Grand Prairie, Texas

Everything Grand Prairie is known for

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History of Grand Prairie

The Trinity River Massacre RoadyGoat

1971

On the night of February 15, 1971, five law-enforcement officers were ambushed and most of them killed in the Trinity River bottoms near the Westmoreland bridge in West Dallas, in what became known as the Trinity River Massacre -- one of the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in the city's history. Ellis County deputies had come to Dallas to serve a burglary warrant on Ingersoll Road, aided by a Spanish-speaking Dallas County deputy. Two suspects pulled guns and tied up the deputies; two more deputies who arrived were also taken captive. The suspects drove all five to the Trinity River bottoms near Westmoreland Road. One deputy, McCurley, escaped to get help, but the four others were shot and only one survived. The killings touched off one of the largest manhunts the state had seen, and the suspects were arrested four days later in a raid on an East Dallas apartment. Both were convicted; their death sentences were later commuted to life. Few markers note the site today -- the deputies' names appear on a fallen-officer memorial at Founders Plaza downtown.

6.8 mi away

Pantego, TX RoadyGoat

Pantego is a small town, tucked away from the hustle, but it's got its own story to tell. Driving around, you might notice the quiet streets and well-kept homes – a real contrast to the sprawl of Arlington just next door, where Globe Life Field roared with the Texas Rangers’ World Series win last year. For a time, the interurban railway even stopped here, connecting Pantego to the wider world and spurring some growth. It's a place where many folks commute out to the bigger cities, working in all sorts of professional fields. But Pantego has also fostered its own talent.

9.5 mi away

Pantego, TX RoadyGoat

Pantego, that little pocket of quiet nestled right next to Arlington, has always had its own distinct identity. It's a place where folks appreciate the slower pace, a contrast to the bustle of the surrounding metroplex. Even though many residents commute to those nearby cities for work, there’s a real sense of community here in Pantego. And while the town’s remained dry all these years, something shifted when the Texas Rangers clinched the World Series in 2023. You see, Globe Life Field is practically in Pantego's backyard. The excitement was palpable. Even though you couldn't buy a celebratory beer within the town limits, you could certainly hear the roar of the crowds. The Rangers' victory felt like a shared win for the whole area. I think it reminded people of that old interurban railway stop, a time when Pantego was connected to something bigger. It was a reminder that even a small town can be part of something monumental.

9.5 mi away

The Six Flags over Texas

1519

Flags of six different countries have been raised over Texas. In 1519 the land was claimed for Spain, whose explorers came later in search of silver and gold, but found buffalo, Indians and mirages. They planted the red and gold banner of Spain, with its lions and castles, beside the cross of the missionaries intent on converting the Red Men. The gold and white standard of France arrived in 1685 with the expedition of La Salle, the first resident Governor of Texas. Around a fort built near the Lavaca River, La Salle tried to establish a permanent colony for his King. He failed and in 1687 was killed by his own men. French activity in Texas caused Spain to renew her interest. Finding the fort of La Salle in ruins, the Spaniards in 1689 began to build missions and presidios, and grant land for ranches and colonies. Smoldering rebellion in 1821 brought an end to Spanish rule. Afterward the green, white and red flag of Mexico--with its eagle, serpent and cactus--flew in Texas for 15 years. The settlers joined together in building towns, farming, fighting Indians. Then the policies of dictator Santa Anna provoked revolution. On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The Republic of Texas was born in the dark era of the fall of the Alamo, Goliad Massacre and "Runaway Scrape" of settlers fleeing before the coming of Santa Anna and his army. The glorious victory of the Texans at San Jacinto on April 2, 1836, established the sovereignty of the Lone Star Flag. As a nation, Texas built towns and mills; developed strong commerce; fought against the Indians and foreign raiders; established patterns of justice, with homestead acts and other laws; and won the respect of all the world. However, after nine yeas as a Republic, the people voted in favor of annexation to the United States. On February 16, 1846, the Lone Star banner became a state flag and Texas took her position as the 28th star in the United States flag. Until 1861 no other state adopted a flag, but the Lone Star has been the pride of Texas through all the years since 1836. For 4 years, 1861-1865, the stars and bars of the Confederate States of America flew over Texas. 90,000 Texans served the South. The state supplied large amounts of cotton, food and other goods. At the end of the Civil War, Old Glory with its stars and stripes again was raised. Some other flags have flown somewhat briefly over parts of Texas, but the six national banners shown here are those of enduring history. The exhibits associated with the Six Flags over Texas make vivid the colorful history of the Lone Star State.

Historical Marker → · 4.2 mi away

Avion Village

1941

As early as the mid-1940s, housing was scarce in Dallas as well as in other centers of defense production and military activity throughout the nation. The private housing industry was unable to keep up with the demand for shelter in these areas. Some federal officials saw the situation as an opportunity for experimentation in architecture and planning, as well as establishment of a pilot program aimed at lowering the cost of quality housing through the use of prefabrication and mass production building techniques. Defense housing officials also wanted to introduce industrial workers to mutual home ownership as an alternative to traditional suburban home ownership. Avion Village was one of several early developments intended to be permanent additions to community housing stock. The facility's layout promoted both privacy and resident interaction. Built under the auspices of the Federal Works Agency and its assistant administrator, Texas native Lawrence Westbrook, the facilities were designed by Roscoe DeWitt and David R. Williams in cooperation with Richard J. Neutra. Avion Village was launched amid high media attention in May 1941 as two teams of workers raced to complete the first house in the planned 300-unit development. The first unit was built in less than one hour. The entire development was finished in 100 days with the help of an on-site makeshift prefabrication plant. Civilian employees of the North American Aviation Company were the first to live in the complex. The Avion Village Mutual Housing Corporation purchased the development from the federal government in 1948. Avion Village continues to be mutually owned by residents. (1999)

Grand Prairie Airfield

1940

(U. S. Navy Flight Training Facility) The Curtiss Flying Service Corporation of New York purchased 275 acres of land one mile west of the Grand Prairie city limits in 1929. The Curtiss Wright Airport of Fort Worth-Dallas was opened on this site in 1930. Though the airport and flying school were a sensation, they closed late in 1930 due to the Depression and the field became the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport. In 1940 Lou Foote purchased the property to establish his own flying school. The U. S. Navy chose the airfield as a primary training facility and purchased the land from Foote in June 1942 for $120,336. The naval development cost was approximately $823,000 which included two 1,500-foot hexagon landing mats, two personnel barracks, a hangar, new maintenance and operations buildings, roadways, sidewalks and utilities. About 1,000 men trained on this site during World War II, some flying at night without permanent landing lights. The field was regarded as an excellent training ground for its capabilities. At the close of World War II, the Navy discontinued its training operations at the Grand Prairie site, using it instead as an emergency landing field. In 1953 the Navy authorized the Department of the Army to use the installation for the air section (later the 149th Aviation Battalion) of the 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard. In 1962 the Army authorized the City of Grand Prairie to use 195 acres as a public airport. The city sold 127 acres in 1964 and built a larger airport south of this site. The 19th Aviation Battalion remained until 1976, when the airfield was closed. (1998)

Grand Prairie, TX

1863

Grand Prairie is thirteen miles west of downtown Dallas in western Dallas and eastern Tarrant counties. It is crossed by State highways 161, 180, and 303, Interstate highways 20 and 30, and Farm Road 1382 (Belt Line Road). The townsite comprises approximately eighty-one square miles enclosed by Dallas, Arlington, Irving, and Cedar Hill. Mountain Creek Lake is on the east, a portion of Joe Pool Lake is in southern Grand Prairie, and Kirby, Cottonwood, and Fish creeks flow through the community, as well as the West Fork of the Trinity River. Settlers arrived in the area before the Civil War and built several stores, including the M. M. Miller store and the Phillip Goetsell store. The community was not organized, however, until 1863 when A. M. Dechman's wagon broke down on his trip from Jacksonville, Texas, to Fort Belknap with supplies for the army commissary. He traded his broken wagon, ox team, and $200 of Confederate money for a 239-acre tract that had originally been granted on May 1, 1850, to William and Walter Caruth. The community became officially known as Dechman or Deckman when it received a post office in 1874. W. M. Haskett was the first postmaster, and the post office was on land donated by Dechman. By that time a daily stage ran through Deckman on its way from Dallas to Fort Worth, and in 1875 a stage was robbed right outside the community. Early churches in the area included the West Fork United Presbyterian Church, built in 1870 and located in Tarrant County in a community then known as Watson, and the Valley Church on the Dallas County side with a log building that served as both a nondenominational church and a school. In 1876 Deckman grew when the Texas and Pacific Railway was built to the site from Eagle Ford, just east of Dallas. When Dechman surveyed and platted the townsite, he gave the railroad alternating lots in blocks A, B, C, and D, in exchange for the operation of a depot. The post office continued to call the community Deckman until 1877 when it changed the name to Grand Prairie to agree with the railroad which had called the town Grand Prairie since 1873. The community was supposedly so named because a woman stepped off the train and said, "What a grand prairie!" By 1890 the town had a population of 300, two churches, a public school, a steam gristmill-cotton gin, a broom factory, a wagon factory, and general stores. The first telephone was installed in 1900. In that decade rural free delivery was implemented, Grand Prairie received its own school district, and several newspapers were published. These included the Grand Prairie Enterprise , the Texan , and the Graphic . The North Texas Traction Company, better known as the Interurban, began service to Grand Prairie. Grand Prairie incorporated in 1902 with S. R. Lively as mayor. By 1907 the Dallas-Fort Worth Pike, later U.S. Highway 80, was gravelled, and good bridges were built, making travel easier between the cities. An electrical plant and volunteer fire department were established before 1920 when Grand Prairie had four churches, two cotton gins, a bank, a furniture factory, a planing mill, and several cottonseed-oil mills. The railroad shipped cotton, grain, and livestock. The Little Motor Kar Company manufactured the "Texmobile" until it went out of business in 1920. In the 1920s the city streets were paved, and Highway 80 was macadamized. The Airdrome, Grand Prairie's first movie theater, opened. In 1921 the first Grand Prairie Stock and Poultry Show was held; it continued every year until the 1940s. The future of the community was changed when Dallas built Hensley Field ( see NAVAL AIR STATION, DALLAS ) on 300 acres two miles east of Grand Prairie's city limits in 1928. The field, named for William H. Hensley of San Antonio, became the site for all army operations in Dallas, which were moved from Love Field . The army rented Hensley Field from Dallas for a dollar a year. Improvements to the field as well as school construction in Grand Prai

Tsha Handbook → · 4.3 mi away

Great Southwest Industrial District

1956

The Great Southwest Industrial District (GSWID) is a more than 8,000-acre industrial park in Arlington and Grand Prairie, Texas. Real estate mogul Angus G. Wynne, Jr. , established the GSWID in 1956, and it continues to be one of the largest master-planned industrial parks in Texas in the twenty-first century. Wynne, a World War II U. S. Navy veteran, returned home from duty and sought business and employment opportunities. With his business partners, in December 1945 Wynne purchased the American Home Realty Company. The business's Wynnewood housing development was a success, which inspired Wynne to explore more real estate and investment opportunities in the Arlington and Grand Prairie area. In 1955 the Texas Highway Department and the Texas Turnpike Authority began construction on the six-lane Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike that would improve connectivity between the two cities and open the Arlington and Grand Prairie area to increased commercial and residential development. The turnpike (present-day IH-30) provided the perfect opportunity for development in the area, and in late 1955 Wynne envisioned constructing a large-scale industrial park. In 1956, along with New York real estate tycoon William Z. Zeckendorf, they purchased Paul Waggoner's 2,387-acre 3D Ranch estate, formerly the site of Arlington Downs racetrack . Wynne purchased additional land in the surrounding area and eventually amassed more than 5,000 acres, and formed the Great Southwest Corporation to oversee the large-scale project, which he dubbed the Great Southwest Industrial District. Wynne appointed himself president of the Great Southwest Corporation and hired experts in architecture , engineering, warehousing, and other fields to implement a series of design standards and architectural controls. At its outset, Wynne envisioned the GSWID to be the largest master-planned business park in the nation, with stringent deed restrictions and design specifications, and it set the standard for industrial and business development in the post-World War II era. The Great Southwest Corporation secured world-renowned architect I.M. Pei as consulting architect on the development, however, his position was primarily for marketing purposes, and it does not appear that he provided any direct contributions to the design or implementation of the project. Most of the initial work was completed by the firm Associated Architects and Land Planners, which consisted of architects Richard Colley , O'Neil Ford , A.B. Swank, Jr. and planner S.B. Zisman. O'Neil Ford was already a celebrated modern architect in Texas and had gained a reputation for his innovative design and engineering techniques, specifically his use of concrete. Ford, along with Richard Colley and engineer and architect Félix Candela of Mexico City, devised a new architectural feature of thin shell concrete, called hyperbolic paraboloids. Some of the earliest known examples of hyperbolic paraboloids were constructed on buildings within the GSWID. Plans for the GSWID included three separate "communities," north of the turnpike, south of the turnpike, and west of present-day SH 360. Each community was slated to be self-sustaining, with individual community cores consisting of hotels, restaurants, and other amenities. The Great Southwest Corporation created a stringent set of standards that regulated deed restrictions, signage, and building design to create a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Construction on the first warehouse commenced in 1956, and by 1957 there were five buildings under construction that would include 300,000 square feet of floor area in the club restaurant area, as well as three multi-purpose industrial buildings of thin-shell concrete, including some featuring hyperbolic paraboloids. At that time, 750 acres of the GSWID were already under construction. The Great Southwest Corporation also succeeded in starting its own rail lane, the Great Southwest Railroad, which connected the industrial park to the Texas and

Tsha Handbook → · 4.3 mi away

Joe Pool Lake

1985

Joe Pool Lake, also known as Joe Poole Lake, Joe Pool Reservoir, and Lakeview, is on Mountain Creek in southwestern Dallas and southeastern Tarrant counties (at 32°38' N, 97°00' W). The northeastern corner of the lake is in the city limits of Dallas, and most of the remainder is in the city limits of Grand Prairie. The lake was named after Joe Pool, a congressman from Oak Cliff, and is operated by the Trinity River Authority for conservation, flood control, recreation, and municipal water supply. The dam, a rolled earthfill structure with a spillway elevation of 536 feet, was completed in December 1985, and impoundment of water began in January 1986. The lake was filled by June 1989. It covers 7,470 surface acres, has a conservation storage capacity of 176,900 acre-feet, and drains an area of 232 square miles. Recreation facilities at Joe Pool Lake include a number of parks, paved boat ramps and parking lots, public swimming areas, and a public marina. Loyd Park and Lynn Creek Park are on the lake's northern edge, Estes Park is between the two arms of the lake, and Pleasant Valley Park and Cedar Hill State Park are on its southern side. The lake is stocked with bass and catfish.

Tsha Handbook → · 4.3 mi away

Things to Do in Grand Prairie

Sports in Grand Prairie

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 6A · Football

South Grand Prairie The Warriors — South Grand Prairie — a college & pro athletic pipeline

5 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

South Grand Prairie High School, a Class 6A institution, has a proud history of athletes moving on to major college and professional sports. The dedication fostered in Grand Prairie has propelled many Warriors to higher levels of competition. This tradition includes athletes like Remi Ayodele, a professional football player, and Jennifer McFalls, an Olympic softball gold medalist. Their journeys highlight the athletic development nurtured within the South Grand Prairie community.

The school's alumni also feature Josh Stephan, a professional baseball player, and Jonathan Villanueva, a professional soccer player. Craig Woodson, a professional football player, further adds to the list of Warriors who have achieved professional careers. These individuals represent the diverse athletic talents that have emerged from South Grand Prairie High School, showcasing a range of sports at the professional and Olympic levels.

Pro/D1 alumni
5
Class
6A
Founded
1969
Key Players
  • Remi Ayodele, professional football player
  • Jennifer McFalls, Olympic softball gold medalist in 2000
  • Josh Stephan, professional baseball player
  • Jonathan Villanueva, professional soccer player
  • Craig Woodson, professional football player
The moment

Jennifer McFalls was an Olympic softball gold medalist.

Everything Near Grand Prairie

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