Title: Wichita
Author: Fred Harvey
Release date: August 1, 2018 [eBook #57620]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
PUBLISHED BY
FRED HARVEY
WICHITA, KANSAS
© 1914, BY FRED HARVEY
“Watch Wichita Win” is the city motto that has been adopted by Wichita and there is every proof that the community is justifying it. In 1900 Wichita had a population of 25,000; today its population exceeds 63,000, and there are good grounds to believe it will soon be a city of 100,000.
The location of Wichita was not an accident. Long before the white man came the Indians chose the junction of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers as a meeting place from which to conduct their campaigns and hunting expeditions into the Southwest territory. Before the railways reached Wichita, it was a center for the cattle trade of Oklahoma and Texas. In 1872 the first railway train entered Wichita over the Wichita Southwestern, a branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and the city became at once a distributing point for the Southwestern country.
Today Wichita is served by six trunk lines, reaching into Western Kansas, Eastern Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico.
The development of Wichita in the last ten years has been many-sided. Perhaps its most important growth has been in the live stock and grain markets. In 1912, 14,465 cars of grain came to the Wichita market and 10,759 cars of live stock were received at the Wichita Union Stockyards. Wichita is the largest broom corn market 3 in the United States, parts of Oklahoma and Western Kansas being peculiarly adapted for the growth of broom corn. The city’s standing as a distributing center is evidenced by its large number of jobbing houses, with business covering Southern Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of Texas and New Mexico. There are more than a hundred jobbing houses located here. Among these, ten firms deal in agricultural implements, six wholesale grocery firms, three dry goods jobbers, three wholesale drug houses.
Surrounding Wichita is one of the great wheat districts of the world and this fact, with the city’s superior transportation facilities, is largely responsible for the milling industry. The city’s flouring mills have a capacity of 7,000 barrels a day and their product is shipped to California and to New York, to Oregon and to European ports. This branch of Wichita’s manufacturing and commercial industry is growing steadily. Eight hundred men are employed in sash and door factories. In foundries 250 men are employed.
The faith of Wichita’s builders is shown in its wide streets. In the residence district a large portion of the street has been converted into parking and at many points branches of the trees meet in the middle, forming arches.
In public improvements the city is remarkably progressive. It has eleven parks with an area of 416 acres, and a public gathering place, known as the Forum, with a seating capacity of 5,500. In 1911 it ranked eighth among all cities in the United 4 States in the area of new paving. Its office buildings—among them 10-story structures—are built on most modern lines; building permits in one year reached seven and one-half million dollars.
The water supply of Wichita comes from cylinders sunk forty feet beneath the bed of the Big Arkansas river. The water flows through a deep body of gravel before entering the cylinders, providing a supply of unusual purity. Air pumps syphon the water from the cylinders to cement reservoirs, where it is aerated before passing into the city mains.
The educational facilities of Wichita are complete. A new high school, the building costing $200,000, is at the head of the public school system. Friends University, Fairmount College and Mt. Carmel Academy cover the field of higher education. The main building of Friends University cost $265,000.
In its physical appearance, in the class of retail and wholesale business buildings and public structures, such as the city hall, government building and schools, Wichita gives the impression of a city twice the population. The completion of the New Union Passenger Terminal Station, with the elevation of railway tracks, adds greatly to this feeling. This terminal work cost two and one-half million dollars and was completed early in 1914.
In this book are illustrations of the new Passenger Terminal, of the business and residence sections of the city and of some of the more important public buildings—the whole a true picture of one of the most aggressive cities in all the Southwest.
The Wichita Union Terminal Station, opened in 1914, is used by the Santa Fe, the Frisco, the Rock Island, and the Orient lines. The building, 600 feet in length, has a frontage of 103 feet on Douglass Avenue, Wichita’s main thoroughfare. It is constructed of concrete, Colorado limestone and terra cotta, and is fireproof throughout. Trains enter by means of elevated tracks, connected with the waiting rooms by inclined planes.
Including the approaches and track elevations, the station cost approximately two and one-half million dollars.
The main concourse of Wichita’s new Union Terminal Station is 100 feet long and 55 feet wide. The floors are of marble, the walls of glazed terra cotta, and it is aglow with natural light. The station building, constructed of concrete, limestone and terra cotta, is fireproof and cost, including approaches, approximately two and one-half million dollars.
The main waiting room of Wichita’s new Union Terminal Station is 165 feet long, 125 feet wide and 25 feet high, and is open to sunlight on three sides, making it unusually cheerful and attractive. The floors are of marble; glazed terra cotta is used on the walls. Inclined planes lead to the elevated tracks over which all passenger trains run.
Wichita is among the most important railroad centers in the Southwest, and has large live stock packing and jobbing interests, while some of its manufactured products are sent to all the civilized world.
The dining room in the new Union Terminal Station in Wichita immediately adjoins the main waiting room and concourse. Across the hall are the men’s smoking room, telegraph offices and parcel rooms. One end of the dining room is occupied by the lunch counter, while the other end is given over to tables. The floors and walls are finished in terra cotta, glazed tile or marble.
About a hundred persons may be served at a sitting. The management is under the direction of Fred Harvey.
Wichita is one of the most important commercial centers of the Southwest. Its wholesale interests and packing and live stock industries are growing steadily. The new Union Station with terminals cost approximately two and one-half million dollars and was completed in 1913.
Opposite the main waiting room of the Union Terminal Station, Wichita is the concourse which leads to the train platforms. Here are the news and fruit stand and the soda fountain, all constructed of marble or white terra cotta tile, as is the main portion of the Concourse. A side sky-light gives the Concourse sunshine most of the day.
Adjoining the Main Waiting room of the Wichita Union Terminal Passenger Station is the Ladies’ Retiring Room. Here are provided all the comforts and conveniences required by women and children on a journey. A ladies’ maid is at the service of the traveler, and there are wash and toilet rooms, easy chairs and couches where one may recline. It is decorated in cheerful tones and is a good example of the consideration that has come to be expected by the traveling public in these days.
Wichita’s new Union Terminal Station, constructed of Colorado limestone and concrete, with terra cotta facing, is architecturally on strong, dignified lines, with the pleasing gracefulness of the Renaissance. The main building fronts a plaza on Douglass Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare, giving the traveler an attractive entrance to the heart of the city. The interior is of concrete, tile and marble. It is fireproof throughout.
Spanning the intersection of two of the principal streets in the retail section of Wichita is the motto that best expresses the spirit of the community—“Watch Wichita Win.” At night this motto stands out, brilliant in lights, where it may be seen from the trains entering and leaving the city. And that Wichita is living up to its watchword is proved by its record of growth in population. In 1890 it had 15,620 inhabitants; in 1895, 20,839; in 1900, 24,691; in 1905, 34,520, and today it has reached the 65,000 mark. “Wichita Is Winning.” The large building in the illustration is the Hotel Eaton.
In its business and office buildings Wichita surpasses any city in Kansas. In the illustrations are shown some of the more important commercial structures of Wichita, among them the Beacon building, ten stories; the Boston department store and the Schweiter building, ten stories. The founders of Wichita, with foresight based on their faith in the city’s greatness, made the streets wide and their wisdom is appreciated by the men who are building the city today.
Wichita’s real development as a live stock market has come within the last seven or eight years and since then its progress has been truly remarkable. In three years, 1906 to 1909, the cattle receipts increased 400 per cent and hog receipts 150 per cent. In order to keep pace with this growth the Union Stock Yards Company has been forced to add acres of pens to its equipments almost every year. The pens are brick-paved and each contains watering and feeding troughs. The exchange building, erected by the Stock Yards Company, contains a national bank, the offices of commission firms, of the stock yards company, of the Terminal Railroad and branch offices of the packing companies.
Wichita has two large packing houses with a capacity of 6,000 animals a day. The annual receipts at the Union Stock Yards reach one million a year. Wichita is looked upon as a logical point for a packing house and stockyards center, first, because it is located at the very entrance of the great Southwestern cattle district, and, secondly, because it has the transportation lines reaching into the great stock-growing country. Twelve hundred men are employed in the packing houses and about 500 in the stockyards. It is estimated that 4,000 persons are dependent upon this branch of Wichita’s commercial activity.
Kansas has soil and climate peculiarly adapted to the growing of Red Turkey Hard Wheat. An area of more than 8 million acres is devoted to the raising of Red Turkey Wheat in Kansas and there are perhaps four million acres more suitable for the purpose and now given over to grazing. From Wichita railway lines spread like spokes from a hub into these wheat fields. The milling capacity of Wichita is now 7,000 barrels daily; millers say it should have 10,000 barrels output, with a possibility of 20,000 within a few years. The illustration shows one of the modern flouring plants in Wichita.
With its 10-story buildings and extensive retail establishments, Wichita’s business district suggests a city of twice its size. This development is largely due to the wide commercial influence of Wichita, shoppers coming from all the surrounding territory. The retail stores of Wichita are of unusual attractiveness, both in equipment as well as stock.
The city of Wichita built a structure 260 feet long and 160 feet wide as a meeting place for the people of the city and surrounding territory. It is designed so that it may be used for a horse show or a concert, for a political convention or a lecture. Steel, brick and cement were used in its construction at a cost of $170,000 and it has a seating capacity of 5,500. This capacity can be enlarged about 1,000 when seats are placed on the stage.
The home of the Y. M. C. A., Wichita, was built in 1907 at a cost of $110,000. With three stories and basement it contains forty-five sleeping rooms and suites. The auditorium seats 700 and the gymnasium, 42 by 78 feet, contains a 32-lap running track. In addition to the usual tub and shower baths, the building has a swimming pool, 60 by 20 feet, lined with tile and graduating in depth from three to eight feet. The roof is designed so that it may be used as a roof garden on warm evenings. The first meeting to organize a Y. M. C. A. in Wichita was held in 1885. The money for the present building was subscribed in a three weeks’ campaign.
In 1913 the Y. W. C. A. of Wichita acquired a home costing $100,000, the funds coming from public subscriptions.
When Wichita opened its first High School, in 1868, there were eight pupils and one teacher. One room afforded the necessary space. The Wichita High School of today gives by contrast some impression of the growth of the city. Now about 40 teachers are employed in training 800 pupils.
The building cost $200,000 and has fifty rooms. Manual training and domestic science are included in the courses of study. Credits from the Wichita High School are accepted by the leading colleges and universities, both for men and women, throughout the country.
The public school system of Wichita is the largest business enterprise in the city, and is growing so steadily that new buildings are almost constantly under way. In design and construction the buildings are on the latest lines of school architecture, with every provision for the health and comfort of the pupils. The city has more than two million dollars invested in school property. Approximately 10,000 pupils are enrolled in the city’s schools.
The idea of boating is not usually associated with a Kansas community, but this form of recreation is a popular one in Wichita and that under most pleasant conditions. Through a large portion of the year the Arkansas river at Wichita offers good rowing and in the evenings is alive with boating parties. The illustration shows a boat house located on the banks of the stream with the foliage of a public park forming a background.
The clubhouse of the Wichita Club is a five-story and basement structure erected by the organization as its home in 1910. It occupies a space 150×140 and cost $100,000. On the first floor are the ladies’ reception room, dining room, lounge, living room and offices. The second floor is given over to dining rooms and kitchen. On the third floor are billiard and meeting rooms. The fourth and fifth floors are given over to sleeping apartments. The Wichita Club had its origin in the old Coronado Club in 1897. It is one of the great factors in the development of the community, both commercially and socially.
The commission form of government has been adopted by Wichita, and one of the five commissioners is in charge of parks and public works. The park system is composed of nine parks, with shaded lawns, drives and winding streams. Riverside Park is the largest, with an area of 140 acres, and contains a zoological collection with buffalo, lions, deer, ostriches and other specimens.
In the construction of its public works and buildings Wichita has placed permanence first. A good example of this policy may be found in the reinforced concrete bridge crossing the Arkansas River, of great beauty in design, it is built to withstand the ages. The main roadway is 40 feet wide with two 8-foot walks. The seven spans have a total length of 550 feet.
It has been said of Wichita that its homes make it a city of genuine contentment. Its people are, as a rule, homeowners. The illustration is one of the newer residence streets and shows the simple graceful lines now most in vogue in the domestic architecture of the city. In some of the older residence sections, where the trees have had time for growth, the streets are arched by foliage—a cause of general comment from visitors who think of Kansas as a treeless prairie land.
Almost twenty-five years ago the people of Wichita showed their confidence in the certain growth of their city by the building of a City Hall that would be a credit to any city of 200,000 population. Architecturally it is one of the most impressive structures in the city, and its size insures ample space for years to come. Until a few years ago the city government was conducted on the old plan of mayor, councilmen and other elective officials. Now a mayor commissioner and four other commissioners constitute the city government.
More than 200 persons are employed in the Wichita postoffice, including the railway mail clerks who have their headquarters here. In ten years the receipts of the Wichita postoffice have more than doubled. The entire third floor of the building is equipped for the use of the United States courts, which convene here twice a year. An addition was built two years ago.
The first lodge of Masons was established in Wichita in 1870 and the first Scottish Rite body was instituted in 1887. The order now has about 3,000 members and occupies what is, perhaps, the finest Scottish Rite Temple in the United States. The structure is of solid stone, four stories in height and occupies one of the most important corners in the city. It is owned and occupied solely by the Scottish Rite Masons of Wichita.
With the good hotel facilities now possessed by Wichita, a new structure, to be known as the Travelers, is under way. It will be six stories, fireproof, of steel, terra cotta, concrete and brick. The site covers a space 125 by 140 feet in the business section. Travelers’ Hotel is to cost $500,000.00 and will have 200 rooms. It was financed by residents of Wichita.
Set in fifteen acres of beautiful lawn and woodland is the Kansas Masonic Home, Wichita. It is built of gray stone and was established by the Grand Lodge of Kansas in 1896. The stone chapel was built by the Order of the Eastern Star, and most of the furniture for the home was supplied by this order. Aged Master Masons, their wives or widows and children and members of the Eastern Star are eligible to the benefits of the home. The home is maintained by a per capita tax on the members of the Kansas Grand Lodge of Masons and of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Five station houses comprise the Wichita Fire Department, all connected by a signal system with the central station. The efficiency of Wichita’s fire protection is best shown by the fact that the city has never suffered what might be termed a disastrous fire loss. Under the commission form of government the mayor has supervision of police and fire departments and the prevailing policy is to supplant gradually the horse drawn fire apparatus with motor vehicles.
The City Library building, Wichita, erected in 1914, is located on South Main Street and Hamilton Park. The exterior is of dressed Bedford stone, and the interior is fitted with the most modern library appliances. The building cost $75,000. The library contains more than 10,000 volumes and is under city control.
In institutions for higher education Wichita is unusually well equipped, having several co-educational colleges and it is also the seat of Mt. Carmel Academy, a high grade school for young ladies. In addition to the usual academic courses, departments of music, art and elocution are maintained. Students are drawn from Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. The academy was opened in 1887 by five Sisters of Charity. Additions were built in 1900 and again in 1906. The buildings are heated with hot water and every room is so situated as to receive sunshine.
It was in 1898 that the Friends’ church of Kansas established Friends’ University in Wichita and now Friends’ academies throughout the Southwest send young men and women to the university. The main building, shown in the lower corner, was the gift of James M. Davis, a St. Louis manufacturer.
Fairmount College is a Congregational institution that has reached a firm foundation after years of struggle. Opened as an academy in 1892 it has progressed steadily until it has an enrollment exceeding 300 pupils. In addition to the main building, shown here, Fairmount has a library of 35,000 volumes, a gymnasium and a men’s dormitory.
St. John’s School for boys, a Catholic institution, is located in Wichita.
Fairmount College · Friends’ University
The illustrations show four of the more impressive church structures of Wichita. In the upper left corner is the First Presbyterian; opposite, the Roman Catholic Cathedral. In the lower left corner is St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church, and opposite the First Baptist Church. Wichita has been the seat of the Catholic diocese of Wichita for more than a quarter century. The Cathedral was dedicated in 1912.
First Presbyterian Church · Roman Catholic Cathedral
St. Paul’s Episcopal Methodist Church · First Baptist Church
