Folks wandering around Fort Worth may have noticed a mainly bovine presence stamped all over town: from merchandise to municipal buildings, a longhorn steer named Molly has been the face of the city for nearly a quarter of a century, an emblem of the city's rich history in the cattle industry and a visible throwback to its "Cowtown" nickname. According to a City of Fort Worth news release, Molly symbolizes the city's past and life in the town's branding. The mascot can be found on everything from official city uniforms to street art.
The history of Molly dates back to the early 1900s when Fort Worth was ingratiating itself as a pivotal stop on the Chisholm Trail. It wasn't shirts and mugs but a livestock exchange building that bolstered the city's standing in the cattle trade, and atop that building sat a longhorn head sculpture that eventually inspired Molly's modern visage. This steer head, installed in 1909, nodded to the cattle-centric legacy of the city, over time the sculpture took on personal significance and seemed to embody the spirit of the livestock traders who put Fort Worth on the map. As per the city's official announcement, Molly was named after a common moniker for leading longhorns in a herd, a detail that adds more color to the characterful mascot's backstory.
It wasn't until July 18, 2000, that Fort Worth City Council cemented Molly's status as the city's official mascot. The news release shared that Molly is so well-known that she’s the emblem on the lapel pin every new City of Fort Worth employee receives on their first day on the job.
