List of street names, from “The WPA Dallas Guide And History” (1)
[Note: Some of these items are at variance with more current opinions regarding the origin of the named street.]
Adolph – For Adolph Frick, one of the Swiss Colony.
Adair – For Dr. W. W. Adair, early physician and landowner.
Akard – For W. C. C. Akard, merchant (1864).
Alamo – For the Alamo at San Antonio.
Alderson – For the Reverend E. W. Alderson, early-day minister.
Allen – For Dr. R. W. Allen, early-day physician.
Annex Ave. – Boundary of old Fairfield Annex to East Dallas.
Ash Ln. – By Martha Ash in memory of William Ash, in 1895.
Austin – For Stephen F. Austin.
Barry – For Bryan T. Barry, twice mayor of Dallas.
Beaumont – For the Robert L. and Godfrey Beaumont families.
Beeman – For the John Beeman family, first settlers after Bryan (1842), etc.
Bell – For P. H. Bell, governor of Texas, 1849-53.
Bennett Ave. – For William H. Bennett, landowner (1856).
Blakeney- For J. C. Blakeney.
Blaylock Dr. – For Louis Blaylock, capitalist, mayor, 1923-27.
Bogel – For Julius C. Bogel, city tax collector (1890).
Boll – For Henry Boll, La Reunion French colonist (1855) and one-time city treasurer.
Bomar – By L. H. Bomar, in an addition opened in 1900.
Bookhout – For John Bookhout, lawyer, about 1890.
Bopp – For Jacob Bopp, Swiss colonist (1870), fruit raiser and winegrower, in 1889.
Bowen – For Ahab Bowen, early-day feed merchant.
Bowser Ave. – For O. P. Bowser, real estate dealer.
Bryan – For John Neely Bryan, founder of the city.
Browder – For Edward C. Browder, one-time district clerk.
Cabell Dr. – For General W. L. (Old Tige) Cabell, Confederate commander, mayor.
Camp – For A. C. Camp, early banker and city official.
Cantagrel – For Francois Jean Cantagrel, head of La Reunion Colony Company.
Caruth Blvd. – For Walter Watt Caruth, early settler. Carroll Ave.- For Dr. Carroll Peak.
Cedar Springs Rd. – Original highway to springs and village of same name.
Central Ave.- Parallels route of Houston & Texas Central, first railroad to enter city.
Clark – For Edward Clark, governor of Texas, 1861-63.
Cochran – For William M. Cochran, first county clerk (1846).
Cockrell Ave. – For Alexander Cockrell, early capitalist.
Cole Ave. – For John Higgs (Uncle Jack) Cole, landowner in area (1843).
Commerce- Original principal business street, so named by John Neely Bryan.
Corinth – For the ancient Creek city of Corinth.
Corsicana – For Corsicana, Texas (Island of Corsica).
Crockett – For John M. Crockett, early-day lawyer (1848) and mayor in 1860.
Crowdus – For Dr. J. W. Crowdus, druggist and mayor in 1881-83.
Crutcher – For C. F. Crutcher, city secretary of town of East Dallas, later Dallas alderman (1885).
Davis – For A. E. Davis, developer of an addition in 1890.
Dickason – For Colonel M. L. Dickason, landowner.
Duncan – For S. W. S. Duncan, early-day engineer.
Eakins-For John J. Eakins, developer of an addition in 1878.
Elm – For grove of elm trees near Trinity River.
Ervay – For Henry S. Ervay, mayor in 1870-72. (First named Johnson for Negro carpet·bagger; renamed to honor Ervay after released from jail during Reconstruction.)
Ewing Ave. – For H. F. Ewing, first mayor of Oak Cliff, 1891.
Exposition Ave. – Original street leading into State Fair grounds.
Field – For Tom W. Field, capitalist, landowner, builder.
Fitzhugh Ave. – For L. H. Fitzhugh, early settler and landowner.
Forney Ave. – Forney Pike – For John W. Forney, Philadelphia newspaperman; publicity agent for Texas & Pacific Railroad in 1872-73.
Forest – Believed to have been named originally for the Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest. Present spelling, adopted some time during the 1880s, suggested by the trees which lined the street.
Gano – For General R. M. Gano, rancher, physician, and noted Confederate soldier.
Garrett Ave. – For Bishop Alexander C. Garrett of the Episcopal diocese of Dallas.
Gaston Ave. – For Captain W. H. Gaston, early-day banker and developer. Originally Wallace Street, for Wallace W. Peak.
Gillespie – For Dr. John P. Gillespie. physician and landowner.
Good -For John J. Good, lawyer, landowner, mayor, 1880-81.
Gould – For Jay Gould. financier, builder Texas & Pacific Railroad.
Grand Ave. – Believed to have been so named because it long was used as concourse for informal horse racing.
Greenville Ave. – Original highway from Dallas to Greenville.
Grigsby – For C. Grigsby, early real estate developer.
Guillot – For pioneer family founded by Maxime Guillot, 1849.
Hall – For Peter Hall, early settler and landowner.
Harwood – For Alexander Harwood, county clerk, 1850-51. 1875-83.
Haskell Ave. – For Horatio Nelson Haskell, alderman of East Dallas in 1883.
Hawkins – For J. A. Hawkins, secretary, Dallas & Wichita Railroad, 1872.
Henry – For J. L. Henry, first mayor of East Dallas, 1885.
Holland Ave. – For Colonel Frank P. Holland, mayor, 1895-97.
Holmes – For Edmond E. and Martha J. Holmes. 1888.
Houston – For General Sam Houston, hero of San Jacinto; first president of the Republic of Texas.
Jackson – For U. S. President Andrew Jackson.
Jefferson Ave. – For U. S. President Thomas Jefferson.
Jordan – For William Jordan, realty developer.
Junius – For Junius Peak, landowner, Texas Ranger.
Keating Ave. – For C. A. Keating, pioneer farm implement dealer.
Knight – For G. A. (Dude) Knight, feed merchant.
Lagow – For Richard Lagow, early owner of 4,444 acres in the area.
Lamar – For Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas.
Lancaster Ave. – Original road to Lancaster, Texas.
Lane – For John W. Lane, mayor, 1862-66.
Latimer – For J. W. Latimer, founder of the Dallas Herold in 1849.
Ledbetter Dr. – For W. H. (Uncle Peahull) Ledbetter, county commissioner, in 1932.
Lemmon Ave. – For W. H. Lemmon, realty developer.
Leonard – For J. L. Leonard, alderman, 1874.
Lewis – For Henry Lewis, sheriff, 1888-92.
Lindsley Ave. – For Henry D. Lindsley, capitalist, mayor, 1915-17. (Formerly Watts St.)
Loomis Ave.- For George Loomis, hotel operator.
Madison – For James Madison, U.S. president.
McCoy – For Colonel John C. McCoy, Dallas’ first lawyer, who came here in 1845.
McKinney Ave. – Original road to town of McKinney. (for Collin McKinney.)
Magnolia – For trees growing along the street.
Main – By John Neely Bryan in town plat of 1844.
Market – By John Neely Bryan in town plat of 1844.
Marilla – For Mrs. Marilla Ingram Young, wife of Reverend William C. Young. about 1878.
Marsalis Ave. – for T. L. Marsalis, “father of Oak Cliff.”
Martin – For Bennett H. Martin, district judge, 1848-50.
Masonic – Masonic-Odd Fellows Cemetery located thereon in 1857.
Milton Ave. – For Milton Paulins, real estate developer.
Nussbaumer – For Jacob Nussbaumer, one of La Reunion colony of 1855.
Oak Grove Ave. – By J. D. Cole, developer of Oak Grove addition. 1885.
Oram – For J. M. Oram, Dallas jeweler.
Overton Rd. – For W. P. Overton, pioneer landowner, builder of first gristmill in county, (1846).
Pacific Ave. – By Texas & Pacific Railroad officials as right-of-way, 1873. (Previously Burleson St.)
Park Ave. – First named Portland St.; changed 1876 because of location hereon of city’s first park.
Parry Ave. – For W. E. Parry, early resident of the section and city secretary, 1884-87.
Patterson Ave. – For J. M. Patterson, first general merchant (1846) and later county judge.
Peak – for Captain Jefferson Peak, early settler, landowner.
Polk – By John Neely Bryan for U. S. President James K. Polk.
Pollock Ave. – For Henry Pollock, landowner.
Prather – For W. H. Prather, city secretary in 1874.
Rawlins – For William Rawlins, landowner.
Reagan – For J. M. Reagan, landowner.
Reiger Ave. – For John F. Reiger, addition 1890.
Richardson Ave. – For S. Q. Richardson, ice manufacturer, 1878.
Roosevelt – For U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
Ross Ave. -For William W. and Andrew J. Ross. early owners of land which street bisects.
Routh – For the Reverend Jacob Routh, pioneer North Texas preacher.
Rusk – For Thomas J. Rusk, U. S.senator, 1846-57.
Sale – For Henry Sale, landowner.
Samuell Blvd. (formerly East Pike) – For Dr. W. W. Samuel, who in 1939 bequeathed $1,000,000 in cash and property to Dallas park system.
San Jacinto – For the historic battlefield where Texas Independence was won.
Seegar – For J. A. Seegar. developer, in 1885.
Simpson – For Colonel J. B. Simpson, capitalist, developer.
Stone – For Thomas Stone, landowner. in 1854.
Swiss Ave. – For Swiss Colony immigrants, who settled along this street in 1870.
Terry – For L. R. Terry, real estate developer.
Thomas Ave. – By J. Pinckney Thomas and M. H. Thomas, in 1890.
Travis Ave. -For William B. Travis, hero of the Alamo.
Trunk – Original right-of-way of Trunk Railroad. (Now Texas and New Orleans Railroad.)
Turtle Creek Blvd. – For stream upon which the parkway abuts.
Victor – For Victor Peak.
Water – First street east of Trinity River in town plat of 1844.
Washington – For George Washington.
Welborn – For Olin Welborn, congressman from Dallas district from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1887.
Wendelkin – For J. M. Wendelkin, alderman.1888.
West – For John R. West, county surveyor.
Wood – For George T. Wood, governor of Texas, 1847-49.
Word – For Jefferson Word, landowner. 1874.
Worth – For Worth Peak.
Young – For the Reverend William C. Young, district clerk, 1867-68.
Zang Blvd. – For J. F. Zang, Oak Cliff land developer, in 1900.
(1) Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration in the City of Dallas. The WPA Dallas Guide and History, book, 1992; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28336/: accessed May 10, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.
Get future posts by email.
