Oak Cliff History
An estimated one-million people have lived in Oak Cliff during its over one-hundred year history. This brief look at Oak Cliff's history is a compilation of information from many folks who have shared their personal stories with us.
“Oak Cliff derives its name from the massive oaks that crown the soft green cliffs.” So states an early advertisement describing the community just south of the Trinity River from Dallas, Texas.
Early History | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-2000 | 2001 & beyond
Go to Oak Cliff TRIVIA
Also, check out the additional Oak Cliff History Index
Early Oak Cliff History to 1840-1910 |
As early as 1837, pioneers William S. Beaty and the Leonard and Coombes families settled in this area. Moving from Tennessee, William Henry Hord and his wife Mary also settled here in 1845 and opened a boarding house. The farming community in the area became known as Hord’s Ridge. Nearby, Aaron Overton’s gristmill on Five Mile Creek provided a place for farmers to process their grain. In 1879, the new Cleburne and Rio Grande Railway passed through Hord’s Ridge and a station was built there in 1882, opening the community to national transportation.
(Photo caption: Built in 1845 by William H. Hord, this cabin served as the first permanent
residence on the west side of the Trinity River, across from Dallas. In 1926, Mr.
and Mrs. Martin Weiss rescued the cabin from demolition and, in 1942, donated it
to Post 275 of the American Legion and Auxiliary. It received an historic
landmark designation in 1962 and is now located on Cockrell Hill Road at the
American Legion Post. Photo by Patsy Summey.)
This cozy farming settlement on the beautiful side of the Trinity caught the attention of two enterprising developers: Thomas L. Marsalis and John S. Armstrong. In 1887, with a plan to market the community as a prestigious residential area, they purchased several hundred acres in and around Hord’s Ridge and gave the area a more appealing name . . . Oak Cliff.
Through their efforts, Oak Cliff incorporated as a city in 1890, electing Hugh Ewing to be the first mayor. Advertised as the “Cambridge of the South,” the community flourished. However, disagreements led to a split in the Marsalis-Armstrong partnership. As a result, Marsalis stayed in Oak Cliff and Armstrong went on to develop a community north of the Trinity that became known as Highland Park.
A financial downturn in 1893 brought the development to a sudden halt. In 1903, the beleaguered and financially strapped City of Oak Cliff voted to annex itself to the City of Dallas. Oak Cliff and Dallas were now one—but not really. The Trinity River physically separated Oak Cliff from the rest of Dallas, giving this southern suburb a permanent and unique identity.
Throughout the years, this community across the river has maintained remnants of its original small town atmosphere. Some folks have called Oak Cliff the “Howdy Capital” of Texas, because of the down-to-earth friendliness of its people. Through cycles of growth and challenge, many of the neighborhoods in Oak Cliff still retain that hometown attitude.
By 1901, the town of Oak Cliff had several schools and churches (including St. Mark’s Methodist established in 1888, which became Oak Cliff Methodist). The principal of the Oak Cliff High School in 1900 was W.H. Adamson. He served there for almost 40 years, and the school was eventually named after him. Popular places in Oak Cliff between 1901 and 1910 included Oak Cliff Park, which became the Marsalis Park Zoo, Mallory’s Drug Store at Jefferson and Tyler Street and the Hillpot Store on Jefferson Boulevard.
A large flood in May of 1908 cut Oak Cliff off from Dallas for a number of days. As a result, measures were taken to build a better bridge across the Trinity River, and on February 22, 1912, the Dallas and Oak Cliff Bridge (now known as the Houston Street Viaduct) was opened. It was 5106 feet long, cost a staggering $675,000, and was said to to be the longest bridge of its kind in the world.
Early advertising for Oak Cliff compared this new development to Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to an article in the 1895 Dallas Daily Times Herald described ongoing construction in Oak Cliff, "Boating, Bathing and Fishing, With all Modern Accessories, Will be Had at the Famous Kidd Springs." The area bears the name of Colonel J. W. Kidd, who purchased the land in 1875 (previously called Gilbert Springs.)
The growing city of Dallas set it’s eyes on Oak Cliff and proposed annexation. A heated debate ensued with many citizens afraid the merger would hinder Oak Cliff’s growth. However, the vote succeeded by a slim margin of 201 to 183. This merger increased Dallas’s size by one third.
Oak Cliff History to 1911 to 1920 |
In May, 1911, Rev. J. Leonard Rea was appointed to begin a new church in West Dallas. By January, 1912, the new church was meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.O. Forrestor (at 511. W. Tenth Street). In April, 1912, a contract was let to build a building at a cost of $5,000. The corner stone for the original Tyler Street Methodist Church (at the corner of Tyler and Sunset) was laid on the first Sunday in May, 1912, with sixty-six members in attendance. It would eventually grow to have the largest Sunday School of any Methodist Church in the world in the 1950s.
The decade between 1911 and 1920 saw a growing population in Oak Cliff, with many large and fine houses being built on broad and tree lined streets, and the Marsalis Park Zoo began to attract visitors from all over North Texas
Go to Oak Cliff Home History Page
Go to Oak Cliff History Year 1920-1940
Go to Oak Cliff History Year 1940-1960
Go to Oak Cliff History Year 1960-1980
Go to Oak Cliff History Year 1980-1999
Go to Oak Cliff History Year 2000 and beyond
Those Who Served -- We're working on a memorial to Oak Cliff men and women who died in the service to America. If you have any information, comments, ideas or pictures, let me know.
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