Category Archives: Fort Worth Heritage

Fort Worth Heritage

Yellowstone’s prequel “1883” brings to life American History…Fort Worth History

Billy Bob Thornton portraying Jim Longhaired Courtright in “1883”.

So much excitement in Fort Worth since the filming of Paramount’s “1883” a prequel series to “Yellowstone” the ancestors of the Duttons. If you’re like us, you are thrilled to see any snippet of Fort Worth Stockyards cross your screen. In “1883,” Billy Bob Thornton plays Marshal Jim Courtright, a very real gunman from American history…from Fort Worth history! Born Timothy Isaiah Courtwright, the Illinois native after serving in the Civil War, went on to become the marshal in Fort Worth. Know for his long locks he carried the nickname Longhaired Jim.

Luke Short (L) Old-West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter, & saloon owner. Jim Courtright (R) Old-West lawman, outlaw, & gunfighter, City Marshal of Fort Worth from 1876 to 1879.

You may have heard the story of bad blood between Luke Short and Longhaired Jim that ended in a shootout. No?! Well, here goes!

The original White Elephant Saloon – The Morris & Conn Building 308-310 Main St. In downtown Fort Worth. Also pictured Jim Courtright’s Six Shooter

The two men met on the evening of Feb. 8, 1887 at about 8pm and a challenge was issued by Courtright. Luke Short was called out of the White Elephant Saloon on Fort Worth’s downtown Main Street. They stood facing each other just a few feet apart. Short assured Courtright he had no gun and moved to show him by lifting his vest. It was dark, Courtright had been drinking and he mistook it as a go for his gun. Courtright yelled, “Don’t you pull a gun on me.” Courtright went for one of his two 45’s on his hips. Courtright outdrew Short, in the process his 45’s hammer caught on his watch chain. Luke drew his pistol and got off the first shot. Short then fired four more shots and Courtright fell to the ground on his back dying in bloodshed.

Luke Short was released from prison after a short examination trial with $2,000. bond, it was a clear case of self-defense with the only witness noting Courtright pulled his trigger first. Short ended up paying for Courtright’s funeral, $20. His funeral procession was one of the largest Fort Worth had ever seen.

Jim Courtright’s Grave at Oakwood Cemetery
Luke Short’s Grave at Oakwood Cemetery

We are hoping to see “1883” at the White Elephant Saloon portray this event…we’ll see!

Fort Worth Heritage

Riding Into The Sunset

Bronze statue of Will Rogers and his horse, Soapsuds in front of Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX. Photo Courtesy UTA Libraries Special Collections, W.D.Smith Photography

Do you know the name of the man sitting on the horse? It’s American entertainer, radio personality, film actor, and writer who was famous for his pithy and homespun humor and social commentary. It’s the country’s beloved, Will Rogers. The statue of Will and his horse, Soapsuds, sit in front of his Fort Worth namesake, Will Rogers Coliseum and Pioneer Tower.

Dedication of “Riding Into The Sunset” at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 11-4-1947. General Eisenhower in attendance seated to the left of podium. Photo Courtesy UTA Libraries Special Collections, W.D.Smith Photography
Good friends having a laugh. Humorist, Will Rogers (left) and Fort Worth’s iconic figure, Amon G. Carter (right).

Will was a close friend to Fort Worth’s, Amon G. Carter, and visited Fort Worth often to enjoy time with his good buddy. August 15th, 1935 brought sad news to many, Will Rogers died in a plane crash at Point Barrow, Alaska territory along with pilot, Wiley Post.

Will Rogers (left) and Wiley Post in possibly the last photo taken of both of them. Standing in front of Wiley’s pontoon plane.

On a trip to the northwest in search of new material for his shows, Rogers decided to join Wylie Post who would be piloting his pontoon plane. The trip had gone well, but on takeoff from Point Barrow, Alaska Territory, the plane flipped nose first killing both Rogers and Post.

Wreckage of death pontoon plane. Newspapers would circulate this photo upon the announcement that Will Rogers had died in a plane crash.

The country was devastated by losing one of it’s most beloved stars, but none more brokenhearted than Amon G. Carter. He would use his immense power and influence to insure that his great friend would be remembered in Fort Worth through the ages.

In 1936 a great memorial would come to fruition in the building of the Will Rogers Memorial Center as part of the grounds of the Frontier Centennial celebration. Amon would commission a bust, a mural and a bronze statue depicting his good friend, Will, even capturing his horse, Soapsuds. The bronze statue, Riding Into The Sunset, would be sculpted by Electra Waggoner Biggs. The niece of Fort Worth’s well known, Electra Waggoner of Thistle Hill, the Wharton-Scott House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Statue unveiled with sculptor, Electra Waggoner Biggs in attendance. Fort Worth Star Telegram.

“Riding Into The Sunset” is 9’11” tall, 3200 lbs, solid steel poured and in cased in brass. There were four made and all identical. In 1942, the first one was finished and installed in 1947 in front of Will Rogers Coliseum. The second was installed in 1950 on the campus of Texas Tech in Lubbock. The third was also made and installed in 1950 at the grave of Rogers in Claremore, Oklahoma. In 1989, a fourth statue was made and installed at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas.

  • Amon’s favorite photo of his friend Will Rogers. He would keep this photo framed in his office for the rest of his life. Amon would also use this photo when he commissioned the bust that now stands in the rotunda between the coliseum and the auditorium.
  • The bust of Will Rogers that stands in the rotunda between the coliseum and auditorium. Made in the likeness of Amon’s favorite photo. It’s tradition to rub his nose for good luck.
  • The Will Rogers Complex, built in 1936. Named in honor of the world famous writer, actor, and humorist. The photo is an aerial in the days just after it was finished. Photo courtesy UTA Special Collections.
  • The grand mural of Will Rogers that adorns the wall behind the ticket office in the rotunda of the coliseum that bears his name. Artist Seymour Stone stands next to his creation on the same day that the statue was unveiled.
  • In 1937, Amon Carter commissioned Electra Waggoner Biggs to sculpt the statue of Will Rogers and his horse, Soapsuds. She finished it in 1942, but Amon decided not to unveil it until 11/17/1947. This photo was taken on that day with Electra standing by the statue that Amon named “Riding Into The Sunset”. Photo courtesy UTA Special Collections.
#willrogers #soapsuds #willrogerscoliseum #fortworthhistory #dfw #amongcarter #fortworth #texashistory #oklahomahistory

Special thanks for article collaboration with historian, Mike Musgrove. Photo Courtesy: Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Special Collections, UTA Library W.D. Smith collections

Fort Worth Heritage

Haunting Fort Worth Tales

A very well-known haunted cabin lies in Fort Worth at a place called the Log Cabin Village. Among the various historic log cabins in the area dating from between 1843 and the 1880s the most infamous is the one called the Foster Cabin, once owned by a man named Harry Foster and his family and now the location of the village staff’s offices and the gift shop. Built in 1853 near Port Sullivan, Texas the Foster Cabin is one of the few surviving plantation homes in Texas and one of the largest log houses dating to the mid-nineteenth century.

Photo Courtesy: Log Cabin Village of Fort Worth, TX.

According to the lore, Harry Foster’s wife died here in childbirth, after which he went on to marry the nanny, a woman named Jane Holt, who would also die in later years. It is Holt that is said to still remain in the cabin, and one of the biggest signs of her presence is the heavy smell of lilac perfume, which she had been rather fond of in life, which appears from nowhere and dissipates just as quickly. There are also reported mysterious roving cold spots, objects that disappear to turn up in strange places, and anomalous footsteps often heard, especially emanating from the attic above the second floor.

Sweet smells of lilac sweep through the cabin.

It is unknown why this ghost should be the one to remain tethered to this place, but she has become a rather popular curiosity for people visiting @logcabinvillage off University Drive.

The downstairs living area of the Foster Cabin.
The fireplace would have been used for warming and cooking in the Foster Cabin.

Do you have a haunting Fort Worth story you’d like to share? Send us a message, we’d love to hear.

Fort Worth Heritage

A Call for Help…Answered by Fort Worth Strangers


In August of 1967 a group of U.S. soldiers hunkers down deep in the steaming jungles of the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 9,000 miles from home. War-weary minds, clouded from months of sleep deprivation and constant enemy fire, search for threads of hope in the dismal situation.

In the darkness, one lone young soldier scrawls a selfless letter, seeking some sort of encouragement, some token of acknowledgement to raise the morale of his comrades.

The letter soon finds its way to DeWitt McKinley, Mayor of Fort Worth. Touched by the simple humility of a hometown soldier in the throes of war, asking for nothing but a glimmer of hope, the Mayor and the people of Fort Worth respond to the heart-felt plea with great compassion.

In September, Fort Worth’s reply to the letter arrives in Vietnam. Duffel bags stuffed with cookies, cakes, and letters of support arrive weekly. Churches, schools, lodges, and Scout troops all confirm their support of the soldiers. Some people offer prayers for the soldiers’ safe return; others just want the troops to know that someone really cares about them. Tucked among the letters and desserts are proclamations declaring that the City of Fort Worth has officially adopted the soldiers, formally known as Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate).

For the soldiers, the flood of reassurance comes at a time when morale is particularly low. One soldier later commented…”You have no idea how that compassion turned us around.”

Memorial plaque in Botanic Gardens for Charlie Company containing the story quoted here.

Thirty-four years later… July 6, 2001. Twenty-nine surviving members of Charlie Company convene at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to again say “Thank You” to the people of Fort Worth who lifted them up in their time of need. Sadly among the missing is James David “Shorty” Haas, the soldier who, at 18 years of age, wrote the letter that touched so many lives.

Memorial tribute to Charlie Company located in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

This memorial stands as a tribute to all those who unselfishly served their country, and as a reminder to us all of the enduring importance of compassion.

Symbolism of the Memorial:
*The Circle illustrates both the cohesion of the band of soldiers and the perpetual nature of time, with no beginning and no end.
*The Seven Pillars express wholeness and perfection.
*The Broken Pillar laid awkwardly askew pays homage to the soldiers who fell in service to their country.
*The Bur Oak epitomizes strength and endurance.


The 1907 O’Keefe home once stood on Summit Ave. Fort Worth. Demolished in 1950, the limestone columns were salvaged. Some of these columns can be seen standing at the Charlie Company Memorial in the Botanic Gardens.

The stately 1907 Quality Hill home owned by Cattlemen Col. O’Keefe, 520 Summit Ave. served dual purposes first as a home and then ultimately as a tribute. Upon demolition of this house in 1950 some of the limestone columns were rescued from doom, saved by C.L. Richhart (a dedicated Fort Worth Star Telegram reporter to Amon G.Carter) and stand at this memorial of Charlie Company in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

December 25th, 1988 Charlie Company members send greetings via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to their adoptive “home”.

Members of Charlie Company never forgot the compassion and goodwill shown to them at a time most needed by the Fort Worth community. In December 1988 they would send Christmas greetings of appreciation to Fort Worth through the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Fort Worth Heritage

Vaquero De Fort Worth

Vaquero De Fort Worth Sculpture

Vaquero de Fort Worth
Between downtown and the historic Stockyards stands a sculpture that pays homage to the cultural and economic contributions of the Mexican cattle herders. The more-than-10-foot-tall bronze Vaquero was installed on the corner of North Main Street and Central Avenue in 2012. The sculpture commemorates and preserves the Hispanic history in Cowtown.

A plaque rest beside the Vaquero sculpture reading as follows “ The vaquero, or “cowman,” is a skilled mounted horseman whose stock-tending techniques significantly contributed to the ranching tradition dating back centuries. Originating in Mexico during the Spanish colonial period and continuing into the trail-driving era of the nineteenth century, the vaquero shaped the working methods of the modern-day cattle industry.

Vaquero De Fort Worth plaque

Vaquero de Fort Worth captures the spirit of these proud and skilled men, who left their mark on the city’s cattle industry. Details such as the sombrero, saddle, and chaps are distinguishing elements of the vaquero’s expertise and affirm the rich Hispanic traditions that define the city’s diverse cultural roots. The vaquero’s legacy can still be seen in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District.”