Today marks the 152nd birthday of Frederic Remington. The artist was born on October 4, 1861. To celebrate this occasion, I thought it appropriate to share a fun fact.

Did you know Remington once stayed in Fort Worth? The artist passed through Texas many times on his trips to the Southwest. In 1888, Century Magazine had hired Remington to document the “Wild Tribes” in Arizona. During his return to New York, Remington spent a night in Fort Worth at the Ellis Hotel. At the time, the Ellis Hotel was located on the corner of 3rd and Throckmorton, which is just a block away from the present-day Sid Richardson Museum. The hotel burned down in 1891.

Courtesy of the Genealogy, History, and Archives Unit, Fort Worth Library. [Fort Worth Photographs from the Amon Carter, 73.67/35]

Courtesy of the Genealogy, History, and Archives Unit, Fort Worth Library. [Fort Worth Photographs from the Amon Carter, 73.67/35]

On July 1, 1888, after arriving in Henrietta, Texas, Remington wrote a letter to his wife, Eva. He mentions having spent a day in Fort Worth, where he “had a devil of a time.”

Original letter in possession of the Kansas State Historical Society, Robert Taft Papers, "Frederic Remington File."

Original letter in possession of the Kansas State Historical Society, Robert Taft Papers, “Frederic Remington File.”