March 12 is an important day in Fort Worth, and if you want to know why, you’ll need to trot back to the early 1900s.
While the year is debated — 1917 according to the Texas State Historical Association but 1918 according to local sources — March 12 saw the first-ever indoor rodeo at North Side Coliseum.
The event was part of the Southwest Exposition and Fat Stock Show, which later became the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. It moved to Will Rogers Memorial Center, and later, it found its current home at Dickies Arena — where it’s slated to return Jan. 17-Feb. 8, 2025.
The North Side Coliseum remains ingrained in rodeo culture, though it’s now known as Cowtown Coliseum. It hosts the world’s only year-round rodeo, and in 1976, the Texas Historical Commission preserved its legacy by designating it a Texas Historic Site.
