Irving

Irving, Texas, was founded in 1903 by two eager individuals, J.O. Schulze and Otis Brown, of the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway Company. Beginning as an agrarian area of farmland, cotton, and cattle, Irving grew to include industrial facilities while persevering through the financial difficulties resulting from the Civil War and the two world wars. Irving maintained its growth when other cities in the United States could not. Schulze and Brown recognized the importance of utilizing both agricultural and industrial resources in creating and sustaining a successful city. Remnants of early communities, such as Bear Creek, Elm, Estelle, Kit, Sowers, Twin Wells, and Union Bower, can still be identified. Situated between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving is a robust and thriving city that has greatly contributed to the creation and preservation of Texas history.

Roxanne Del Rio, PhD, was born and raised in Texas and works as an administrator and educator for a local college. This book draws on historical research on Irving, Texas, from the Irving Public Library Archives, Irving Heritage Society, Liz Gillispie Genealogy Department of the Corsicana Public Library, Norma Stanton, and Joseph Rice. Photographs from private collections are also utilized.