Bird's Fort was a community north of present-day
Arlington,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
(
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
).
In 1841, when
John Neely Bryan
John Neely Bryan (December 24, 1810 – September 8, 1877) was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of Dallas, Texas.
Early life
Bryan was born to James and Elizabeth (Neely) Bryan in Faye ...
established Dallas, he invited the settlers at Bird's Fort to come live in his proposed city.
History
The site was named for Major Jonathan Bird, who established a
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
there in September 1841 along the
Trinity River, for protection of the settlements along the Texas frontier.
[Fort Tour Systems, Inc. – Bird’s Fort](_blank)
/ref> The garrison was constructed after the battle of Village Creek which occurred on May 24, 1841. Bird's Fort was occupied until March 1842 when the garrison was abandoned due to the threat of a Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
attack.
The military installation was the site of the 1843 treaty negotiations between tribal Indians and Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term '' Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people ...
settlements in the Red River counties.
On August 6, 1843, the ill-fated Snively Expedition was disbanded at Fort Bird.
Bird's Fort was recognized as a Texas historic site in 1936.
County development
Birdville, Texas Birdville was a former community in Tarrant County, Texas that was founded around 1840. Today, the community is known and incorporated as Haltom City, Texas.
History
A team of Texas Rangers led by Jonathan Bird were dispatched by Sam Houston to e ...
, (in present-day Haltom City
Haltom City is a city, part of the Dallas–Fort Worth region, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. Its population was 46,073 at the 2020 census. Haltom City is an inner suburb of Fort Worth, a principal city of the DFW Metroplex. The city ...
) was the first settlement in Tarrant County
Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...
and was named after Bird's Fort.[Hart, Brian]
Birdville, Texas
– Handbook of Texas
See also
* Treaty of Bird's Fort
The Treaty of Bird's Fort, or Bird's Fort Treaty was a peace treaty between the Republic of Texas and some of the Indian tribes of Texas and Oklahoma, signed on September 29, 1843. The treaty was intended to end years of hostilities and warfare be ...
References
External links
Pictures and mapsBirdville Historical Society
Forts in Texas
Populated places established in 1841
1841 establishments in the Republic of Texas
Texas–Indian Wars
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