Okay, I started this entry (and a few others) many, many months ago. What say we finish it up?
It was kind of funny to be BACK at the Stockyards so soon after leaving the night before but this was a very different experience. We started off outside watching the cattle drive. Stacy prepared me by telling about the time she brought Debbie (PPD) there. Apparently Debbie had her camera set on "fast action" and when the cattle came down the street she was very disappointed. Instead of the "cattle stampede" she expected, it turned out more like "cattle mosey". We got a good laugh out of that. It was still neat to see them coming down the streets though and it helped me picture what it might have been like back in the heydays of the Stock Yards.
We did the touristy thing and took a guided walking tour of the Stock Yards. Our tour started with a video in the visitors center called "The Spirt of the West" which gave us the background of how and why Fort Worth was settled.
Fort Worth was a stop on the Chisholm Trail and the last major point for food and supplies. With the arrival of the railroad it also became a major shipping point and necessitated the construction of the stock yards.
It was a bit of a production to get me up on "Pecos Bill" but I made it. In front of me are Stacy and Tonya.
This statue is of Quanah Parker, the last cheif of the Comanche nation. It turns out Sherilyn is distanly related to him!
The cowboy church is located in the Stockyards Station, along with a bunch of shops and restaurants. This area was the former hog and sheep pens.
I won't bore my readers with the history of the Stock Yards but I will say that I found it fascinating. It will be hard to scrapbook because I'm going to want to include so many details!
Fort Worth was a stop on the Chisholm Trail and the last major point for food and supplies. With the arrival of the railroad it also became a major shipping point and necessitated the construction of the stock yards.
It was a bit of a production to get me up on "Pecos Bill" but I made it. In front of me are Stacy and Tonya.
This statue is of Quanah Parker, the last cheif of the Comanche nation. It turns out Sherilyn is distanly related to him!
The cowboy church is located in the Stockyards Station, along with a bunch of shops and restaurants. This area was the former hog and sheep pens.
I won't bore my readers with the history of the Stock Yards but I will say that I found it fascinating. It will be hard to scrapbook because I'm going to want to include so many details!This was our guide. Here he is showing us the Fort Worth brand. 
This is the parking lot where Sherilyn, Corey and I parked the night before :D
Looking across the street to the Cowtown Coliseum. Inside the Coliseum was dark and quiet. I can imagine that it must be a pretty exciting place when there is an event going on. One thing I did notice was that the seats were TINY. You can tell they're old! The Coliseum holds the distinction of being the home of the world's first indoor rodeo.
Okay, now we're getting to why I'm inspired to pos this today (other than the fact that I'm reminiscing and it's woefully over due). Karin blogged about attending a bull sale for her anniversary. 
After our stop in the Coliseum we went next door to the Historic Livestock Exchange Building. We got to step inside and hear a live broadcast of an auction. There were cattle being shown on the tv and the people were bidding. It was very fast paced. 
We walked through the Exchange building to the back where we got to walk along "Cattlemen’s Catwalk" which provides a "panoramic view of the cattle pens" We actually hooked up with ShariT from Oregon at this point as well. Somehow she avoided my camera though.
I should note as well that it was COLD that day. Very overcast and the wind was blowing. Our tour took us inside and out and in again which was good because we were able to warm up between stops. Going across the catwalk was windy and cold because we were totally exposed.
I believe this picture shows the abandon packing plants that are featured prominently in the history of the Stockyards. A few weeks before I was there they were used for filming an episode of Prison Break!
We walked along the catwalk to Billy Bob's. On the way our guide gave us the history of it. I'll put those pictures in a separate post.
This is the parking lot where Sherilyn, Corey and I parked the night before :D
Looking across the street to the Cowtown Coliseum. Inside the Coliseum was dark and quiet. I can imagine that it must be a pretty exciting place when there is an event going on. One thing I did notice was that the seats were TINY. You can tell they're old! The Coliseum holds the distinction of being the home of the world's first indoor rodeo.
Okay, now we're getting to why I'm inspired to pos this today (other than the fact that I'm reminiscing and it's woefully over due). Karin blogged about attending a bull sale for her anniversary. 
After our stop in the Coliseum we went next door to the Historic Livestock Exchange Building. We got to step inside and hear a live broadcast of an auction. There were cattle being shown on the tv and the people were bidding. It was very fast paced. 
We walked through the Exchange building to the back where we got to walk along "Cattlemen’s Catwalk" which provides a "panoramic view of the cattle pens" We actually hooked up with ShariT from Oregon at this point as well. Somehow she avoided my camera though.I should note as well that it was COLD that day. Very overcast and the wind was blowing. Our tour took us inside and out and in again which was good because we were able to warm up between stops. Going across the catwalk was windy and cold because we were totally exposed.
I believe this picture shows the abandon packing plants that are featured prominently in the history of the Stockyards. A few weeks before I was there they were used for filming an episode of Prison Break!
We walked along the catwalk to Billy Bob's. On the way our guide gave us the history of it. I'll put those pictures in a separate post.
3 comments:
Ahhh - these bring back some happy memories for me too. I didn't get to see the mosey (we got up too late ;)) but we did spend time at the stockyards.
hey! I see Stacy!! heehee...gosh it's been way to long since I've been down to the Stockyards, and even longer since I was there during the daylight hours.
and I never get tired of hearing the history of the stockyards. :)
Huh. I don't think I've ever seen that statue of Quanah...but then, I don't spend much time in the Stockyards and certainly not during the day! Maybe someday we'll take a tour there. Quanah is my second cousin 8 times removed or something like that. I think his mother, Cynthia Ann was the niece of my ancestor. I'm pretty sure I am descended from Daniel, her uncle, but I don't remember exactly which part of that clan I come from. My mom has a book with all that in it, but I don't have the charts copied down anywhere.
Sigh. Has it really been a year since you were here?
Post a Comment