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Today in history: March 12

Over 100 years ago, the first indoor rodeo was held at the North Side Coliseum.

Black and white photo of crowds of people watching as cattle are judged at the North Side Coliseum in 1938.

The North Side Coliseum has been horsing around for over a century — photo from March 1938.

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.

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