In the winter of 1840 a settlement had been established by Jonathon Bird , three miles east of where Birdville is today. In 1843, Sam Houston came to what was then called Fort Bird or Bird’s Fort and remained more than a month, awaiting chiefs from different tribes to discuss a peace parley. Houston departed, leaving Gen. Edward H. Tarrant and George W. Terrell to meet with the chiefs. When the tribes came to the negotiating table, a treaty was made under which the Native Americans were to remain to the west of a line traced passing through the future site of Fort Worth. The line marked “Where the West Begins”

The treaty was signed September 29, 1843, by Edward H. Tarrant and George W. Terrell, representing the Republic of Texas. The Senate of Texas ratified part of the treaty on January 31, 1844. President Houston signed it on February 3, 1844 in Washington, Texas.

We, the people of West Texas, acknowledging with gratitude the grace of God in permitting us to make choice of our form of Government, do ordain and establish this Constitution:

The boundaries of the State of West Texas are hereby defined as commencing at a point in the Gulf of Mexico, three miles from the shore opposite the middle of the main channel of Pass Caballo, thence up the middle of said channel and of Matagorda Bay to the mouth of Colorado River, thence up the middle of the main channel of said river, with its meanders to the point where said river is intersected by the thirty-second parallel of North latitude, thence along said parallel to a point ___ miles west from said river, thence in a straight line to the junction of the Pecos river and Rio Grande, thence down the main channel of the Rio Grande, with its meanders, to the Gulf of Mexico, thence along parallel to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, three miles from the land to the place of beginning.

At the start of the 20th century, Samuel Crothers wrote about the “psychological West.” “It is a feeling, an irresistible impulse,” Crothers wrote. “It is the sense of undeveloped resources and limitless opportunities.” Cowboy poet Arthur Chapman opined in his poem, “Out Where the West Begins,” that the West is, “Out where the smile dwells a little longer. Out where the friendship’s a little truer. That’s where the West begins.” In Fort Worth, the famous poem would catch the attention of Star-Telegram vice president and Fort Worth advocate, Amon Carter. The poem described an openness, free spirit, and friendliness that Carter instantly recognized in Fort Worthians. Carter couldn’t care less about longitudes, tree lines, and the opinions of Boston newspapers. Carter pitched the phrase “Where the West Begins” as the city’s official slogan. The Chamber of Commerce instantly approved the motto.

Resources:

West Texas History & Memories (Face Book Group)

Early Life in Texas County by County

Books about Texas People and Places

Famous People from Texas County by County