120 replies to this topic

[Dismuke]

In the FW Weekly article discussed in the Trinity Bluffs thread the following is mentioned with regard to a spring in the area northeast of downtown:

Major Ripley Arnold led a group of men to scout a site for the fort near the Trinity River's west fork. Upon their arrival, they camped near a cold spring, where they shot a deer for supper....

The cold spring was a popular spot, as Indians, soldiers, and the first few settlers in the area made treks to fill water barrels and pouches

Does anyone know where that spring was located? Undoubtedly it is what Cold Springs Road was named after. I wonder if the spring is still there.

[Call me Arch Stanton]

I've often wondered the same thing. I recall reading some vague information once that it was just off the Trinity (news flash!) and the location they suggested, in a vague manner, covered pretty much the whole stretch of the Trinity near Cold Springs Rd. I'd love to find out where it was.

[djold1]

On page 2 of J'Nell Pate's book North of The River, a brief history of North Fort Worth, Cold Springs is described as being northeast of the bluff and on the river.

Obviously Cold Springs road passes through that area or at least did before the levees were built. Older maps show a city dump and gravel pits in that area on both sides of the Trinity as well.

Sarah Biles, the administrator/curator of the North Fort Worth Historical Society which has the Museum in the Exchange building in the Stockyards would be a person to check with on this. She knows a lot of this stuff. I don't think I have personally ever heard of an exact location being described.

Pete Charlton

[Dismuke]

Older maps show a city dump and gravel pits in that area on both sides of the Trinity as well.

After yesterday's meeting and the conversation about the Samuels Avenue area (which I had not driven through in a few years) and after noticing that dump on one of the maps on the CD you gave me, I decided to take a drive through the area. The site of that dump is now Delga Park. I had never even heard of the park before I pulled up a modern map of the area on Mapquest. Not really much of a park - just a flat field with very few trees. Across the river I saw an area that could possibly be a remnant of one of the old gravel pits - but I was too far away to really tell for sure.

I drove down some of the side streets east of Samuels (and I will probably end up needing to get an alignment as a result of it). I really did not see much of anything that I would consider as architecturally significant. I did come across two or three shotgun houses sitting right next to each other. They had the yellow "Do Not Occupy" signs that the city sometimes puts up on houses that are in bad shape. It has been quite a while since I have seen any shotgun houses other than preserved ones in historical parks. I don't know how many still exist elsewhere in the city but we really ought to preserve a couple before the last one disappears. Perhaps something like that could give a new purpose to Delga Park - move in a couple of old shotgun houses and other houses that would otherwise be torn town and create our own answer to Dallas' Old City Park.

Because of the many railroad tracks which run through and very few crossings, some of the areas east of Samuels are quite isolated - and driving through gives one a feel of being far removed from the Fort Worth that most of us know. Driving down one residential street, I actually had to come to a complete stop because a chicken was standing in the middle of the road.

[hipolyte]

There are also some shotgun houses visible from the Tarantula excursion train over off 8th Avenue, or, at least there were some years ago when I last rode on it.

[Bill Sievers]

I too am curious about "Cold Springs". In the '50's my dad and I were going to dispose of some old yard waste at the dump (site of the old Windmill Dinner Theatre) along the I-30. When we got there, there was a sign that said the dump there was closed, but material could be left at the "Cold Springs Dump". I always wondered where that was.

BTW, what's a "shotgun house"? I probably have seen them in the past but never realized what they were. I'm assuming it's not just another name for a "cathouse".

Speaking of old houses, at one time I remember a small row of houses along the East-West Freeway (I-30) on the southside of the service road just to the west of the old Mrs. Baird's Bakery on Summit Ave. Does anyone remember these? I think they were torn down back in the '70's after I left the area. Were these "shotgun Houses"? They were unique in that they were exactly the same style and looked very old.

Bill

[normanfd]

I remember those houses. They were just off the old Summit Ave. exit. They were a bunch of nearly identical, small, wood-framed houses in terrible maintenance that at the time were occupied by a small, seemingly desperately poor African-American community at the time. Yes, they were torn down in the early to mid '70s, but I don't recall any news accounts at the time mentioning that fact, or describing the fate of the residents.

[Dismuke]

When we got there, there was a sign that said the dump there was closed, but material could be left at the "Cold Springs Dump".  I always wondered where that was. 

My guess is that it is the same city dump east of Cold Springs road that appears on the 1920s map of Fort Worth. Delga Park is now located on the site of the dump. It is at the intersection of Portland Ave and Nixon St. Enter in either street on Mapquest and you will be able to see the location of the park in the results.

BTW, what's a "shotgun house"? I probably have seen them in the past but never realized what they were. I'm assuming it's not just another name for a "cathouse".

Shotgun houses are small wooden houses found throughout the South built from the early 19th and into the early 20th centuries that are one room wide and three rooms deep. Some say the name comes from the fact that one could fire a shotgun into the house from the front door and it would travel through the back door without hitting anything in between. Basically, they were a form of low cost housing for poor people - most especially poor blacks. I understand that in some parts of the south one can find examples of shotgun houses that were beautifully decorated with ornate wooden trim. From what I have seen, the ones here in Texas were mostly very utilitarian in design. Here is a link where you can find a photo of a couple of shotgun houses as well as a brief article about them: http://www.aaregistr...e_Shotgun_House

[hipolyte]

'Shotgun' houses were usually built in rows, and are identical, long and narrow cheap frame construction, small front porches, and with fairly steep roofs. They had only one room, so a 'shotgun blast fired through the front door' would travel right through to the back door.
I've always heard that line and taken it as a joke, but if taken literally, it could have some pretty grim implications.

[Bill Sievers]

Interesting! I sort of thought these types of houses would be like that. That's the way I remember those old houses near Summit Ave. Thanks for the explanations.

You know I was thinking how neat it would be if there were some old photographs of the areas all around Fort Worth which could be correlated to present day maps and features. It would be neat to see various random places that one could think of, and see what they looked like before FTW became a big city. e.g- What did the town's edge look like say in 1880, etc.? What did the road look like where the East-West Freeway is today say right by Summit Avenue. We need a time machine!

I'm really anxious to hear what develops with respect to the exact location of Cold Springs if anyone locates it. Wouldn't it be fascinating if it was still there?

Bill

[djold1]

I talked to Sarah Biles at the North Fort Worth Historical Society this morning. There are a number of Museum members of the Society that have done work for years on the location of Cold Springs. Some of them have been on the ground in the area for many years. Sometimes in places that they shouldn't be.

She told me that the best estimate is that it was a number of springs near or on the banks of the Trinity somewhere in the area to the east and maybe south of where the UPS delivery warehouse is now. The levees which are surmounted by rail lines have changed over the years and the banks of the Trinity are not even close to the original. As was mentioned, this area became a dump at one time as well. Also she mentioned that the old landmarks like the Pecan trees, etc. are also long gone. .

So unless some documents with useable bearings show up in the future I think that the location has kind of slipped into the mud and silt of the Trinity..

[Bill Sievers]

Wow! That's not good news. I'm sure with all of the construction and re-routing of the Trinity River, the topography has been greatly distorted. It's too bad that the location of a landmark of this importance will be lost to time. It's not a good sign if the NFTWHS can't locate it. Maybe if some of the very early surveys are located as stated, they will provide the correct bearings. I wonder if any geologists out there could locate the likely spot for these springs from present day ground features.

BTW, is there much ground pollution in this area? Seems like I remember a chemical plant nearby as well as the meat packing plants. Also, does anyone have any present-day pictures of this area we could see?

Bill

[John T Roberts]

Bill, I think all of us have explored that area to some extent and have taken pictures. However, I don't think any of us have gone down the river or walked along the bluff. You might want to look at the 2001 and 2003 aerial photographs at http://www.dfwmaps.com to get a good look at the area.

[Bill Sievers]

Thanks John. I just did go look at the aerial photograph of the area and it looks pretty interesting, but I'm afraid not being familiar with that area, it's difficult for me to visualize exactly the topography. What I think would be a good start is to gather ALL of the known clues as to where the spring(s) may be, and then go THOROUGHLY visit the site. However this may have already been done to some extent by members of the NFTWHS from what I can gather from a previous post. That's why I think doing an on-foot search as you suggested along with a hydrologist or geologist would be the key to finding the exact location, assuming it could still be found.

This is really a fascinating subject and this site will be one of my "must visit" destinations next time I'm down there in FTW. Meanwhile, if anyone on the forum gets a chance to go visit the area for a thorough walk around, please keep the forum updated on your findings!

Bill

[John T Roberts]

Dismuke went out to the area after our forum meeting on Saturday. He can probably fill you in on what he found in more detail than he has here. I did not go with him because it was pouring down rain.

[Dismuke]

Dismuke went out to the area after our forum meeting on Saturday.  He can probably fill you in on what he found in more detail than he has here.  I did not go with him because it was pouring down rain.

I did visit the area but I only drove around and did not get out.

Here is something interesting I found at: http://www.forttours...ps/stftwort.htm

Tired but happy soldiers, amazed by the beauty of the country, were pleased with the location of their new camp. In the coolness of a live oak grove northeast of the present courthouse square and near what is known as Pioneer Rest Cemetery, the dragoons found that nature had met man's every need. Three-quarters of a mile away cold water gushed from the south bank of the Trinity, which never lost its coolness under the thick shade of great oaks and giant pecan trees. They called it Cold Springs. Throughout all seasons the supply of cold water never failed even when the streams of the Clear and West Forks were reduced to stagnant pools during the hot, slow summers.
This spring was to provide the source of drinking water later when settlers moved in, and until they could dig wells. Later still, it served as a recreation resort for picnics and Fourth of July celebrations up through the turn of the twentieth century. By 1949, a hundred years from their discovery by the dragoons, only a faint bubbly trickle remained due to the south bank being denuded of trees. A road and a bridge leading to this location still bear the name Cold Springs.

So they were still flowing - kind of sort of - as recently as 1949.

The article suggests that Cold Springs Road leads to the site - which of course makes sense as most roads named after a landmark or place were usually thusly named because it was the road people took to get there.

Now, here is an aerial photo from the site that John linked to of the area:




Observe how Cold Springs Road as one goes north makes a sudden turn to the west to join with Northside Drive, goes over the Trinity River and then curves back east to and proceeds onward on the initial alignment. Also notice that the railroad tracks directly to the east of Cold Springs Road simply go straight through. From what I have read, the old Chisholm Trail roughly followed Cold Springs Road. I have also read that when the railroad was built somewhat later it basically paralleled the old Chisholm Trail. It makes no sense that Cold Springs Road would have originally made such a curve. Most likely the road went straight through and, at some point when the bridge was either washed out or removed or when the river altered they simply rerouted the road to Northside Drive in order to save the expense of a second bridge.

Now, take a look at this photo of approximately where Cold Springs Road would have crossed the Trinity if it had gone straight through.




If you connect the dots between the southern and northern segments of Cold Springs Road in the first picture, it would have crossed the river on the right hand side of this photo just to the left of the train tracks. On the far left hand side of the photo is Northside Drive with an orange line drawn down the middle of it. The three faint parallel lines that cross the Trinity in the middle of the picture are power lines and on each side of the river you can see the towers they are attached to. Now, observe the little inlet on the southern bank of the river in the center of the photograph. What I wonder is if this could be the remnants of Cold Springs. Here is the closest I could get the website to zoom in on the inlet:



Hard to tell much of anything by that. In fact, to me, it looks like the inlet actually slants away from the river. But that wouldn't make a lot of sense and I do realize that seeing things from the air can be rather deceptive. Perhaps it is the old springs still flowing a bit and needing a place to empty into the river. Or perhaps it is nothing more than where a storm sewer or something empties into the river. I am not very familiar with the area so I don't even know if it is in a place where the public has access to. But it would certainly be worth checking out. My guess is right now is probably a pretty bad time to do so as the river is probably flooded.

[Bill Sievers]

Good work Dismuke! Since there is mention of the spring still flowing as of 1949 (albeit just a trickle), I bet one of the older residents of the Samuels Avenue area would remember it and maybe where it was exactly located. I also saw the area in the aerial photo which looks like some sort of outflow from a drainage culvert (maybe) and surmised too that it might be remnants of the old spring. I'm sure upon a closer personal inspection one would be able to tell for sure. The article you referenced Dismuke in your last post certainly has some tantalizing clues though.

Everything I've read so far in this topic about the springs, seems to indicate that this area was very important to the early settlers and, later from an entertainment standpoint, to the inhabitants of FTW around the turn of the century. That being the case, it seems like this spring should be a high priority to locate, document, and preserve for the future.

Back to the aerial photos!

Bill Sievers

[Bill Sievers]

In the article Dismuke just posted describing the location of the springs, it says they were located about 3/4 of a mile from the Pioneer's Rest Cemetery. On an old paper road map I have, I measured the distance from the closest point of the cemetery to a point on the south bank of the Trinity in line with Cold Springs Road if it was extended directly across the river, and came up with about a distance of 1 mile. Now when I plotted a line from the same point of the cemetery parallel to Cold Springs Road where it begins at Samuels Avenue, and extended it for about 3/4 of a mile I ended up at Delga Park (the old dump). Since the aformentioned article describes the springs as being 3/4 of a mile from the cemetary, and assuming Cold Springs Road followed a straight line directly to the springs, might they have actually been in the immediate vicinity of the old dump/Delga Park?
Perhaps an old topo map might be of use in this case, as it might depict the actual springs or other features which would give some solid clues.

So far it appears that we have two good clues:

1. Dismuke's idea that early on the road paralleled the RR tracks where they cross the river and stopped immediately by the springs on the south bank of the river. The delta-shaped runoff area as depicted in the aerial photo is a good indication that some sort of drainage was/is occurring there. The area immediately at the apex of this "delta" is about 20 feet above the river with the land behind it rising to 30 feet. It appears there are also some minor eroded areas on either side which might indicate some sort of natural hydrological activity (swampy?).

2. The other idea is that the old springs are located somewhere in the vicinity of Delga Park. This being based on the records that say the springs were located about 3/4 of a mile from Pioneer's Rest Cemetery. Also this assumes Cold Springs Road continued straight from Samuels Avenue and on to where Delga Park is now rather than curving to the left as it does today. Again, an old road or topo map could be useful here.

It's time for a field trip which unfortunately I can't easily make since I live in Massachusetts!

Bill

[hipolyte]

Looks like good solid deductive reasoning to me. Maybe Nick Kithas of the Jazz Cafe, since he grew up and still lives on Samuels Ave, might either remember something, or know of some older resident who might.

[Bill Sievers]

Interesting that you mentioned Nick Kithas. I called him today and we spoke for several minutes. He told me his grandfather dug a well at their home on Samuels Ave. in the early '40's. I believe he said it was only 28 feet deep and the water was "ice cold". He said it's still there but not in use now. Nick believes there are a number of springs all around the area which bubble up. I suspect that's true, but there is/was probably one spot though where the main spring flowed.

Also, Nick seems to think that there is a company's building now which might be directly over the main spring site. He didn't know the name but seemed to remember it was involved with recycling mattress materials. I suspect a physical search around the area would reveal what company it is etc.

I also called a lady by the name of Micaela Villegas who is an old time resident in the Samuels Ave. area (she's 86), but she didn't remember much about the spring at all. That's unfortunate as I think the old timers are going to be the best source of information as to the spring's location.

Bill

[John T Roberts]

That inlet is for the storm sewers. From old maps, Cold Springs Road went straight from the south side of the river, crossed the river and then made a bend to its northern alignment on the north side of the river. The wiggly white road shown on the south bank of the river is the river access road (unpaved). Last year, the Trinity Trail (paved) was extended along this section of the river and a good way to see things is on bicycle. You can see several of these storm drain outlets along the course. You can also see the remnants of the old river channel. These areas read differently and you can tell the difference when crossing them or viewing them from across the river. Maybe we can get a forum bike ride up to explore this area once the water levels decrease below the trail crossings at the low water dams.

[Buck]

Nice old map at this site.

http://www.tsl.state...hp3?mapnum=4010

[Bill Sievers]

Buck this IS a good map. I looked over the area around Cold Springs Road and see a lot of interesting features which I just can't make out clearly. I suspect it's the resolution used when the map was originally scanned. Nevertheless it's fascinating to see all of the areas in Fort Worth that are completely different today. I didn't realize there were as many oil refineries in the area as there were back then.

I wonder if anything can be done with this scanned map to sharpen it up further so the features around the Cold Springs area can be resolved?

Bill

[djold1]

The map you are referring to is the 1925 Charles Rogers map of Fort Worth. It is stored in fairly low resolution and I think the scan was also faulty. I recently have tried to sharpen it up and increase the resolution with no success.

However, it is just a slightly later version of the 1919-20 Rogers map of Greater Fort Worth that is on the Antique Maps of Texas (AMoT) CD. John also has a full size printed copy of it. The detail on the 1925 map is probably less useful because about 5-6 years had past since the earlier one, which is closer to the time period we are talking about.

The 1907 Map of Fort Worth by J.C. Head, which is also on the AMoT CD and of which John has a print, shows Cold Springs road running down to the railroad ROW and curving northerly and running along the railroad to what might be Northside drive now. It does not show it crossing the river at any point. FWIW

[John T Roberts]

Yes, I do have the printed copies of these maps and I can take a look. I really want to thank djold for having them available for the forum meet. I still have 3 copies left of the Antique Maps of Texas CD. Jonnyrules23 has requested the other copy that we had left over. That is why I'm down to 3 having only 3 left.

Pete, I did give a copy to Wendy Davis. She was curious about the CD.

[Bill Sievers]

John, how do I go about to get a copy of this map CD?

Thanks,
Bill

[Bill Sievers]

djold1, I didn't realize you sold maps (I just checked EBAY). I guess this is where the CD's and paper maps came from that John spoke about earlier. I'm going to check these out and e-mail you if I find one which looks interesting.

Bill

[John T Roberts]

Bill, djold1 handed out copies at our forum meeting on Saturday. I had been meaning to order the CD, but I'm very well known for being a procrastinator. I will look at the maps a little later this evening to see if I can find the springs.

[John T Roberts]

Pete, the reason the 1907 map doesn't show Cold Springs Rd. crossing the Trinity River is that it doesn't go that far north. I didn't have much luck finding the springs.

[Bill Sievers]

That's too bad that the springs aren't shown on the 1907 map. It probably wasn't an important enough feature at that time to include the location. I suspect that the importance of the actual springs themselves was on the decline.

djold1 I have in fact purchased a CD from you about 4 years ago. I thought something seemed familiar about the AMoT, so I checked, and sure enough I correlated the forum name to a transaction we had on EBAY.

Well I think the best bet now for locating the springs is either to find an old topo map, or speak with some of the older residents in the area who might remember where they were/are.

Bill

[djold1]

The 1892-1918 Fort Worth Topo Sheet in my collection is at a scale of 1/125,000 and shows the entire county. This map is pre-Paddock viaduct. The city is not shown with enough detail to really tell anything about most of the streets. It does show what must be Cold Springs Road running down to & crossing the railroad and then angling back and crossing the Trinity & the railroad again on an almost east to west traverse. Looks pretty strange but at this detail level I wouldn't put much faith in absolute accuracy.

There is a an 1880's FW map by King in the LOC. Here is the link. It shows Cold Spring road runniing NE, crossing the railroad (Transcon) and then dead ending at the West Fork. Scale: 1"=1000'. Who knows if the bearing is accurate? If it is, then maybe someone could work out the point that the road intersected the old river bed which I am sure has changed a number of times from natural causes and flood control.

This subject seems to get new legs constantly. It's kind of interesting..

Pete Charlton


P.S. Bill I appreciate your CD business from the past.

[djold1]

The is also a USGS flood control map which I think is about 1915 by Dixon Penick in the LOC. It shows Cold Springs and shows it crossing the Trinity on cold Springs Bridge. The link is here.

Pete Charlton

[John T Roberts]

Pete, I have been spending most of the last few evenings exploring all of these old maps and then comparing them to the 2003 aerial photographs at www.dfwmaps.com. This is fascinating!

[qmcgown]

Greetings, all. Happy 4th. Regarding the location of the cold springs, there may always be some debate about the precise location. Some early references lead one to the conclusion that Live Oak Point and Cold Springs were on the same spot. I believe that to be the case. Live Oak Point is the site of today's Trader's Oak Park at the foot of Samuels Avenue, and was the site where the soldiers first camped, where our first business started, where the first court session was held after the county was established and where we held our first elections. In my mind, the site is the single most historic spot in Fort Worth, although it gets little attention. Maybe not a bad thing. The City's Landmarks Commission is pursuing stronger protections for the site.

Hang on to the FW weekly article. The historic material cited came from Dee Barker with the Tarrant County Historical Commission. She has worked on the history of the Samuels area for many years. You can hang your hat on what she allows to be printed with her attribution.

Enjoy the day.

[John T Roberts]

Quentin, thanks for posting. I did a little more checking on dfwmaps.com and followed that outlet shown in Dismuke's photos of the river near Cold Springs Road. If you go on the other side of the levee, there is an inlet, meaning water goes under the levee, then dumps out into the river. Just before the inlet under the levee, there are three "creeks" that join together at that point. The center one appears to have more water in it. The one to the left parallels the levee and only goes behind the Fort Worth Auto Pound. It is clearly man made and only designed to carry water that would flow into the Trinity from the south side of the levee. The one to the right parallels Cold Springs Road on the other side of the railroad tracks and leads up to the warehouse area near Pharr and the railroad tracks. If you follow the main branch of this drainage area, it appears to be a much more natural route, rather than a drainage channel, and it leads right into Trader's Oak Park.

[mosteijn]

I overlayed the 2ft elevation contours to get a better idea of what the landscape on the photos really looks like. Then, I drew what looks like the path of the creek in blue. Here is the creek John's talking about, with Traders Oak Park being on the left:



It looks like right before the creek arives at Traders Oak Park, it goes underneath an abandoned RR track, which would mean that the creek didn't have it's beginning at the park. It looks like it continues to parallel the tracks a little bit longer, which means it probably isn't fed by the Springs.

But, if you look in the center of the picture on the link below, there appears to be a small structure in the park itself. It could be a plaque recognizing the historic significance of the area (maybe even the location of the spring), or it might be nothing more than a garbage can or electricity box. I intend to go to the park some day this summer and find out, though.

http://www.dfwmaps.c...=on&STRLAKES=on

Also, I assume the Park is named after the Oak grove that the Traders stopped at, so does anyone know if the park is on the actual location of the grove, or is simply named after it? It would be cool if at least the original oak grove has survived all these years.

[Dismuke]

But, if you look in the center of the picture on the link below, there appears to be a small structure in the park itself. It could be a plaque recognizing the historic significance of the area (maybe even the location of the spring), or it might be nothing more than a garbage can or electricity box. I intend to go to the park some day this summer and find out, though.

Also, I assume the Park is named after the Oak grove that the Traders stopped at, so does anyone know if the park is on the actual location of the grove, or is simply named after it? It would be cool if at least the original oak grove has survived all these years.

Definitely go to the park - it is nice, though you will end up having to park in the street.

In answer to your question about the trees, the actual Trader Oak is still alive and in the park. This tree pre-dates the existence of Fort Worth. In the days when Fort Worth was actually a fort, the Federal government had a regulation that prohibited the operation of a private business within a certain distance (one mile, I believe, but cannot remember for sure) of a military instalation. Anyhow, the Trader Oak is exactly that distance from the courthouse where the fort once stood and that is one of the reasons why it was the location of the first trading post. And, as the previous poster mentioned, it was the site of the first elections in the area. Once you are in the park you cannot miss the tree - it is huge as one might expect of a tree that age.

I am afraid that it has been a few years since I last visited the park so I cannot recall the structure you refer to.

[hipolyte]

On a slight tangent, didn't 'Gooseneck' Bill MacDonald live on Samuels? Is his residence still standing?

[Dismuke]

But, if you look in the center of the picture on the link below, there appears to be a small structure in the park itself. It could be a plaque recognizing the historic significance of the area (maybe even the location of the spring), or it might be nothing more than a garbage can or electricity box. I intend to go to the park some day this summer and find out, though.

I stopped by the park the other day for the first time in a few years. I was unable to find the structure that is visable in the photos. There is a playground in the park - but I don't think that is what is showing in the picture.

What I found interesting and did not notice on my previous visits is that there are a few other oak trees in the park that are just as large if not larger than the Traders Oak - which suggests that they are around the same age or even older. What stories they could tell if they could only talk!

[Dismuke]

Well, here is another twist and turn to the possibilities which can be found on this website: http://www.rootsweb..../fieldguide.htm

COLD SPRINGS: Also called Terry Springs. Appear to be located near the present(1975) M-P Industries plant at 1301 Cold Springs Rd. Old picnic grounds one-quarter mile east of C/S bridge over the West Fork of the Trinity River. Located at or near present Cold Springs Park at Mapsco 63P. There were other springs in the area including some at Traders Oak Park at tenth and Samuels, some at the Samuels Avenue crossing of the Trinity River, and some at the T&P crossing of the Trinity, where Gilmore Creek enters the Trinity. From 1849 to 1876, when wells were drilled, water wagons delivered water to the city. The old city dump is in this area.

The location at 1301 Cold Springs Rd is now occupied by a company called Leggett & Platt. Here is the aerial view of the location:



The large building is Leggett & Platt. Notice that it is located right where Cold Springs Road curves to the north from the northeast direction it follows from its start at Samuels. That may explain why the road branches off from Samuels in the direction that it does. If the springs were indeed at this location, that route would be the most direct way to get there from downtown.

Of course, this information totally contradicts other information that the springs flowed from the southern bank of the Trinity. The website dismisses the notion that the springs were at Traders Oak Park but states that there were indeed springs there.

If the springs were there, then presumably there would be some sort of creek for them to run into. I can't quite figure out how to read the topographical maps that John and Johnny refer to so perhaps someone can go to DFW maps and see if it shows anything. (Note: if you plug the address into DFW maps the results come up a couple blocks to the southwest so you will need to move over a few frames)

Also, I have no idea where the Cold Springs Park that is mentioned is located - and unfortunately, it has been years since I last owned a Mapsco. Perhaps it is Delga Park where the old dump used to be?

[mosteijn]

I'm going to try to make it to the park today with my camera, as well as the rest of Samuels Ave. There are these nifty small victorian "shotgun houses" on some of the side streets off Samuels that I didn't think existed...boy was I pleasantly surprised! I'll also try to go by that creek John pointed out and see if I can find any remains or traces of a spring.

[UrbanLandscape]

Oh man when the water recede some more, I'm getting my infiltration/exploration equipment and I'm going in!

[Bill Sievers]

Wish I was able to go with you! Be sure to give us an update on what either of you find in the area.

Bill

[mosteijn]

Well, I went to the park, and I would have gone to the creek beside the railroad tracks, but it was fenced off . Trader's Oak, however, is an incredible piece of Fort Worth history, and I highly advise any of you who haven't been there to take a peek. The only downside is the lack of parking. Here are the pics:

The plaque beneath the tree:


The tree itself:


I found that structure I saw on dfwmaps.com, it turned out to be a picnic table, lol. So no news on the spring, but I imagine all of those huge oak trees surrounding the park must have some body of water to drink from...

[redhead]

Not to be a contrarian, but there were saloons and brothels at the southern end of Samuels, marking the closest distance that businesses could be to the Fort. (I seem to recall 1,500 feet, but am not sure. Doug Harmon at ConVis would know---he's a real history buff!) That is why Samuels developed where it did, as the early businesses were dependent on fort, albeit that was shor-lived.

Also, if you go back along the tracks on the east boundary of the park, you will find seepage regarless of recent rain activity. The springs are still alive and well in the area---you just need to look for the evidence.

[mosteijn]

How do you get to that water along the tracks? The whole area was fenced off yesterday.

[Call me Arch Stanton]

Also, if you go back along the tracks on the east boundary of the park, you will find seepage regarless of recent rain activity. The springs are still alive and well in the area---you just need to look for the evidence.

Just to clarify, you're saying these are in fact the Cold Springs? Could you give me more explicit directions on where they are? I'd greatly appreciate it!

[AndyN]

Also, if you go back along the tracks on the east boundary of the park, you will find seepage regarless of recent rain activity. The springs are still alive and well in the area---you just need to look for the evidence.

Just to clarify, you're saying these are in fact the Cold Springs? Could you give me more explicit directions on where they are? I'd greatly appreciate it!

I was at the Tarrant County Historical Society today doing some research on the Samuels Avenue area and ran across some interesting tidbits on in the files. I also purchased a copy of Dee Barker's history of the area that she was compiling for historic designation of the neighborhood.

Regarding the spring, apparently there are several in the area. Perhaps this is why it is called Cold SpringS Road and perhaps there is not just one spring. There is one spring that is identifiable from the others in that Native Americans carved a bowl in the stone at the spring. There is also a mention that Cold Spring is interchangeable with Terry Spring, but that's not much locative help for me since I have no idea where Terry Spring is either.

Apparently there was a rule about having no commercial establishments within a mile of the fort, which is why the Samuels area thrived before the area around the fort, which had no substantial development until after the fort was closed.

Madam Brown's brothel was located on Cold Springs road just east of Samuels and was described as the finest brothel around at the time of its construction.

Finally, Cold Springs Road is purportedly Fort Worth's first road. Originally a wagon path, it become the link to Birdville and parts east.

[redzeep]

This is very interesting. Thank you all for doing the research and sharing it with us all.

I called my PaPaw, 86, and asked him if he remembered the cold springs.

He said he remembered the road but not the springs. He said that "When he was a lad he would go with his Paw to the sand pit that was there, they would fill up then pull out."

He is just as cute as he sounds.

His family owned the land where (or close to) the NRH2O park is now. He says it was a two day trip to town, that they would travel a day, stay the night and then travel back home

[Jack White]

I am no expert on Cold Springs, but I always assumed that it
was below the bluff in the Samuels Avenue area, possibly a
little to the north. In accounts of the Arnold encampment,
they first camped out near the springs, but were forced uphill
to make a settlement because of mosquitoes. It is logical
to assume Cold Springs Road in that area led from Samuels
to the Springs.

Jack