History

A LOOK BACK AT OUR history

Wichita flag By Thomas Buch anan

FUN FACT

The Keeper of the Plains is the 12th tallest statue in the U.S.

By DRONE-TOGRAPHY

Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation near the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, the site of present-day Wichita, as early as 3000 B.C. In 1541, a Spanish expedition led by explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado found the area populated by the Quivira, or Wichita, people. Conflict with the Osage in the 1750s drove the Wichita further south. Prior to European settlement of the region, the site was in the territory of the Kiowa. Wichita began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860s and was formerly incorporated as a city on July 21st, 1870. It became a destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads which led to markets in eastern U.S. cities. This earned the nickname “Cowtown.”

The original stimulus to the City’s economic development was the extension of the Santa Fe Railway into Wichita in 1872.

LOCAL TIP

“Our community is blessed to have 10 convenient YMCA locations that you can get involved with. They have state-of-the-art facilities with something for everyone! And the YMCA staff makes all the difference!” – Wendell Funk

Fairmount College, which eventually grew into Wichita State University, opened in 1886.

Garfield University, which eventually became Friends University, opened in 1887.

A.A. Hyde discovered Mentholatum in 1894 in the current The Spice Merchant & Company building.

During the 1890s, the grain produced from the farms in the region more than equaled the wealth formerly generated by the cattle trade, and Wichita became a trade and milling center.

In the early 1900s, Kansas had as many grapevines planted in fields as the Napa Valley!

Sporting goods and camping gear retailer Coleman started in the city in the early 1900s.

In 1903, Kansas became known as the Sunflower State. Early settlers admired the wild sunflower fields that bloomed all over the prairie.

In 1914 and 1915, deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered in nearby Butler County. This triggered another economic boom in Wichita as producers established refineries, fueling stations, and headquarters in the city

In the 1920s and 1930s, businessmen and aeronautical engineers established aircraft manufacturing companies in Wichita, including Beechcraft, Cessna, and Stearman Aircraft. The city became an aircraft production hub known as “The Air Capital of the World.”

During World War II, the city experienced a population explosion during the war when it became a major manufacturing center for the Boeing B-29 bomber.

In 1951, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to assume control of the airport to establish McConnell Air Force Base.

A number of fast-food franchises started in Wichita, beginning with White Castle in 1921 and followed by many more in the 1950s and 1960s including Pizza Hut in 1958.

Wichita has long been known as a center of entrepreneurship. Koch Industries and Cargill, the two largest privately held companies in the United States, both operate headquarters in Wichita. Other firms with headquarters in Wichita include roller-coaster manufacturer Chance Rides, gourmet food retailer Dean & Deluca and renewable energy company Alternative Energy Solutions.

EAST VS. WEST It won’t take you long to figure out there is an unspoken divide between “east-siders” and “west-siders.” But what is the origination of this divide?

It all started with Wichita’s position on the Chisholm Trail. Across the Arkansas River, the town of Delano became an entertainment destination for cattlemen thanks to its saloons, brothels, and lack of law enforcement. The area had a reputation for violence until local lawmen, Wyatt Earp, began to assertively police the cowboys. By the middle of the decade, the cattle trade had moved west to Dodge City. Wichita annexed Delano in 1880.

Translation: Anything west of the river became known as the “west side,” which carried a negative connotation. That mindset stuck and has been perpetuated for over 150 years! And the rest, as they say, is history!