Fort Worth Heritage Trails - Gamblers & Gunfights - Fort Worth, TX
N 32° 45.328 W 097° 19.899
14S E 656287 N 3625409
Fort Worth Heritage Trails sign documenting a little bit of Fort Worth's wild side, noting one famous (and the last) gunfight to take place in the city's streets.
Waymark Code: WMFV5A
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2012
Views: 8
The sign is located on the west side of Main St between 2nd and 3rd Streets. It says:
In the 1880s, Fort Worth, "The Queen City of the Prairies," was home to good hotels, restaurants, theaters, banks, 60 saloons and 9 churches. Patrons dined at the elegant White Elephant Saloon with its 40-foot mahogany bar and climbed the broad carpeted stairs for a game of keno at Luke Short’s casino. Famous men of the West, including Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, "Doc" Holliday and "Longhair Jim" Courtright often frequented the casino. On the evening of February 8, 1887, Courtright, unsteadied by alcohol, was feuding with Short over protection money. A sharpshooter and former lawman, Courtright challenged Short to a gunfight. But his legendary draw failed him, and Courtright was buried with a procession of carriages 6 blocks long. A few years later, the mild-mannered 39 year-old Short was shot. He was buried near Courtright at Oakwood Cemetery on the city’s north side.
Heritage Trails 2006
Sponsored by The Sid W. Richardson Foundation
Group that erected the marker: Fort Worth Heritage Trails/City of Fort Worth
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
West side of Main St between 2nd and 3rd Streets
Fort Worth, TX USA
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Visit Instructions:
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