The blocks bordered by Northwest Highway, Skillman, Lovers Lane and Abrams were the now defunct Mustang Airport. On the northwest corner of Northwest Highway and Abrams Road, children could enjoy pony rides at the horse farm located there. Abrams was a two-lane, unlit farm road and the railroad (now DART) bridge over Abrams was not built until the early 1960's, therefore neighbors had to take their chances crossing the tracks. The houses along Trammel (FHA homes built just after World War II) were the only nearby development.

Late Ridgewood Park resident and Dallas native Bob Darrah reported that some of the land that is now Ridgewood Park was once comprised of dairy farms and ball fields. Neighborhood legend has it that the development of Ridgewood Park was at least partially funded by horse racing winnings. This might explain why some streets in the neighborhood (Santa Anita, Hialeah) are named after California horse racing tracks!

Original Ridgewood Park resident Fred Herold recalls his father's dairy farm that operated on what is now the corner of Hialeah and Fisher.  The Herold's cows grazed on 30 acres and drank out of Rush Creek until 1945.  After that, the Herolds were forced to close the dairy because of the prohibitive expense of pasteurization equipment required by the City of Dallas.

Old Original Farm House, Still Standing...

Ridgewood Park developers gave the area a solid start by building high-quality brick homes on pier and beam foundations. Mostly ranch-style designs, the homes of Ridgewood Park are pristine examples of mid-1950s residential architecture. The layout of streets and alleys insured that Ridgewood Park would have many unusually shaped lots. In some parts of the neighborhood developers planned for some residents to enjoy the coziness of not having alleys between lots, while others would be separated by a creek almost 50 feet wide.