Episode 6: Settlers Moving In — The Ones Who Refused to Let Fort Worth Disappear

In 1849, the U.S. Army left Fort Worth.

Most frontier settlements didn’t survive moments like that.  
No soldiers meant no safety. No safety meant no future.

Fort Worth was supposed to become a ghost town.

Instead, a small group of people made a quiet, dangerous decision — they stayed.

In Episode 6 of We Got The Funk, we uncover the real beginning of Fort Worth, long before cattle drives, railroads, or legends. This episode tells the story of the merchants, doctors, teachers, builders, and families who refused to abandon an empty military post and turned it into a living community.

You’ll meet:
- Press “Pressley” Farmer, the first civilian settler whose family proved Fort Worth could exist without soldiers  
- Henry Clay Daggett and Archibald Leonard, the businessmen who organized trade before government arrived  
- Ephraim Merrell Daggett, the strategist who fought — and won — power for Fort Worth  
- Dr. Carroll Marion Peak, the frontier doctor who kept people alive long enough for the city to grow  
- John Peter Smith, the educator and mayor who planned for generations  
- Julian Feild, the industrial builder whose mill helped create Mansfield and expand North Texas

This episode breaks down a truth most history books skip:

Fort Worth wasn’t saved by generals or politicians.  
It was saved by ordinary people who believed in a future before there was proof.

If you’ve ever wondered how a city survives after power leaves — this is that story.

Welcome back to We Got The Funk.  
This is Fort Worth’s foundation.