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West Dallas

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West Dallas
Fish Trap Lake Park in West Dallas, including the smokestack of the defunct RSR Corporation smelter in the background
Fish Trap Lake Park in West Dallas, including the smokestack of the defunct RSR Corporation smelter in the background
Location in Dallas
Location in Dallas
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesDallas
CityDallas
Area
 • Total
11.45 sq mi (29.66 km2)
 • Land11.45 sq mi (29.66 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation
406 ft (124 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
24,132
ZIP code
75212 (main postal zip code), 75208 and 75211 (small areas)
Area code(s)214, 469, 972
Websitewww.westdallaschamber.org
References:[1]

West Dallas is an area consisting of many communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas, United States. West Dallas lies just west of Downtown Dallas, north of Oak Cliff, and east of Irving and Grand Prairie.

Largely lying in the Texas floodplain, the area's history has been largely defined by its relationship to the river, to industry, and to downtown. Although not incorporated into Dallas until the 1950s, West Dallas has had a close but problematic relationship to the city since its founding. The area is currently undergoing significant changes due to its central location within the city, attracting new development and revitalization efforts but also threatening existing communities.


Geography

The City of Dallas defines West Dallas boundaries as Interstate 30 on the south, the Trinity River on the east and north, and the Trinity River's West Fork on the west.[2]

The southern part of West Dallas is elevated by the Austin Chalk limestone formation, creating a continuous ridge with Oak Cliff that overlooks the Trinity and downtown Dallas. The majority of West Dallas lies in the Trinity River floodplain and is traversed Singleton Boulevard.

History

The recorded history of the area that would become West Dallas begins in the 1840s, when the Republic of Texas offered up to 640 acres of land to homesteaders in North Texas.[3]

The town of Eagle Ford, a significant community in the early history of West Dallas, was established as a farm in 1844 by Enoch Horton at the site of ford in the west fork of the Trinity River floodplain.[4] In 1857 Enoch's son Jacob established a grist mill that would be an important hub for the local farming community.[5] Enoch's daughter Sarah Horton Cockrell was an important business leader in early Dallas, most notably building the first bridge connecting the city Dallas to west.

In 1855, the Fourierist colony of La Réunion was established on a limestone ridge overlooking the Trinity floodplain. The colony attracted approximately five hundred European settlers starting in 1855, briefly rivaling the small town of Dallas as an urban center. Although the colony was formally dissolved in 1857 and many of the settlers returned to Europe, others such as Benjamin Long and Jacob Boll moved to Dallas and became prominent citizens in the growing metropolis. A few, such as the Santerre and Reverchon families would remain and continue to farm the colony land until the turn of the 18th century.[6]

In 1873, the Texas and Pacific Railway began service through West Dallas, and because of the Panic of 1873, Eagle Ford would remain the western terminus of the line for several years. This led to a brief boom period for the city, as the town became a major cattle shipment hub. This brief boom period would last until 1878, when construction had resumed and Fort Worth supplanted it and Eagle Ford's significance and population declined.[7]

Industrial development and exploitation of the area began in the early 1900s, with the establishment of a brick works using the rich Trinity clay, and a cement works that processed the limestone cliffs into cement.[8]

The town of Cement, Texas was incorporated on April 28, 1908 as a segregated factory town for the Texas Portland Cement Company. [9] Many of the workers at the cement plant were Mexican immigrants who were fleeing the Mexican Revolution.[10]>

As West Dallas's population grew, flooding became an increasingly serious problem, as much of the area lies in the flood prone Trinity bottom lands. The Dallas Levee System was originally completed in 1932 and upgraded in the 1950s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, significantly addressing the flooding problem in the area.[11]

Although in 1931 Cement City had a population of 609, the population had declined to 249 in the late 1940s and by 1951 the community was no longer incorporated.[12] In 1954, West Dallas was officially annexed by the city of Dallas. [13]>

In 1955, the West Dallas housing projects were established, consisting of three separate developments, segregated by race (Blacks, Hispanics and Whites). The names of the developments were George Loving Place, Edgar Ward Place and Elmer Scott Place.[14]

On April 2, 1957, the devastating 1957 Dallas tornado passed through West Dallas. That same year, the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike opened as a toll road, and would eventually become Interstate 30 in 1977 when the toll was paid off. The highway would accelerate the growth of Grand Prairie and Arlington, leading directly to the creation of Six Flags Over Texas but also created an enormous physical barrier between West Dallas and Oak Cliff.[15]

In 1984, a $45 million settlement was reached with RSR Corporation on behalf of 370 West Dallas children who had been harmed by the RSR lead smelting plant's operations.[16]>

On September 29, 1995 the smelting plant site was declared a Superfund site after decades of efforts by local residents.[17]

In March 2012, the Santiago Calatrava-designed Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opened as part of the Trinity River Project. The bridge and associated Trinity Groves retail development have marked a new era of gentrification for the neighborhood. Neighborhoods such as La Bajada have been put under pressure from rising property taxes and speculative real estate development.[18]

Environmental History

Murphy Metals (later known as RSR Corporation), a secondary lead smelter processing company, opened a 63-acre (250,000 m2) facility and in 1934 started operations at the site. The process of secondary lead smelting melts the collected lead materials or, lead scrap, into metallic lead that can then be used to cast into molds.[19] Significant lead emissions can occur from poorly controlled refining, casting, and drossing operations.[19] The city of Dallas annexed West Dallas into the city limits in 1954. Before that year, many residents lived in an area lacking the basic services because they resided outside the city lines. Then in 1956 a 3,500-unit public housing complex was to be built just north of the RSR lead smelter facility. The southern edge of the public housing complex was located 50 feet (15 m) from the lead smelter's property line. In 1968 the City of Dallas enacted an ordinance prohibiting more than 5 micrograms per cubic meter over a 30-day period. This act went unenforced because in the 1960s RSR Corp West Dallas facility released more than 269 tons of lead particles into the air each year. During that time few residents could afford the luxury of air conditioning, so in the summers they kept their doors and windows open to combat the heat, directly exposing them to the toxins in the air, even in their own homes. It wasn't until 1972 that Dallas officials learned that lead could be finding its way into the bloodstreams of children who lived in West Dallas and the bordering community of East Oak Cliff. The Dallas Health Department then conducted a study of their own. They found children living near smelters had elevated levels of lead. Lead was able to reach their bloodstream through the air, soil and households in and around their living environments. In areas near smelters children had a 36 percent increase in blood lead levels. The city failed to take immediate action and in 1974 the city sued local smelters. The company agreed to pay $35,000 and install new pollution control equipment. This did little to resolve the problem because in 1983 the pollution equipment had still not been installed at RSR Corp. Pressure from the community on government agencies was beginning to rise. A citizens group appointed by the Dallas City Council, The Dallas Alliance Environmental Task Force, has this to say in a 1983 study

“We believe the city had missed many opportunities to serve and protect the community at large and two neighborhoods in particular in relation to the lead problem we now address. It is clear that the State and Federal governments have also failed in their opportunity to regulate and industry of this type with regard to the general welfare of citizens.”

Before that in 1981 public concern and pressure were raised after the West Dallas Boys Club had to suspend outside activity after one soil test showed the soil contained 36 times the level considered dangerous for children. The club was later forced to close in 1983 due to high lead levels related to the years of operations of the RSR secondary lead smelter operation. After lengthy test and lawsuits and delayed clean-up action, partially government agencies fault, RSR Corp. was ordered by the Dallas Board of Adjusters to close the West Dallas facility. In the summer of 1985 an out-of-court settlement was reached between RSR Corp. and Fred Baron who represented 370 children and 40 property owners who were all affected by the lead emitted from RSR. The settlement was for 20 million dollars. However, with this settlement the land that the old RSR Corp facility used to sit on still contained large amounts of lead contamination dangerous to all ages of people. In May 1993 a proposal of the RSR Corp. site in West Dallas was sent to the National Priorities List, also named a Superfund site[20] President Clinton's administration then brought more publicity to the issue when in November 1993 an article written in The Progressive had this to say

“West Dallas residents celebrated when the Clinton Administration declared last May that they live in the largest lead-contaminated Superfund site in the United States. Portions of one of the nation's biggest housing projects and five schools, all located within five square miles of a now-defunct lead smelter, are slated for cleanup (although Federal Environmental Protection Agency records indicate as much as sixteen square miles of West Dallas are contaminated)."

[This quote needs a citation] For the residents who had been pushing for years and decades to solve the problem could lay their case to rest on September 28, 1994, when the EPA signed Preliminary Close Out Report for the RSR Corp. Superfund site stating all clean-up for all the units had been completed. The EPA then signed a Ready For Reuse document in May 2005 declaring the site ready for reuse or redevelopment[20] The EPA reported that the clean-up resulted in direct lower lead blood leaves of children. The community also benefited by having 400 properties 300 acres (1.2 km2) of commercial property eliminated of contamination.

Demographics

In the late 1980s, the neighborhood had a population of 13,161.[21] As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 24,132 people living in the neighborhood.[21] The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 2.7% White, 37.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 41.8% from Hispanic or Latino, and 15.2% from two or more races.[citation needed]

Neighborhoods

West Dallas has been the site of significant redevelopment since the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in 2012. New developments include Trinity Groves, on Singleton Boulevard, Sylvan/Thirty, on Fort Worth Avenue, and multiple condominiums and townhomes.

These developments are bringing top-tier chefs, yoga studios, fresh-food markets, hip retail and apartments and condos with views of the downtown Dallas skyline, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and the Margaret McDermott Bridge.

Long-standing neighborhoods in West Dallas prior to gentrification of the community include:

Neighborhoods of West Dallas[2]

Industrial sections

  • Lone Star Industrial Park
  • Singleton Industrial Area
  • Turnpike Distribution Center

Former places

Education

Public Education

Public education in West Dallas is provided by Dallas and Irving Independent School Districts, as well as a public charter school from Uplift Education and two private schools. Dallas schools cover over 90% of the area — only areas on the north side of the original channel of Westmoreland and on the west side of the original channel of Mountain Creek attend Irving schools. (See: Channeling of the Trinity River)

All students zoned to Dallas ISD Schools attend Thomas A. Edison Middle Learning Center and L. G. Pinkston High School,[22] as well as one of the following elementary schools:

  • C. F. Carr Elementary School
  • Sequoyah Learning Center (Demolished for L. G. Pinkston new site)
  • Dallas Environmental Science Academy (Now housed in the former Amelia Earhart)
  • George W. Carver Learning Center (Demolished for L. G. Pinkston new site)
  • Amelia Earhart Elementary School (Closed)
  • Benito Juarez (Closed)
  • Fredrick Douglas (Closed)
  • Priscilla Tyler (closed and purchased by West Dallas Community School)
  • Lorenzo DeZavala Elementary School
  • Sidney Lanier Elementary School Vanguard for Expressive Arts
  • Eladio R. Martinez Learning Center
  • Gabe P. Allen Elementary School
  • West Dallas STEM School

All students zoned to Irving schools attend Bowie Middle School and Nimitz High School. Students living on the north side of the original channel of the West Fork of the Trinity River attend Schulze Elementary School and students living on the west side of the original channel of Mountain Creek attend Townley Elementary School.[23]

Students in West Dallas may also attend Uplift Heights Preparatory, a college preparatory, non-selective, but lottery-based public charter school located in the Lake West neighborhood of West Dallas. As of August 2015, Uplift Heights serves slightly more than 1,700 Pre-Kindergarten through 11th grade students. Uplift Heights will have its first graduating class in 2017. Uplift Heights Preparatory has been open since 2006 and is part of Uplift Education.

Private Education

  • Mayo Kindergarten, a Christian Private School, formerly located in Eagle Ford in the 5500 block of Fannie Street. Mrs. Sammie Lee Crump, was the owner and operator of the school and it was the first Black owned school in West Dallas.
  • West Dallas Community School, a Christian private school, is in West Dallas.[24]
  • St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School, established in 1944, is located at 1716 Singleton Boulevard in the heart of West Dallas.[25]

Post-Secondary Education

Other Educational Centers and Resources

  • Voice of Hope Ministries, a Christian Out-of-School time program founded in 1982 is in West Dallas. They provide after school and summer programming for the children of West Dallas.
  • Wesley-Rankin Community Center
  • Readers To Leaders
  • Mercy Street

Government Agencies and Organizations

  • Builders of Hope
  • SPCA of Texas

Transportation

Bus

Light rail

Alternative Transportation

Highways

Notable people

References

  1. ^ West Dallas Chamber of Commerce - About. Retrieved on 6 December 2006.
  2. ^ a b West Dallas Chamber of Commerce - Map. Retrieved on 14 May 2009.
  3. ^ "Handbook of Texas, Republic of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  4. ^ "Handbook of Texas, Eagle Ford". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. ^ "Horton family established the bygone Eagle Ford community". Oak Cliff Advocate. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ^ "The Francois Santerre Family". Dallas County Pioneer Association website. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  7. ^ "Handbook of Texas, Eagle Ford". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  8. ^ "Retracing History in West Dallas". ArcGIS StoryMaps. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  9. ^ "Cement City Collection". Dallas Public Library. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  10. ^ "History of West Dallas". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  11. ^ "Dallas Levees & Pump Stations Overview". Trinity River Corridor. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  12. ^ "Handbook of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  13. ^ "History of West Dallas". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  14. ^ "The Forgotten City". D Magazine. July 1984. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  15. ^ "From Pioneer Paths to Superhighways - The Texas Highway Department Blazes Texas Trails 1917-1968". Texas State Library and Archive Commission. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  16. ^ "1995: EPA Places RSR Corporation Site on Superfund List". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  17. ^ "Decades after closure of lead smelter, voices rise against other West Dallas polluters". Dallas Morning News. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  18. ^ "Bridge to Somewhere". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  19. ^ a b "Department of Labor". U.S. Government. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  20. ^ a b "EPA Region 6" (PDF). U.S. EPA. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  21. ^ a b Newton, David E. (2009). Environmental justice: a reference handbook. ABC-CLIO. p. 6. ISBN 978-1598842234. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  22. ^ Dallas ISD - 2007 School Feeder Patterns - L. G. Pinkston High School. (Maps: ES: Allen, Carr, Carver, DeZavala, Earhart, Lanier, Martinez, Sequoyah; MS: Edison, Quintanilla; HS: Pinkston.) Retrieved on 13 May 2007.
  23. ^ Irving ISD - School Feeder Patterns. (Maps: ES: Schulze, Townley; MS: Bowie; HS: Nimitz.) Retrieved on 13 May 2007.
  24. ^ "Home." West Dallas Community School. Retrieved on September 6, 2011. "2300 Canada Drive | Dallas, Texas 75212"
  25. ^ "[1]."St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School. Retrieved on September 1, 2020. "1716 Singleton Boulevard | Dallas, Texas 75212"
  26. ^ Dallas News Administrator (December 22, 2009). "Mattie Lee Nash, former City Council member and strong voice for West Dallas, dies". Dallas Morning News.
  27. ^ "Black History Month: Local legends in music, theater, dance, and more", The Dallas Morning News, February 3, 2006

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