Our City's Past...

Wichita Falls has been the site of great many changes in its history, from the first stirrings of the primordial soup to the latest technological developments in industry. It has been home to a great many personalities - both famous and infamous - many of whom found their destinys in this area.

Wichita Tribes and Early Europeans

One can hardly think of the Old West without remembering the Indian tribes of those days: the Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne and fearsome Apache. These tribes passed through the Wichita Falls area, but none elected to settle here, moving on to other pastures. A less notorious people made what is now North Texas its permanent home: the tribe of the Wichitas.

The Wichita Tribe is the oldest group of American Indians in the Texoma area. It is believed that they migrated to the Red River from northern Oklahoma and Kansas. While Spanish explorers encountered the tribe during expeditions as early as 1541, they failed to ally themselves with the people. The French were not so cautious. The French trading posts established good relations with the tribe during the 1700's as the Wichitas served as middlemen in trade with the Comanche.

The name "Wichita," is derived from a Choctaw word, "wia chitoh," meaning "big arbor." This referred to the grass-thatched arbors of the villages. The Wichitas called themselves "Kitikitish," meaning "First People," as well as "Kidikittashe" (Raccoon Eyes"), referring to the Wichitan practice of face painting.

The Wichitas were not a nomadic tribe, preferring to live in villages of straw huts. The huts themselves were conical, measuring up to 30 feet in diameter and as much as twenty-five feet in height. The arbors were made of thatched grass and erected between the huts, serving as shelters for food preparation, pottery making, cloth weaving and lounging.

Agriculture was the primary source of sustenance for the tribe. Corn, beans, squash, melons, pumpkins, gourds and tobacco were all grown in the gardens of the villages, tended by the women of the tribe. The men hunted for the animals which supplied meat and hides, such as the antelope, deer, elk and the much - desired buffalo.

Several of these villages were located on both sides of the Red River, near present-day Spanish Fort (itself a misnomer, as the fort was a French and Wichita Indian encampment). A third village was located in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, and yet another was established near the convergence of Holliday Creek and the Big Wichita River. This village was located a short distance downstream from a small waterfall thought to be the origin of the name Wichita Falls.

The Wichita social unit was matriarchal nature. The eldest woman of the household was legally the owner of the family hut. The extended family of a hut included the husband of the woman, unmarried daughters, and married daughters with their families.

Each village had an acknowledged chief to govern the settlement, assisted by a council of warriors. There was, as well, a tribal chief and council that represented all villages. It was these entities that decided when the tribe would go to war. Although the Wichitas had a peaceful society, they were quite capable of warfare when necessary.

Religion was an important aspect of the Wichita's lives. They believed in the existence of powerful deities that controlled the destinies of the people. These powers were thought to have created the earth and were held responsible for fertility, health and long lives. The religion of the Wichitas and their tightly-knit family structure kept them focused on their well-being.

The Spanish began a commercial policy in 1762 to remove the Wichitas from their position of power and influence. Organized efforts by the government of the United States to subdue the tribe began in the 1830s. In 1836, the Republic of Texas was created and immediately began a campaign to seize the lands of the Native Americans within its borders. These efforts finally broke the Wichitas and they were relocated to reservations.

Agriculture and Water

The area surrounding Wichita Falls was considered to be the frontier of Northwest Texas from the 1850s through the mid 1870s. The attempts of whites to settle in the area prior to the 1870's met with little success, as the Native Americans were still resisting being forced from their homelands. The Indians were finally relocated to reservations in the Indian (Oklahoma) Territory, leaving the area open to settlers.

When the first cattlemen arrived in the late 1860s they found vast prairies rich with grass. The winding, tree-shaded rivers and creeks provided water for the herds of cattle. The cattle themselves were left to roam freely on unfenced land, tended by the cowboys.

The life of a cowboy was by no means easy. A cowboy's home was his saddle and, at times, a bunkhouse or line shack. He had to keep a wary eye out for the less hospitable creatures of the plains - scorpions, spiders, rattlesnakes and centipedes - before laying out his bedroll for the night. he also had to deal with the weather. Temperatures could fluctuate from 100 to 0, and thunderstorms, rains and strong winds were constant companions.

The ranchers were more than just lone cowboys, they were legends in their own right. The buffalo that roamed the plains in days of old were replaced by the placid cows as the giants of the cattle industry moved in. Vast amounts of money and land were amassed by the ranchers. From this time, we have names that have become synonymous with Texas ranching: Waggoner, Burnett and Ikard.

The coming of the railroads in 1882 signified the end of the unfenced rangelands The fertile lands of North Texas and the newly-acquired rail transport for goods brought farmers, or "nesters," as they were known to the cattlemen, to the area in droves. Ranchers bought and fenced the land to the west, but most of the area around Wichita Falls was sold in parcels for small farms. Industrialization was well on its way.

Early farmers were also at the mercy of the Northwest Texas climate. Although the area has long growing seasons and relatively short winters, the rainfall can be irregular at best. Plentiful rains in the 1870s and early 1880s gave way to droughts in the late 1880s forcing many farmers to abandon their lands. Droughts would affect farmers several times over the next hundred years, serious setbacks that many were still able to overcome.

Early crops produced in the area included wheat, cotton, corn and oats. Attempts at truck farming were not as successful as hoped, but dairy farming became an integral part of the agricultural development of the area.

By 1907, Wichita Falls has become the center of the North Texas and South Oklahoma cotton industry. Two compresses, twenty-five gins and forty-three brokerage firms were located in the area. Corn and wheat, however, were the major money crops. With the aid of the railroads, Wichita Falls had become one of the most important milling and grain shipping centers in the Southern United States. Agriculture, with its sister, oil, would become the economic backbone of the area for the coming decades.

Water was the primary concern to all who came to the Texas frontier. Wells and streams were the most common sources of water for the early settlers. Often, the wells would bring only salt water or, worse yet, water contaminated with oil. later, the farmers and ranchers would dig small holding ponds and dam creeks to provide water for livestock. Locally, these are known as "stock tanks," or just "tanks."

Joseph Kemp attempted to bring adequate water systems to Wichita Falls. Most of his life was spent in this endeavor; he was responsible for the building of Lake Wichita, as well as Lakes Kemp and Diversion.

Railroads

The late 1870s saw permanent settlements begin in much of the frontier country. The tiny village of Wichita Falls was born on the Big Wichita River. The town site, according to local legend, was won by John Scott in a New Orleans poker game some forty years before his heirs had the town site surveyed.

The vision and efforts of three men are largely responsible for Wichita Falls becoming the city it is today. The city's father and first permanent citizen, judge Joseph Barwise, persuaded the officials of Fort Worth and Denver Railroad to bring the tracks through Wichita Falls after learning of their plans to lay the tracks several miles away.The railroad came to Wichita Falls in 1882, and a town lot sale was held. The date of September 27, 1882, is considered to be the official birthday of the city. Shortly thereafter, the county was officially organized.

Barwise was also responsible for bringing the two other individuals who would play a key part in the future of the city: Joseph Kemp and Frank Kell. Kemp arrived in Wichita Falls several years before his brother-in-law Kell. It was the two, working together, who built the railroads and grain elevators that placed Wichita Falls at the center of Northwest Texas commerce and agriculture after the turn of the century.

By 1910, Wichita Falls was the area's leading agricultural, commercial and manufacturing center. The stage was set for the next eras: oil. The oil booms of the 1910s and 1920s were to bring unprecedented growth to the area.

The Oil Industry

At the turn of the century, area ranchers and farmers were in need of water for their livestock. They began to drill shallow wells in the hope of finding drinkable water. Unfortunately, much of the well water that was found was contaminated with a murky liquid: oil. Disgusted, the ranchers used the oil as a tick repellent.

The Spindletop discovery in eastern Texas focused new attention on the oil in North Texas. The discovery of oil in Clay County in 1901 paved the way for exploration in Texoma. Ten years later, near Electra, a gusher was found on the Waggoner ranch.

In 1918, the oil business exploded in Wichita County.The Fowler's Folly gusher in Burkburnett made oil history for Texoma. Thousands came to the area, seeking the pot of black gold at the end of the rainbow. Speculation and the drilling oil wells hit a peak in the mid 1920s, and subsided thereafter.

With the discovery of oil, all roads seemed to lead towards Wichita Falls. The city had developed into the commercial center of the area, and trains made daily trips from the surrounding boomtowns. The newfound prosperity of the city attracted businessmen of all kinds, who built office buildings and banks, as well as contributing to the cultural growth of the city. Wichita Falls was a mecca for wildcatters and bankers alike as the nation entered the Roaring Twenties.

Industrial Development

Wichita Falls was building a strong, diversified economic base before the development of the nearby oil fields. The growth of agriculture, as well as the city's location as a railroad hub, contributed to its success. It was a major commercial center by the time the oil booms hit. Soon a large industrial base would develop alongside the oil business. The period of 1910s and 1920s was when Wichita Falls truly became a city in its own right. It was a time of forward-looking progressive and civic minded people. The period between 1910 and 1920 saw the city's population balloon from around 8,500 to well over 40,000.

The oil boom spurred unprecedented growth in banking. Hotels were built. Skyscrapers were erected to assuage the demand for office space. A college offering associate degrees was established to help spur educational opportunities.

Several non-oil based industries were located in Wichita Falls during the early part of the century. The Wichita Falls Broom Manufacturing Company, Ball Brothers Glass Jar Factory, and the Wichita Falls Window Glass Factory were all part of this early growth of the city.

The 1940's heralded a period of tremendous growth for Wichita Falls as Sheppard Air Force Base was built, medical facilities were expanded, and Continental Airlines began commercial air service to the city.

The manufacturing sector presently employees over 8,000, working in 200 manufacturing firm such as Howmet Casting and Refurbishment, Vetrotex CertainTeed, PPG Industries, Cryovac and the A.C. Rochester Division of General Motors. These international firms keep Wichita Falls on the cutting edge of the global economy.