The Battle of Village Creek Shaped Tarrant County's Early History

In 1841, General Edward H. Tarrant led Texas militia forces in a battle at Village Creek. The fighting drove Native peoples, including members of the Caddo, Cherokee, and other tribal groups, from the upper Trinity River area. The battle opened the land to settler expansion and changed the region quickly.

Tarrant County was later named for General Tarrant because of his role in that conflict. Village Creek still runs through what is now Arlington, inside modern Tarrant County. This history is part of the larger story of Native displacement across North Texas in the 1800s.