Panel Five

The monochrome portion depicts the dedication ceremony for the arrival of the first passenger train in Dallas, in 1872. The man seated to the left of the orator is an aged John Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas. The station was near the Deep Ellum section of Dallas, where Central Expressway now passes through. Central Expressway was constructed in the late 1940's on this railroad access. At the time, the station's location was considered to be quite a distance from downtown Dallas. The mural title reads "1870 - 1880 - H&TC railroad reaches East Dallas in 1872."

The color mural on the left shows Dallas North Tollway, another important transit route in Dallas history. Its first phase was completed in the late 1960's. An unintended consequence of its construction was the cleaving in two of the historic section of town called "Little Mexico." Little Mexico was already losing much of its importance as a community as Hispanics assimilated into all of Dallas. Construction of the Tollway was considered the death knell for the neighborhood. The heart of Little Mexico is Pikes Park, the centerpiece of which is a handsome arched building. In the mural, the building represents Little Mexico as wedged between the roadways of the Tollway. The building is shown as it was originally constructed. The quote: "El que da razon del camino es que andado lo tiene," is a Mexican proverb in an antiquated form of Spanish. It translates to: "He who travels the road knows it best." This translation is from a book of quotations in the Dallas Public Library, and its accuracy is questioned by some observers.