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Early History to 1910 |
In the 1830s and 40s, occasional settlers set up temporary stockades and
houses on the west side of the Trinity River before Dallas was founded. The
first permanent settlement was established in 1845 by William H. Hord, and was
called Hord’s Ridge. In 1887 T.L. Marsalis bought 2000 acres and began a
development of houses he called Oak Cliff. People liked the name so much, they
changed the name of the town to Oak Cliff, and by 1900, Oak Cliff had a
population of 3,630 people.
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Early Map of Land Parcels in Oak Cliff
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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. |
Isolated: 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. |
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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.
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1911 to 1920 |
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This
old postcard depicts the Oak Cliff (Corinth Street) Viaduct. |
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Church Growth: 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. |
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Map of Dallas -- circa 1920? |
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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. |
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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
Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
This page was last edited on
April 11, 2008 | |
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