In 1859 Eli Mathis Jenkins and his family arrived in grapevine from Jefferson, Texas, where they had lived for five years after leaving Alabama in 1852. Jenkins and his son-in-law, Solon Dunn, built the first store in Grapevine. At that time Cattle raising was the major enterprise in the area.
In 1861 Grapevine sent the first company of volunteers from Tarrant County to the war under the leadership of Captain William Quayle. They were called Quayle’s Company of Mounted Riflemen, State volunteers. Men who were too old to go to war formed the “Beef Club” to help keep homes on the Grape Vine Prairie protected and supplied with food.
After the Civil War ended, many new residents from the southern states moved to Grapevine, and they brought with them their knowledge of growing cotton. Cotton became the major industry in Grapevine, and a write up in The Daily Fort Worth Democrat mentions that “Mr. Giddens has ginned over 400 bales of cotton this season, considerably of which he has purchased.” At one time there were three cotton gins operating in Grapevine. Land for sale on the Grape Vine Prairie brought from $10 to $12 per acre. Unimproved land rented for $4 per acre in cash. In 1888 the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad (aka the Cotton Belt Railroad) arrived in Grapevine, greatly facilitating the sale of products produced in the Grapevine area and bringing more prosperity to the Prairie. Cotton was produced at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport until the mid 1990s.
Later, dairy farms and truck farms surpassed the amount of cotton being produced. In 1935, Mayor B. R. Wall formed an agreement with the Works Progress Administration and the Texas Relief Commission to establish a canning 
plant in Grapevine. Produce grown in the area and canned in Grapevine could remain in the area to help families during the Depression. Before WWII began, a Grapevine was considered “The Cantaloupe Capital of the World” and celebrated its abundance with Cantaloupe Festivals and the crowning of a Cantaloupe Queen.
As development and growth continued in the area, agricultural production was reduced. In the 1990s, Grapevine invited the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association to move its headquarters from Austin to Grapevine. At the same time, an invitation was extended to Texas wineries and wine makers to take a look at Grapevine as a place to establish vineyards and open tasting rooms. This venture has proven very successful and has added another interesting experience for visitors and locals alike! Remembering and celebrating Grapevine’s agricultural past is a part of this new industry.