was at that time the larger place. Had the
election been untrammeled it would have probably remained the seat of
government for many years. The citizens of Birdville charged, and there
seems good reason for the charge, that the election of Fort Worth was
brought about by the votes of Sam Woody, the first settler of Wise
County, and the members of his family. Enough was shown to induce the
Legislature to order a second election. About 1855, A. J. Walker who
lived a few miles northeast of Birdville was a member of the State
Senate. He was instrumental in having a bill passed providing for
another election. This occurred about the year 1860. The exact date is
not accessible to the writer. By this time the population of Fort Worth
had increased to sufficient numbers to enable it to make good its claim
as the proper place for the court house. Birdville abandoned its claim
and endeavored to defeat Fort Worth by casting its votes and throwing
its influence for "The center of the county" which would be a little
nearer Birdville than Fort Worth. The vote resulted in 301 for "the
center" and 548 for Fort Worth and the vexed question which has cost the
lives of some and the expenditure of about $30,000 was settled for all
time.