The Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, known commonly as the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo. It has been held annually in Fort Worth, Texas since 1896, traditionally in mid-January through early February. A non-profit organization, the Stock Show has provided millions of dollars in grants and scholarships in its tenure and continues to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to assist the future leaders of agriculture and livestock management.

It all started when some local ranchers wished to encourage interest in their cattle. A conversation between rancher Charles McFarland and Charles French, marketing manager for the Fort Worth Stock Yards, resulted in the first area stock show in 1896. This event was the first of what would eventually become known as the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show. The stock show was held along Marine Creek, in a location with no buildings or enclosures, and only a few trees to provide shade for the animals and patrons. The following year, the event was given a name, the Texas Fat Stock Show. Tents were erected for the animals, and visitors were charged a twenty-five cent fee to view the livestock.

Local ranchers promoted the show to northern meat packers in the hopes of improving the local livestock industry. The citizens of Fort Worth raised $50,000 and formed a company in 1904 to oversee the event. Under the group's second president, Samuel Burk Burnett, the annual show was renamed the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show. The North Side Coliseum (now called Cowtown Coliseum) was built in 1908 to house the event. The new indoor judging arena expanded interest in the Stock Show, and a carnival and midway were soon added.

A local newspaper editor, Ray McKinley, suggested in 1917 that the event incorporate a competition among cowboys and cowgirls. Stock Show president Marion Sansom appointed a committee of 7 men, including Buck Sansom, Bob Tadlock, W.O. Rominger (Bill), Wade Ross, Herbert Graves, Ward Farmer, and Ray McKinley, who were involved with the cattle and horse industry to define the new event. A member of the commission suggested using the Spanish name for these types of competitions, rodeo. Although the proposer used the Spanish pronunciation of "roh-day-oh", after seeing the word written the committee chose to use a different pronunciation, "roh-dee-oh", to refer to the new competition. Ray McKinley and W.O. Rominger presented the idea to the executive committee. The contest was approved and was added to the Stock Show calendar of events primarily because North Side Coliseum was the only arena with a capacity to accommodate the production and crowds expected. The 1918 Fort Worth Rodeo is considered the world's first indoor rodeo. An estimated 23,000 people attended these first indoor rodeo events.

The event took a hiatus in 1943, when all available facilities in Fort Worth, as well as transportation modes, were dedicated to the World War II effort. The following year, the exposition moved to the Will Rogers Memorial Center on the west side of the city. Four years later the event was moved to January and February, and it drew 250,000 people.

On average, the modern Stock Show has an economic impact of over $100 million for the Fort Worth area.

The photos: 1908 Stock Show in the coliseum. 1922 Midway at the Stock Show.