William "Billy" Dixon - Fort Worth Stockyards - Fort Worth, TX
N 32° 47.336 W 097° 20.958
14S E 654575 N 3629095
Scout and hunter Billy Dixon is honored with a star on the Texas Trail of Fame in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX.
Waymark Code: WMPBQT
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2015
Views: 1
Mr. Dixon's star is located on the south side of W Exchange Ave, near the intersection with N Main St. The star says:
Texas Trail of Fame
William "Billy" Dixon
Pioneer
Fort Worth Stockyards
The Texas Trail of Fame website (see link) has a depiction of Mr. Dixon, as well as this short biography:
Billy scouted the Texas Panhandle for the Army, hunted buffalo for the train companies, defended the Adobe Walls settlement against Indian attack with his legendary buffalo rifle, and was one of eight civilians in the history of the U.S. to receive the Medal of Honor. Dixon led the founders of Adobe Walls to the Texas Plains, where he knew buffalo were in abundance. The group of 28 men and one woman occupied the outpost of five buildings 15 miles northeast of Stinnett. The outpost was attacked on June 27, 1874 by a band of 700 to 1200 Indians, and that is when Dixon went into the history books for firing “The Shot of the Century which effectively ended the siege.
Although, Billy Dixon states in his biography that it was a “scratch shot”, he is still honored to this day with competitions in England and the US which attempt to match his skill. The stand-off continued into a third day, when a group of Indians were noticed about a mile east of Adobe Walls. It is said that Dixon took aim with a quickly borrowed 50/90 Sharps (as, according to his biography, he only had a 45/90 and felt it could not reach) buffalo rifle and fired, knocking an Indian near Chief Quanah Parker off his horse almost a mile away on his third shot.
About the Texas Trail of Fame: (
visit link)
The Texas Trail of Fame was established in 1997 to honor those who have made a significant contribution to our Western way of life. Throughout the walkways of the Fort Worth National Historic District, bronze inlaid markers have been placed in honor of their achievements. The desire of the Texas Trail of Fame is to inspire and educate visitors through the adventure of reflecting on these Westerner’s accomplishments. Trail Guides are available at the Stockyards Visitor's information Center. So come on out to the Fort Worth Stockyards, grab a guide, and hit the trail!