Bird's Fort, Texas | |
---|---|
Fort – Garrison | |
Coordinates: 32°47′56″N97°5′0″W / 32.79889°N 97.08333°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
County | Tarrant |
Built | 1841 |
Founded by | Major Jonathan Bird, Fourth Brigade of Texas Militia |
Elevation | 485 ft (148 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
Bird's Fort was a community north of present-day Arlington, Texas (USA). [1] [2] In 1841, when John Neely Bryan established Dallas, he invited the settlers at Bird's Fort to come live in his proposed city. [3]
The site was named for Major Jonathan Bird, who established a fort there in September 1841 along the Trinity River, for protection of the settlements along the Texas frontier. [4] [5] The garrison was constructed after the battle of Village Creek which occurred on May 24, 1841. [6] Bird's Fort was occupied until March 1842 when the garrison was abandoned due to the threat of a Comanche attack. [7]
The military installation was the site of the 1843 treaty negotiations between tribal Indians and Anglo settlements in the Red River counties. [8]
On August 6, 1843, the ill-fated Snively Expedition was disbanded at Fort Bird. [9]
Bird's Fort was recognized as a Texas historic site in 1936. [1]
Birdville, Texas, (in present-day Haltom City) was the first settlement in Tarrant County and was named after Bird's Fort. [10]