History of Dallas (1874–1929) facts for kids
The city of Dallas, Texas, grew very quickly between 1874 and 1929. It became a major hub for transportation, trade, and money. Dallas started as a small farming town. But when many railroads met there, it became a key spot for new businesses. During this time, Dallas became the biggest city in Texas. Fancy buildings made of steel and stone replaced wooden ones. The Dallas Zoo, Southern Methodist University, and an airport were all started. However, Dallas also faced tough times. There was a money crisis called the "Panic of 1893" and a huge flood from the Trinity River in 1908.
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Dallas Becomes an Industry Hub
Dallas started to focus more on factories and heavy industries. This happened partly because cotton farmers in the area were having problems. Farmers often bought supplies on credit. Then, they owed merchants most of their cotton crop. But shipping cotton to the port of Galveston was expensive. Also, cotton prices around the world were low because too much was being grown.
The Farmers' Alliance was formed in 1877 to help farmers. They tried to set up a warehouse in Dallas to ship cotton to St. Louis. But banks would not lend them money, and the plan failed quickly.
At first, Dallas did not have many factories. In 1874, the city began lighting its streets with gas lamps. Dirt roads started to be paved with bricks. In 1880, the first telephone switchboard came to Dallas. It connected the water company and the fire station. By 1885, Main Street had electric lights. In 1888, the Dallas Zoo opened. It was the first zoo in Texas. In 1890, Dallas added the larger city of East Dallas. This made Dallas the most populated city in Texas.
The Financial Panic of 1893
A big money crisis, called the "Panic of 1893", hit the whole country. Many businesses in Dallas failed, including five local banks. Cotton prices dropped very low. The markets for wood and flour also became weak.
However, by 1898, Dallas began to get better and grow again. This growth encouraged skilled workers to join trade unions. These unions were part of the American Federation of Labor. In 1899, they gave a special permission to the Trades Assembly of Dallas. This group helped organize local worker activities.
In 1894, Parkland Memorial Hospital opened. In 1903, Oak Cliff, a city across the Trinity River, became part of Dallas. In the same year, the Wilson Building opened on Main Street in downtown. It looked like the Grand Opera House in Paris.
By the early 1900s, Dallas was the top place in the whole Southwestern United States for selling many products. It became the world center for trading cotton. Dallas also led the world in making saddlery (horse equipment) and cotton gin machinery. As the 20th century continued, Dallas became very important in banking and insurance.
City Improvements and Planning
People who wanted to make cities better, called "Progressive Era" reformers, worked to improve Dallas's government. They suggested changes like a commission system and city planning. This planning helped protect white business and living areas. But sometimes, it was not fair to Black people living in separate neighborhoods.
City leaders wanted to improve Dallas's growth. They created a new plan for the city and set up a board of commissioners. However, this system made officials see the city in separate parts. By the 1920s, people wanted a more complete plan. This included a new government style, city-wide zoning rules, and public money for parks, sewers, schools, and streets. Voters approved these plans in 1927 and 1930. This helped Dallas have a more organized government. It was better able to meet the city's needs fairly.
Dallas's Changing Image
At first, Dallas leaders described the city as "southern." This was partly to support slavery and oppose the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. But this idea made people from the North less likely to invest money in Dallas.
From the 1870s onward, Dallas leaders started to describe the city as "southwestern" or part of the "Sunbelt." This helped bring in wealthy white people from outside the South, including Jewish families. For example, between 1852 and 1925, the seven Sanger brothers built successful stores along the new railroad lines. Their Sanger Bros. department store was famous. They also held many city and state government jobs. White working-class people, Mexican Americans, and Black people had fewer opportunities.
Women's Role in Dallas
Women played a big part in building the social structure of Dallas. They focused on families, schools, and churches in the early days. Many groups that helped make Dallas a modern city were started and led by middle-class women. Through volunteer work and clubs, they connected Dallas to national culture and social trends.
By the 1880s, women involved in movements against alcohol and for voting rights began to change things. They pushed their way into politics in Dallas to deal with social issues. From 1913 to 1919, women who wanted the right to vote used smart ways to get their message out. They used ideas from national political groups and women's clubs. They also used popular culture, like community festivals, to persuade people. The Dallas Equal Suffrage Association created a campaign based on community values. Social events became chances to recruit people for the voting rights cause. This made the idea of women voting seem less radical and more like a traditional, proper female activity.
Women of color often worked separately. Juanita Craft (1902–85) was an important leader in the civil rights movement through the Dallas NAACP. She focused on working with young Black people. She organized them to lead protests against unfair separation rules in Texas.
The Great Trinity River Flood of 1908
The Trinity River was always a challenge for Dallas. The city was built on its banks, hoping that boats could travel south to the Trinity and Galveston Bays, and then to the Gulf of Mexico. But even small paddleboats struggled on the river. Plans to turn the river into a canal never happened.
The Trinity River also flooded often. Floods happened in 1844, 1866, 1871, and 1890. But none were as bad as the flood of 1908. On May 26, 1908, the Trinity River rose to 52.6 feet (16 meters) deep and 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) wide. Five people died, 4,000 people lost their homes, and damages cost about $2.5 million.
Dallas had no electricity for three days. All phone and telegraph services stopped. Train service was canceled. The only way to reach Oak Cliff was by boat. West Dallas was hit the hardest. The Dallas Times Herald newspaper said there was "indescribable suffering" in the area. Thousands of farm animals drowned in the flood. Some even got stuck in the tops of trees. The terrible smell of their decay hung over the city as the water went down.
Controlling the Trinity River
After the terrible flood, efforts began to fix the damage and stop future disasters. In 1911, George Kessler, a city planner, created a plan for both the Trinity River and the city. His ideas included using levees (raised banks) to guide the river. He also suggested moving railroad lines, combining train stations, and creating new parks. He also wanted to straighten and widen several streets. Most of his plans were not put into action for ten or twenty years. But later, many city officials saw how important they were. Kessler was asked to update his plans in 1920. By the 1930s, many of his ideas had been completed.
After the flood, the city wanted to control the wild Trinity River. They also wanted to build a bridge connecting Oak Cliff and Dallas. After the 1890 flood, they had built a "Long Wooden Bridge." But it was unstable and washed away in the 1908 flood. George B. Dealey, who published the Dallas Morning News, suggested a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) concrete bridge. It would be like one crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City.
Soon, citizens voted to approve a $650,000 plan for the new bridge. The new Oak Cliff viaduct (now the Houston Street Viaduct) opened in 1912. About 58,000 people came to the celebrations. At the time, this bridge was the longest concrete structure in the world.
Dallas Becomes a Financial Center
In 1910, people tried to get Southwestern University to move from Georgetown to Dallas. The school said no. But this action caught the attention of the Methodists. In 1911, they voted to build a university in Dallas. The city offered $300,000 and 666.5 acres (2.7 square kilometers) of land for the campus. This agreement led to Southern Methodist University, which opened in 1915 and is still open today.
In 1911, Dallas became the home of the eleventh regional branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. The city had worked for years to get it located there. The bank's arrival made sure Dallas would be a major financial center.
In 1912, The Adolphus Hotel was built in downtown Dallas. This Beaux Arts style building was twenty-one stories tall and 312 feet (95 meters) high. It was the tallest building in Texas at the time. It officially opened on October 5, 1912. In August 1922, the 29-story Magnolia Petroleum Building (now the Magnolia Hotel) opened next door. It then became the tallest building in Texas.
Flying became very popular during World War I. Love Field was set up by the U.S. Army as a place to train pilots. Fair Park was home to Camp Dick, another training facility. The city of Dallas bought Love Field in 1927 to use as a city airport. Camp Dick closed in 1919.
