Parker County was established by the Texas legislature in 1855, but Anglo-American settlers had lived in the area since the mid-1840s. Cattlemen Oliver Loving and Daniel Waggoner both established ranches in Parker County in 1855. Weatherford, incorporated in 1858, is situated on the crest of the watershed between the Trinity and Brazos rivers and astride a main route to the west. After the Civil War, Weatherford became a supply base for the frontier forts south of the Red River. It remained on the edge of the western frontier until the 1870s. For several decades, Weatherford and Fort Worth grew apace, contending for dominance, until Fort Worth pulled ahead in the early twentieth century. Between 1880 and 1891 three railroads were built through Weatherford, making it an important supply and retail hub. As the town grew, industry developed to the northeast along the tracks, commerce around the square, and middle-class residences to the southwest.
Weatherford is known as the Peach Capital of Texas (watermelons are also a big crop), and the Cutting Horse (a western-style equestrian competition) Capital of the World. Following post–World War II deterioration of the city center, the 1980s brought a new interest in preservation, and the suburban spread of Fort Worth and Dallas in the late twentieth century has challenged the community to maintain its separate, historic identity.
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