“Air Capital of the World”
Many people think that Kansas City is the largest city in Kansas, but it’s not. Most of what is generically referred to as “Kansas City” is actually in Missouri as the state line splits the Kansas City metropolitan area with the bulk on the Missouri side. The reality is that Wichita is the largest city in Kansas with approximately 650,000 residents. I had no idea of the size or history of the area and had not even planned to visit, only including a side trip on a Sunday afternoon at the last minute. I have to say that in my quick little visit to the downtown area I came away very impressed and will return some time in the future to explore the city more completely. Like so many other cities Wichita is a child of the railroads, aided by the fact that the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers come together here. Pioneer trader Jesse Chisolm established a trading post at the junction of the rivers in the 1860’s at the northern end of what became known as the famous “Chisolm Trail”, a path followed by enormous cattle drives as the railroads reached the area and opened the way east to provide cattle for the hungry eastern cities. As we saw in Dodge City, the facts behind the legend are surprising. Wichita prides itself on its’ history as “Cowtown”, yet the cattle drives only lasted four years, from 1872-1876. A decision to quarantine Texas Longhorns in order to protect local cattle from disease lead the end of the cattle drives. Wichita was established on the east bank of the Arkansas River in 1870 and quickly grew into a regional center. The next big jump in the fortunes of Wichita occurred in the 1910’s when oil was discovered nearby. Fortunes found in the oil fields developed into capital for a budding airplane industry and Wichita became the center of airplane manufacturing in the United States for the next 50 years. Boeing and Lear Jet were two of the major companies in the area until labor strife lead Boeing to leave the area and focus efforts in the Seattle. Today manufacturing leads a strong, stable economy along with business and financial companies. Two of the largest privately held companies in the United States are located here, Cargill and Koch Industries (yes, those Koch brothers of fame (or infamy, depending on your political point of view).)
Due to the need to be on stable, flood-free ground, the railroads ran north/south about a mile east from the Arkansas River. The architecture of the downtown area clearly reflects the development of the city from the 1880’s to present day. The eastern end of the center city is anchored by the railroad tracks and Old Town, which even on a Sunday was full of people at restaurants, shops, etc., both visitors and residents who live in the upper floors of old brick or sandstone buildings. The other major presence in the area is the InterTrust Arena.
On the western edge of the Old Town area two sentinels from the past reign, resplendent in Kansas sandstone. The old Sedgewick County Courthouse and the Mason’s Temple clearly reflect the pride of a community from earlier times.
Finally, looking to the west from the courthouse you see present day Wichita, looming above the convention center and parks along the banks of the Arkansas River.
As interesting as the downtown area was, it was not the impetus for my spur of the moment visit to Wichita. I had picked up a brochure somewhere along the way advertising The Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita and so I headed on to my original goal. Another attractive aspect to the Wichita environment is that the Arkansas River, which separates the central city from the western suburbs, is a corridor of parks and museums stretching for a couple of miles along both banks. The Old Cowtown Museum is one of those museums.
The Old Cowtown Museum
The Old Cowtown Museum is a living history museum located near the old Chisolm Trail on the banks of the Arkansas River just across from the central city. The 23 acre grounds replicate a western town of the 1870’s through interactive displays, character actors, and original and/or reconstructed structures from that period of time in Kansas. The furnishings of the buildings are all original to the period. Halloween would have been celebrated on the frontier so you’ll occasionally notice holiday decorations around town. I was there on the last day of the season so many of the businesses, while open to visit, did not have the actors portraying the workers present. Even so, it was one of the best museum visits that I have ever experienced. This is not a tourist trap by any stretch of the imagination, but truly an interesting and educational experience. Through the entry gates the first structure on the outskirts of Main Street is The Heller Cabin.
The Heller Cabin was constructed over a period of 6 years from 1869-1875 on the prarie south of Abilene, Kansas, by Leonhard Hoffman out of walnut, oak and elm trees. One story with a sleeping loft above, it’s one of the few original “settlement” cabins remaining in Kansas.
Continuing to follow the road around to the left Main Street unfolds. The town spreads two blocks down Main Street with a couple of side streets leading south to the train station and stables. The path we are going to follow is to go down Main Street, turn left to the train station, and then circle back to Main Street.
Immediately to the left (just out of the Main Street picture) is the one room school house. This is an original building constructed in Wichita in 1911. The space was furnished exactly as it would have been in the 1910’s. I don’t ordinarily leave a lot of “white space” in the blog, but I want you to see the level of detail inside the school house so a full-scale view of the interior is below.
Here’s closer look at both sides of Main Street and side streets.
The general store was built in Garden Plain, Kansas, in 1884 and operated until 1964. The shelves are stocked with original items from the 1880’s.
Then, as if it couldn’t get any better, a gunfight broke out in front of the saloon. The “sodbusters’ (farmers on the right) got into an argument with the cowboys (on the left) who had just been thrown out of the saloon. The farmers were angry because the cattle drive had destroyed their fences and crops and were demanding that the cowboys pay for the damage.
After a back and forth argument and the refusal of the sheriff to intervene, the bartender and local “soiled dove” joined the farmers against the cowboys and the gunfight was on. When it was over there were a lot of bodies on the street. Lots’ of fun!
Around the corner is the residential district, complete with the local school teacher’s house. In 1878 the population of Wichita was around 4,200 of which 99 were single women. Most were widows, domestics, and a few business operators. This two-room house belonged to a single school teacher, who like many of the single women, wasn’t single for long…
As I left the museum I took this picture looking east to the downtown area along the riverbank, the opposite point of view from the pictures taken earlier from the Old Town area, which were looking west.
I wish I had more time to explore but the need to move north grows day by day as I need to be back in Billings the first week in November. While I only saw a small slice of the Wichita area, it was intriguing. Another time…
Next up: Valkommen!
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