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It was 1839 when lawyer John Neely Bryan from
Tennessee decided the area that is now Dallas would be the
perfect place for a trading post and eventually a town.
Returning to Tennessee to finalise his business, Bryan
returned in 1841 to claim 640 acres and sketched out a town.
As the city grew the railroad came to the area in the
1870's, with the Federal Reserve Bank opening in 1914. The
first airport opened in 1927 known as Dallas Love Field
Airport and in 1973 Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
opening the global gateway.
To many of us Dallas is seen as the oil capital of the
world….mainly due to the TV series of the same name and
the dastardly dealings of J.R. Ewing making compulsive
viewing for many in the UK during the 1970's. In 1930 C.M.
"Dad" Joiner struck oil 100 miles east of Dallas,
which was the largest petroleum deposit on earth at that
time. Dallas became a centre of oil-related activity and
the financial and technical centre for much of the state's
drilling industry.
The heritage of cowboys and frontier people helped to
build the city of Dallas and Fort Worth some 35 miles away
was seen as the major shipping town for cattle and soon
being nicknamed Cowtown. The heritage continues with real
cowboys who can be seen in Dallas between April and October
at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo at the Resistol Arena,
with professional cowboys and cowgirls coming from all  over
the USA to compete for prize money.
While visiting Dallas and Fort Worth in October 2002
I took the opportunity to take in the Dallas
Stampede (rodeo). The event took place over the weekend
of October 24-27 at American Airways Centre, Dallas. Organised
in conjunction with the Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association, all precedes raised benefit
the Children's Medical Centre of Dallas,
one of the Top10 U.S. paediatric hospitals. With the event
taking in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping,
Saddle Bronc Riding, Calf Roping, Barrel Racing and  Bull
Riding the Texas Stampede hosts the finals of the summer
Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Finale, offering the largest regular-season
rodeo purse of $750,000.
An all-family event, the Texas
Stampede draws massive crowds with top country music
stars performing after the rodeo. Names such as Brooks
& Dunn, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Lyle
Lovett and Toby Keith all giving separate performances
over the four-day event. On the Thursday that I attended
the Texas Stampede, Brooks
&  Dunn
gave a sensational performance with their 8-piece band.
With Ronnie Dunn taking the
lead for "Only In America" and three Marines taking
up position front of stage, this show of proud patriotism
brought a sensational response from the crowd accompanied
by an explosion of red, white and blue streamers. As the
fans crowded round the front of stage, Brooks
& Dunn raced through a repertoire of all their
best material. "She's Not The Cheating Kind",
"You're Gonna Miss Me", "Maria", "Neon
Moon" were all there and it wouldn't be a show without
their very famous "Boot Scooting Boogie" whipping
the crowd into a frenzy. Fantastic lighting effects and
confetti machines added to the revelry and the night was
made even more special for one young girl from the audience
who was invited up on stage to dance with Kix
Brooks….a night she'll remember for  years
to come. A great performance from this dynamic duo who have
sold over 23 million albums, scored 20 #1 hits and received
a host of major industry awards.
Across the street from the AA Centre was the Texas
Stampede Marketplace offering a host of exhibitors
selling the finest in western wear, jewellery, fine art
and collectables. Billy Bob's
is the biggest honky tonk in Texas and Billy
Bob's Texas On The Road with local country acts and
dancing provided all the fun of the this famous Fort Worth
honky tonk right on the doorstep of The
Texas Stampede.
Thanks to Cheryl Lewis and Kimberly Packard
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