Part of the largest tourism destination in Texas, Fort Worth is known for the arts, great food and terrific music. But in an age gone by, it was known as “Cowtown,” a prominent part of the history of the Old West cowboys and cattle. The stockyards were a livestock market that began operation in 1866. With the arrival of the railroads in 1876, the area became an important livestock center and by 1886, four stockyards had been built. By 1907, the stockyards sold a million head of cattle a year, as well as sheep and hogs. Today the stockyards are mostly entertainment and shopping venues capitalizing on the “Cowtown” image reminiscent of an age gone by.