Mesquite, Texas

Everything Mesquite is known for

6 songs mention this city 2 artists from here

Music in Mesquite

Songs About Mesquite

Life of a Rodeo Cowboy
Merle Haggard
52%
"And there's a rodeo down in Mesquite"
Santa And My Semi
Dale Watson
51%
"I saw Santa jackknife up around Mesquite"
Hey Daisy
Drew Womack
50%
"Till they light in Mesquite right in front of our eyes"
Texas Love Song
Slaid Cleaves
8%
"Or you can throw me out in the old mesquite"
White Knuckle Heart
Red Shahan
5%
"Fear of the [?] that smells of Mesquite"
Jim Murphy
Mark David Manders
5%
"The first job that we pulled was at the Allen station, next job we pulled was in Mesquite"

Artists From Mesquite

C
Craig Wayne Boyd
country Pop: 44
J
Johnny Cole Murdock
country Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Mesquite

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Mesquite.

Interstate 20 13 songs Trinity River 10 songs Interstate 45 7 songs Sabine River 13 songs Texas State Highway 199 8 songs

History of Mesquite

The Night Sam Bass Burned the Express Car for $152 RoadyGoat

On the night of April 10, 1878, the most famous outlaw in Texas hit the depot you're near. Sam Bass and his gang, including Seaborn Barnes, Henry Underwood, Arkansas Johnson, and Frank Jackson, held up a Texas & Pacific train right here in Mesquite. The express messenger had locked himself in the wooden express car, so the robbers doused its outside with coal oil and set it on fire, smoking him out until he opened the door. For all that drama, the haul was humiliating: they rode off with only about $152. The real prize, by local account roughly $30,000, had been buried in the cold ashes of the car's unlit pot-belly stove, and the gang never found it. They left the two dozen passengers alone. The robbery didn't pay off for any of them, either. Within months Bass and Barnes were shot dead in Round Rock, and Johnson was killed in Denton County that same summer. A Texas historical marker in town still tells the story. (Source: Historical Marker Database; Dallas County Pioneer Association.)

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The Town the Railroad Drew on a Prairie RoadyGoat

You're standing where a railroad survey line decided a town into existence. In May 1873, Texas & Pacific Railway engineer A.R. Alcott platted a new depot stop out on the open Dallas County prairie and named it Mesquite, after nearby Mesquite Creek. There was almost nothing here before that, the area was open grassland and a trading ground long worked by Native peoples, until the rails arrived. Station agent William Bradfield became the first settler, and people drifted in from older farming communities nearby with names like Scyene, New Hope, and Long Creek. The first businesses faced Front Street, beside a rough-sawn East Texas pine depot with platforms and livestock pens, a blacksmith shop, a confectionery, and two saloons. A post office opened in 1874, the first Baptist congregation built a church in 1877, and the town formally incorporated on December 3, 1887, with J.E. Russell as its first mayor. The depot itself burned long ago and the downtown sidings are gone, but the town the railroad sketched is still right here. (Source: Handbook of Texas; City of Mesquite historical marker.)

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The Mall That Brought Air Conditioning to Shopping RoadyGoat

Where a FedEx logistics center now hums near US 80 and Loop 12, Mesquite once held a genuine retail milestone. Big Town Mall opened in 1959 as the first enclosed, air-conditioned shopping mall in the Southwest, and some accounts argue it was among the very first in the entire country. That mattered in a place where summer afternoons routinely top 100 degrees: instead of dashing between hot sidewalks and storefronts, shoppers could stroll a cool, sealed concourse all day. For a couple of decades Big Town was the place to be in eastern Dallas County. But malls compete, and as newer, flashier centers opened, including Town East Mall just up the road in 1971, Big Town slowly faded. By the early 2000s it sat largely empty. Demolition began the week of May 22, 2006, and was finished by that September, erasing a building that had helped teach America how to shop in the air conditioning. In 2017 a FedEx facility opened on the cleared ground. (Source: Wikipedia; Mesquite local history.)

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Sam Bass Train Robbery

1878

Sam Bass -- with Seab Barnes, Hank Underwood, "Arkansas" Johnson, and Frank Jackson -- held up a Texas & Pacific train here, April 10, 1878. They took $152, but missed hidden shipment of $30,000. In planning a bank robbery 3 months later, Bass was fatally shot by rangers.

Historical Marker →

CCC Company 850

1935

During the Great Depression, Hicks Jobson set aside eight acres of his farm to allow the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal work relief programs, to establish a local camp. Located 1/4 mile east of Mesquite, Company 850 welcomed 250 enrollees in June 1935. The site included 24 barracks, a mess hall, health facility, bath house and recreation hall. Under Project SCS-36-T, the men worked on soil conservation and engaged more than 300 farmers in Dallas and surrounding counties on over 40,000 acres until 1941. Work included terracing, fencing, check dams and levees along the east fork of the Trinity River. The camp land was later donated to Mesquite ISD.

Historical Marker →

Kimbrough, Robert Snead

1874

Robert Snead Kimbrough, the "town father" of Mesquite, teacher, farmer, businessman, and Texas state legislator, son of Jacob C. and Martha Ann (Snead) Kimbrough, was born in Monroe County, Tennessee, on September 19, 1851. He was one of five children. Jacob Kimbrough joined the First Regiment of the Confederate Tennessee Calvary at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. He held the rank of private until he surrendered in May 1865. After the war, he continued working as a farmer in Monroe County. Robert Snead Kimbrough grew up on his father's farm near Madisonville, Monroe County. During the Civil War, the farm was located near contested ground between Federal and Confederate troops, where Kimbrough and his family witnessed the harsh realities of war. Although the area's education system lacked organization and resources, Kimbrough managed to obtain an early education. By 1873 he had relocated to Arkansas where he worked as a schoolteacher. In 1874 Kimbrough took the Texas and Pacific Railway to Mesquite, Texas, and arrived "with only a few dollars in his pockets." He briefly taught school there before moving to Linden, Texas, where he again taught school before returning to Tennessee in 1875. He moved back to Texas in 1876, this time to Clay County, where he spent eighteen months improving a farm and building a house near what became the town of Postoak. By 1878 he had sold these for sufficient profit to enable him to return to Mesquite and establish a general mercantile business. Kimbrough participated actively in the Mesquite community. He was a founder of the First Presbyterian Church of Mesquite, established in 1881. He also helped promote business and trade within the area through his mercantile pursuits. He bought plots of land near Mesquite in order to start a farm and cultivate goods. He owned one of the first cotton gins in the area and also founded a local newspaper, the Little Mesquiter (later the Texas Mesquiter ) in 1882. Although he initially edited the newspaper, he resigned that position a year later to focus on his general store business and farm. After a dispute with J. L. Thomas, an agent of the Texas and Pacific Railroad, over freight bills and an ensuing, critical editorial in his newspaper, Kimbrough was involved in a fist fight with Thomas that turned into a shoot-out. Both men were grazed by bullets in the scrape and were subsequently arrested. Nonetheless, Kimbrough's business affairs prospered, and by 1883 he was paying taxes on more than 120 acres of land (worth more than $3,000) in and around Mesquite, plus another three thousand dollars' worth of merchandise. In December 1885 he sold his newspaper to J. M. Knox of the local Farmers' Alliance to focus on his other business interests. Kimbrough was also involved in politics during this time. In 1880 he was chosen as a delegate to attend the Dallas County Democratic convention, where he supported the renomination of Governor Oran M. Roberts . In 1882 Kimbrough served on the Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee and was a delegate to Democratic conventions at the county, congressional district, and senatorial district levels. At the senatorial convention, he was also the second assistant secretary to the committee on permanent organization. After Kimbrough announced his candidacy for the legislature in 1884, Dallas newspapers acknowledged his broad popularity and projected that he would have solid support from Dallas city voters. Calling himself "an old school Democrat," he endorsed the incumbent governor John Ireland and denounced protection tariffs and a state law that allowed cattlemen to graze their herds on public lands for free. In the November 1884 election, in which the top two vote earners won seats in the state House of Representatives, Kimbrough won more than 1,000 votes more than his colleague Zachariah E. Coombs. Kimbrough represented House District 33 and was sworn in on January 13, 1885, at the start of the Nineteenth legislatur

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Officer Richard Houston II Memorial Highway

2021

Honors Mesquite PD Officer Richard Houston II, 21-year MPD veteran, killed December 3, 2021, responding to a domestic disturbance in an Albertsons parking lot on Belt Line Rd. Honorary segment on I-635 between LaPrada Dr and Cartwright/Bruton Rd.

Historical Marker →

Florence Ranch Homestead

1871

Florence Ranch Homestead, located at 1424 Barnes Bridge Road in Mesquite in Dallas County, was founded in 1871 by David Walker Florence and Julia Savannah (Beaty) Florence. The son of John Hicks and Martha (Walker) Florence, David was born on October 28, 1848, in St. Clair County, Alabama. Eight-year-old David, along with his parents and extended families, migrated from Alabama to Texas in 1856 and eventually settled in Van Zandt County. David Florence married Julia Savannah Beaty on December 29, 1866, in Van Zandt County. Beginning in 1871 Florence bought land in eastern Dallas County. He made an initial purchase of 207 ½ acres from the estate of Caroline Lyons in the William Little Survey in January 1871 for $2,075. Florence began the construction of their farmhouse while Julia planted from seeds a bois d'arc hedgerow around the homestead. A few of these trees have survived into the twenty-first century. The homestead was complete by September 6, 1872, when their daughter Martha was born. Regarded as one of the most successful stock farmers in Dallas County, Florence increased his Mesquite farm to 730 acres by 1892. At this time 300 acres were in cultivation, and the rest of the acreage was used for prairie hay production and pasture. To diversify his holdings, Florence and his son John Hicks Florence patented 1,280 acres in Taylor County in 1890. In 1894 they purchased 1,000 acres near Cedar Hill in Dallas County. Florence dedicated part of his property for a school which in 1946 was incorporated into the Grand Prairie School District. The school and surrounding community were known as Florence Hill. The last remaining part of the ranch owned by a Florence granddaughter was taken by eminent domain for the construction of Joe Pool Lake in the late 1970s. David and Julia Florence retired from their farming interests by 1909. In 1913 they purchased several lots in the Duff addition north of the Mesquite town square and built a Victorian-style home where they remained the rest of their lives. The Florences were instrumental in the development of Mesquite since before its founding as a small railroad town in 1873 and were active members of the community. Julia Florence died on March 1, 1914. David married Mattie (Parker) Bennett, widow of William J. Bennett in 1920. David Walker Florence died on December 7, 1932, and was buried beside Julia in the Florence family plot in Mesquite Cemetery. The Florence homestead was passed to the Florences' son Emet David Florence, who was born in the homeplace on November 20, 1885. On December 23, 1906, Emet married Perle Curtis, the daughter of Robert and Elzora (Porter) Curtis. Their daughter Florence was born at the homeplace on October 22, 1909. As a young husband and father, Emet already had performed much of the ranching duties, and in 1909 he acquired the original family homestead from his parents. In 1911, by purchasing more parcels of land, his farm increased to more than 600 contiguous acres. After completing a course in animal husbandry at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Texas A&M University) in 1906, Florence implemented new objectives for farming efficiency and introduced purebred livestock. At this time the Florence Ranch was known as Meadow View Farm, and he adopted the Terrapin brand for his stock. Florence's 320-acre native meadow was part of the rich Blackland Prairie area north and west of Mesquite, and Emet Florence became a prime producer of high quality prairie hay. More than 100 acres were dedicated for planting feed crops-oats and corn-for Florence's stock. He raised Hampshire Down sheep. He also bred purebred Shorthorn and Hereford cattle . In later years, many students of Future Farmers of America bought calves and lambs from him for school projects. Meadow View Farm became well-known for its Percheron horses. Heavily imported from France by the turn of the twentieth century, this sturdy breed was prized for its ability to draw the heaviest farm e

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Masten, William K.

1862

William K. Masten, Methodist Church circuit preacher, mercantile business owner, and Confederate cavalry officer, was born in Ohio in 1821. He married Isabella M. Robinson in Bond County, Illinois, on November 15, 1842, and the couple moved to Dallas County, Texas, soon after. In 1850, while working as a teacher in Dallas, Masten was admitted into the East Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He was a circuit rider for the Tyler area and in 1857 settled in Mesquite where he led the first congregation of the Methodist Church. Masten also served as county clerk from 1856 to 1860. Masten Street in Dallas is named after him. In March 1862 Masten joined the Fifteenth Texas Cavalry and was elected captain of Company C. On May 10, 1862, he was elected lieutenant colonel. The Fifteenth was dismounted in the fall of 1862 and served as infantry for the remainder of the war. On January 11, 1863, their post, Fort Hindman in Arkansas, fell to the Union Army. Many of the captured soldiers were paroled and returned to battle with the Sixth and Tenth Texas infantries fighting in Tennessee and Georgia. After the war, Masten moved back to Dallas where he served as county clerk from 1865 to 1866 and then district clerk from 1866 to 1867. Sometime after 1870, the family left Texas and settled in California where William Masten died and is buried.

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Things to Do in Mesquite

historical 12.2 mi away
Dealey Plaza

On November 22 1963 President John F Kennedy rode through Dealey Plaza in an open Lincoln convertible and was shot from the sixth floor window of the Texas…
historical 12.2 mi away
The Sixth Floor Museum

Where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from. The JFK assassination site at Dealey Plaza.
quirky 9.4 mi away
Big Tex at the State Fair

A fifty-five-foot cowboy named Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park Dallas every fall since 1952. He booms howdy folks over a…
spooky 7.9 mi away
Lady of White Rock Lake

Since the 1930s drivers along White Rock Lake report picking up a soaking-wet woman in a white dress. She asks for a ride home then vanishes leaving the seat…
food 10.9 mi away
Pecan Lodge

Dallas' best BBQ. The beef rib alone is worth the drive.
historical 16.9 mi away
Southfork Ranch

The filming location of TV's Dallas. JR Ewing lived here.
quirky 19.1 mi away
Southfork Ranch

The Ewing family TV mansion from the Dallas soap opera sits on two hundred acres in Parker Texas and is open for tours every day. JRs bedroom is there. The…

Sports in Mesquite

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 6A · Football

Mesquite Stormy the Skeeters — Mesquite — a college & pro athletic pipeline

5 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Mesquite High School has a proud tradition of producing athletes who have gone on to compete at high levels. The school's athletic programs have helped many students develop the skills and determination needed for major college and professional sports. This commitment to athletic development is reflected in the achievements of its alumni.

Among the notable former Mesquite Skeeters are Mike Ford, who played quarterback for the SMU Mustangs, and Eddie Phillips, who was a quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. In professional baseball, Sean Lowe pitched for teams including the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox. Ngozi Onwumere competed as a sprinter and Olympic bobsledder for Nigeria, while Cory Remekun became an American professional basketball player.

Pro/D1 alumni
5
Class
6A
Founded
1902
Key Players
  • Mike Ford — (1977) – quarterback for the SMU Mustangs
  • Sean Lowe — (1989) – a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1997 through 2003 for t
  • Ngozi Onwumere — sprinter and Olympic bobsledder, competing for Nigeria
  • Eddie Phillips — quarterback for the Texas Longhorns
  • Cory Remekun — (2009) – an American professional basketball player
The moment

Sean Lowe was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Mesquite

1510 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Mesquite on the Map
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