The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 5, March 1948 Page: 1
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* THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
\ U STI N. 1"' ElX AS
Alic. Ic948
HORD'S RIDGE
by /I.\ 1ox ) ix..\1MtxN
\W. Ii. .Adamson -ligh School, D)allasIN 1844. W. 11. I lord, his wife Mary
lIordl. formerly Mary Crockett.
their small son, 1l red's two step-
sonlls, andll t\v() beloved Negro slaves and
their lam ilies left lennessee. They
traveled for mianv montlls, living in
constant fear of Indians. I)uring Jan-
uari of 1845. they arrived in what is
now (o)ak Cliff,. in the heart of Dallas.,
and hoinesteade(1l at Lancaster Road and
Cedar Creek on a secti n of land that
was prompthlv calelled "'1ord's Ridge."
After l)lil(ling a tem)porarv cabin of
logs witl (lirt floors and a mud chimney.
lorld and two Negro slaves. Uncle
(eorge an ( Uncle Bum, started on a
house which was called the "wonder
house." The funl;ation for the floors
and walls was made ol carefully picked
cedar logs. These were covered with
hand-sawed and lplaned oak planks. The
fireplace. madce of white stones, was
quite artistic.
Thel IIo0rdls, like all other )pioneers.
had to rely upon their own resourceful-
ness for foo, clothing, medicines, and
other necessities. Their soap was made
of fat; honey\ was used for sugar; wild
ga,,ne provided meat ; and after two or
three years the orchards, planted im-
mnediately after their arrival, matured
andl furnished an abundance of fruit.
Mrs. I lord had brought with her herbs.
which she planted in her garden along
with her tomato plants and lilac bushes.
the first in I)allas. The I lords and the
N egroes alike vore clothes made from
material that had been spun and womven
by members of the household.It 1 as been estimated that at this
time t ere were fifteen hundred I)ela-
ware Indians living along the banks of
Cedar Creek in tepees made of cedar
bark. ['he only time that the settlers
came in contact with them was through
trade ; nevertheless. Mrs. I Hord lived in
constant fear that the Indians would
kidnap Mattie Hor(l. her infant daugh-
ter. They admired the "little pale-face'
immensely and had offered several times
to trade things for her.
As the Hords were the first settlers
west o" the Trinity River and were con-
sidere(l wealthy. they had a great deal
of prestige. There was really no county
government, but Hord became the
county judge by acclamation. It was he
who performed the first wedding cere-
mony in Oak Cliff.
Mrs. IHord taught the children on
the farm, both white and colored. Even-
tually people began to send their chil-
dren to her. particularly girls. to be
taught, and she conducted a sort of
seminary. charging each pupil twelve
and a half cents a day for her services.
An extra room was added to the house,
and chairs and desks were made from
split logs.
I)uring the famed gold rush of forty-
nine, a great number of persons came
throg h Dallas California Crossing
got its name from the travelers who
crossed the Trinity River at that point.
on their way to California. Many
stopped at Hord's. where they pur-
chased supplies and rested for a few
days. Both the hosts and the guests*
\'oil.. \'II. No. 5
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 5, March 1948, periodical, March 1948; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391451/m1/3/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.