DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about commercial horticulture in Euless, Tarrant County. Now, most folks blowing through Euless on their way somewhere else wouldn't stop to think about what made this particular patch of Texas so special. But the ground itself knew.
Sandy soil, well adapted for plant cultivation — the kind of earth that practically reaches up and says, plant something here. And starting in the 1800s, a handful of pioneer nurserymen took that invitation seriously. First man to really answer the call was Ambrose H.
Boyd, born in Kentucky back in 1829. He'd made his way to this corner of Tarrant County, and in 1879 he established Tarrant County Nurseries right there in Euless. Three years later, in 1882, he brought his son John S.
Boyd into the business, and the two of them opened a distribution yard over in Fort Worth. Trees, shrubbery, vines — they were putting green things into the hands of folks all across the region. Now John Boyd, he had ambitions beyond the nursery rows.
In 1885, he helped organize the Texas State Nurserymen's Association — the organization that today goes by the name Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. And that wasn't the end of John's story either. He later opened florist businesses in Cleburne and Denton.
The man had roots, you might say, in more places than one. But here's where the story really takes a turn worth leaning in for. Working under the guidance of Ambrose Boyd himself, a young man named Arch N.
Cannon established Euless Nurseries in 1897. Now Arch had a specialty: blackberries. But he wasn't stopping there.
Plums, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, peaches — Euless Nurseries grew the kind of inventory that would make a hungry traveler weep. And Arch didn't just sell what other people developed. He went and created his own peach varieties — the Cannons' Wonderful and the Cannon's Cling.
A man naming fruit after himself is a man who knows he's done something worth remembering. By 1907, Cannon expanded again, adding trees and ornamental shrubs to the catalog. And roses — roses became the nursery's specialty.
Arch even developed a new rose variety and named it Louise. The man was out here cultivating beauty like it was a crop, because, well, it was. Euless Nurseries shipped plants throughout the region and became the most profitable business in the area.
Let that sink in. Not the most profitable nursery — the most profitable business, full stop, in the area. Arch's son Ross, born in 1897, eventually took the reins, assuming ownership of Euless Nurseries and operating it until it closed in 1960.
Three generations of Cannons, and before them the Boyds, all pulling something beautiful out of that sandy Euless soil. Today, the horticulture and nursery industries in Texas account for a notable percentage of total agricultural receipts. That's not small.
That's an economy. And the marker says it plainly — nurserymen pioneers like Ambrose and John Boyd, and Arch and Ross Cannon, paved the way in Euless for this profitable enterprise, and through their work, have enhanced the natural beauty of Texas. Enhanced the natural beauty of Texas.
Now that is a legacy. In a state that was already pretty well convinced of its own good looks, these men from Euless went and made it even harder to argue with.
What the marker says
Launched in Euless by pioneer nurserymen, commercial horticulture has been vital to the area's economy since the 1800s. Ideally situated for horticultural production, Euless sits on sandy soil well adapted for plant cultivation. Ambrose H. Boyd (1829-1916), a Kentucky native, established Tarrant County Nurseries in 1879 and in 1882, with his son, John S. Boyd (1858-1946), he opened a distribution yard in Fort WOrth. Their merchandise included trees, shrubbery and vines. In 1885, John Boyd helped to organize the Texas State Nurserymen's Association (now Texas Nursery and Landscape Association); he later opened florist businesses in Cleburne and Denton.Arch N. Cannon (1868-1941), under the guidance of Ambrose Boyd, established Euless Nurseries in 1897. He specialized in blackberries, but also propagated and sold plums, apples, pears, apricots, grapes and peaches, including the "Cannons' Wonderful" and "Cannon's Cling" varieties he developed himself. By 1907, Cannon's business expanded to also offer trees and ornamental shrubs, including roses, which became the nursery's specialty; Cannon developed a new variety named "Louise." Euless Nurseries shipped plants throughout the region and became the most profitable business in the area. Arch Cannon's son, Ross (1897-1980), later assumed ownership of Euless Nurseries, operating it until it closed in 1960.Today, the horticulture and nursey industries in Texas account for a notable percentage of total agricultural receipts. Nurserymen pioneers, such as Ambrose and John Boyd, and Arch and Ross Cannon, paved the way in Euless for this profitable enterprise, and through their work, have enhanced the natural beauty of Texas. (2008)