Dallas

John Neely Bryan, who settled on the Trinity River's east bank close to a natural ford in November 1841, is credited with founding the city. Bryan had chosen the ideal location for a trading post to serve the influx of people into the area. The ford provided the only safe crossing point for miles, being at the junction of two important Indian traces.

Soon, two of the Republic of Texas' suggested highways came together in the area. Bryan was unaware that he had settled on a property that the republic had given to the William S. Peters-led Texan Land and Emigration Company of St. Louis. Bryan eventually obtained legal recognition for his claim, and the Peters colony's intensive marketing initiatives succeeded in drawing new residents to the area. J. P. Dumas surveyed and planned a townsite with a half-mile square of streets and blocks in 1844. Dallas is a name whose origin is unknown. Candidates include Joseph Dallas, who moved close to the new town in 1843, George Mifflin Dallas, vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, and his brother, Commodore Alexander 

Dallas was chosen as the temporary county seat when Dallas County was established in 1846; voters chose Dallas as the permanent county seat over Hord's Ridge (Oak Cliff) and Cedar Springs, both of which eventually fell within its corporate limits, in 1850. On February 2, 1856, Dallas received a town charter from the Texas legislature. When Dr. Samuel Pryor was chosen as the town's first mayor, there were six aldermen, a treasurer-recorder, and a constable.

Under the guidance of men like William Henry Gaston, William L. Cabell, and J. T. Trezevant, banking and insurance grew to prominence in the final quarter of the nineteenth century. To promote the city's welcoming business environment, Dallas businessmen organized a board of trade, established a merchants exchange, and started the State Fair of Texas. Electricity, telephones, and several daily newspapers, primarily the Dallas Morning News (1885) and the Dallas Times Herald were all added to Dallas in 1881. (1888). With 38,067 inhabitants and the annexation of the neighboring town of East Dallas on January 1, 1890, Dallas became the most populous city in Texas.