DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how that official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. We're talkin' about a building that's been in three different cities without movin' an inch.
The Fort Worth Coliseum — and yes, I said three cities. We'll get to that. First, let's talk about how it came to be.
Up until 1908, the Annual Fort Worth Fat Stock Show was a wandering affair, held in a variety of locations, never quite settled, never quite home. But as interest in the show grew, and folks started recognizing its educational and promotional value, the livestock exhibitors decided enough was enough. They wanted a permanent home.
So the coliseum was constructed — 1907 into 1908 — and the bills were picked up by some serious players: the Swift and Armour Packing Companies, and the Fort Worth Stock Yards Company, which owned the land itself. That's not a small consortium. That's the kind of money that builds something meant to last.
And last it did. The stock show was held there annually for thirty-four years. Now here's the part that tickles me.
That coliseum was built in a place called North Fort Worth. Fine. But North Fort Worth was absorbed into Fort Worth by 1909.
Then, from 1911 to 1923, that same patch of ground became part of a place called Niles City. And then, come 1923, it was Fort Worth again. Same building.
Same address, more or less. Three cities. The coliseum didn't go anywhere — the map just kept changin' around it.
And 1923 was a big year for that building in more ways than one, because that was the year the first live radio broadcast of a rodeo went out over WBAP Radio — transmitted right from that coliseum. The birthplace of the indoor rodeo, sendin' its voice out over the airwaves for the very first time. Now, a building like that doesn't just host cattle and cowboys.
In 1911, former President Theodore Roosevelt stood on that floor and spoke. In 1920, the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso performed there — grand opera under the same roof that smelled of sawdust and livestock. Governors of Texas, performing artists, evangelists, entertainers — they all came through.
Cultural events, religious gatherings, civic occasions. The place wore many hats, and it wore them without apology. By 1936, the Stock Yards Company sold the coliseum to the City of Fort Worth, and it became the city's own.
Three cities, one building, thirty-four stock shows, the birth of the indoor rodeo, a tenor, a president, and the first rodeo broadcast ever to crackle through a radio speaker. That coliseum didn't just host history — it generated it.
What the marker says
Until 1908, The Annual Fort Worth Fat Stock Show was held in a variety of locations. As interest increased in the event and its educational and promotional values were realized, livestock exhibitors sought a permanent home for the show. The coliseum was constructed in 1907-08 to provide such an exhibition hall. Construction costs were borne by the Swift and Armour Packing Companies, and by the Fort Worth Stock Yards Company, which owned the property. The stock show was held here annually for 34 years. This site has been within three separate cities: North Fort Worth until 1909; Niles City, 1911-23; and in Fort Worth since 1923. It is the birthplace of the indoor rodeo, and the first live radio broadcast of a rodeo was transmitted here on WBAP Radio in 1923. The Coliseum also has served as a place for cultural, educational, religious, social, and civic events. In 1911, former President Theodore Roosevelt spoke here. Numerous Texas Governors, performing artists, grand operas, entertainers and evangelists have appeared here. The great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, performed here in 1920. In 1936, the Stock Yards Company sold the coliseum to the City of Fort Worth. Historically it has been an important part of the city and the livestock industry. (1984)