History on the Bricks
The Stock Show
Sometime in the mid-1890's, C.C. French, public relations expert for the stockyards, ran into rancher, Charles McFarland of Weatherford, Texas.
While the two men were discussing the hard times of the Fort Worth Stockyards Company, McFarland suggested having a fat stock show. French reasoned that at this time they were not getting any fat stock in the yards. McFarland assured French that he could convince his friends to bring in their stock and he would bring some of his own. It was on that day that the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show was born. Ranchers from all around, including Samuel Burk Burnett, Marion Sansom, J.W. Burgess and many others agreed to participate. The stockyards officials and ranchers decided the first stock show should be held in early March 1896.
The Stock Show, also known as The Feeders and Breeders Show, was held in the Fort Worth Stockyards until 1942 when a flood devastated the Stockyards area. Then in 1943, during WWII, the Livestock Exhibits Building, which is now Billy Bob’s Texas, was used to assemble airplanes. The following year the Stock Show was moved to the new Will Rogers Memorial Complex on the West side of Fort Worth.
photo credit of the North Fort Worth Historical Society
