The Beginning

 It's 1899, and you are standing in the middle of a cotton field. The land belongs to Oscar
Kramer, an immigrant who has just arrived in Oak Cliff from Germany. At this time, Oak Cliff is its
own city, a suburb for the rich. The wealthy are the only ones who can afford a horse and carriage to
drive them the whopping three miles to downtown Dallas. Also, because of the unpredictable Trinity
River, there's never the guarantee that you can get there at all. Because of this sense of uncertainty, Oak
Cliff has developed a spirit of independence and self-determination that leaves its citizens leaning not
on Dallas for support, but on each other.


Now fast forward a few years to 1903. Around this time, progress in the country begins to take
off... literally. Orville and Wilbur Wright just sent their first plane into flight. Also, the Ford Motor
Company is started, and New York builds its first subway. Teddy bears have just been invented and
named after the President, Teddy Roosevelt, and the first World Series took place in Boston and
Pittsburgh.


Back in Oak Cliff, Kramer has begun selling off bits of his land to developers, and Oak Cliff-
has just become a part of Dallas. Now investors feel safe starting businesses here because Oak Cliff has
the backing of Dallas. Stores are starting to appear all over the community, as is the rattling street car
that has begun service from downtown Dallas to Oak Cliff. The street car company, or the North
Texas Traction Company, as it's called, is led by George Bishop, for whom Bishop Avenue is named.
The route for the street car goes from downtown, south on Bishop and west on Seventh, until it turns
around and retraces the tracks.


It's 1904, and this area is called The North Loop District. Because it only takes seven cents and
twenty minutes to ride into downtown, the middle-class is moving into Oak Cliff. Nobody has cars
right now, so business is growing up around the trolley stops. Davis, known at this time as the Dixie
Overland Highway, is the main road to Fort Worth, making the North Loop District an important
intersection. In fact, this intersection will become almost like a little town, with everything you might
need right here- a lending library, ice house, pharmacy, doctor's office, grocery store, bike shop, and
even a pie company.

And so begins the rich history of my beloved neighborhood, Oak Cliff. Come back next week for more!