Fort Worth became a stop on cattle trails in the late 1860s, and in the 1870s a market for West Texas was organized there. The first trader, T.B. Saunders, Sr., was soon joined by others, and the first small packing houses were followed in the early 1900s by multi-million dollar plants. By 1910 trading had almost doubled. This structure was erected in 1902-03 to house the Stockyards Company, Livestock Commission, and buyers offices, and it was surrounded by lawns that are now parking lots. In 1944 it was purchased by United Stockyards Corporation.