Yesteryear Remembered

Oak Cliff has a rich history that enabled groups of people with diverse interests and backgrounds to come together to form a community that prides itself on its mixed cultures, inclusiveness and local pride.

The arrival of William H. Hord and his family on the west bank of the Trinity River on January 12, 1845 is generally considered to be the start of what eventually would become the city of Oak Cliff. By 1846, Hord’s Ridge was the focal farming community, and Hord set the economic, political and social agenda for early Oak Cliff. While downtown Dallas continued to take form during the 1860s and 1870s, this area (Hord’s Ridge, Eagle Ford, Honey Springs, Lisbon and others) remained as extended farming communities with no real economic centers.

By the 1870s, Hord’s Ridge had become extinct as a political entity, while Dallas was in a building boom due to the arrival of the railroads. Thomas Marsalis arrived in the early 1880s, and dreamt of turning Oak Cliff into the most prominent city in the South. In 1886, Marsalis and John S. Armstrong formed The Dallas Land and Loan Company, one of the state’s first giant land development companies.

Marsalis changed the area’s name from Hord’s Ridge to Oak Cliff, and marketed his development through newspaper ads. His company conducted auctions for lots on the first three days of November 1887. The sales total was almost $150,000. The town of Oak Cliff officially had been born.During 1888 and 1889, there were groundbreakings on dozens of projects — including several civic improvements, spectacular mansions and a number of fine hotels.

By 1890, Oak Cliff had a population of 2,470 people, and small businesses began moving to the area to serve them. After a vote that year, the City of Oak Cliff was incorporated. By 1903, Dallas was openly courting Oak Cliff for annexation. On March 17, 1903, voters in Oak Cliff finally approved annexation to Dallas.

Increasing interest in Oak Cliff around 1910 resulted in the building of hundreds of moderately priced middle income homes and expanding commercial activities. That changed the area’s image drastically from an enclave for the wealthy and socially powerful, and it proved to be a permanent change in Oak Cliff’s character.

During the ensuing decades, population and business development in Oak Cliff has continued to climb as the area settled down to become an integral part of the City of Dallas.