The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, USA.
19th century edit
- 1879 - Barwise family settles in area.[1]
- 1880 - Population: 433.[2]
- 1881 - First United Methodist Church built.[3]
- 1882 - Fort Worth and Denver City railroad begins operating.[2]
- 1883 - First Baptist Church founded.[4]
- 1886 - Drought begins.[2]
- 1887 - Wichita Weekly Times newspaper begins publication.[5]
- 1889
- 1890 - Population: 1,978.[7]
- 1896 - "Lynching of two bank robbers."[2][4]
- 1900
- Ladies Library Association organized.[8]
- Lake Wichita created near town.[2]
20th century edit
- 1909 - Electric streetcar begins operating.[3]
- 1910
- U.S. military Call Field (airfield) begins operating near town.[3]
- Union Station built.[9]
- Gem Theatre (cinema) in business.[10]
- Population: 8,200.[7]
- 1911 - Electra oil field begins operating in vicinity of town.[1]
- 1912 - Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company plant in business.[9]
- 1913 - Palace Theatre in business.[10]
- 1917 - Drought begins.[2]
- 1918
- Kemp Public Library opens.[11]
- Burkburnett oil field discovered near Wichita Falls; oil boom begins.[1]
- 1920
- 1922
- Wichita Falls Junior College established.[9]
- Women's "Manuscript Club" organized.[13]
- 1924 - Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion created in vicinity of town.[9]
- 1927 - Scott Avenue Bridge[2] and Municipal Auditorium[9] built.
- 1928 - "Airline passenger service" begins.[1]
- 1930 - May 11: Dust storm.[9]
- 1932 - Town/county 50th anniversary observed.[9]
- 1933 - Wichita Gardens Homestead Colony for urban poor created (approximate date).[9]
- 1937
- 1938
- 1941 - U.S. military Sheppard Field begins operating.[2]
- 1947 - Lake Kickapoo created in vicinity of Wichita Falls.[9]
- 1948 - U.S. military Sheppard Air Force Base active.[9]
- 1950
- Midwestern University active.
- Population: 68,042.[7]
- 1952 - Grant Drive-In cinema in business.[10]
- 1953 - KAUZ-TV and KFDX-TV (television) begin broadcasting.[15]
- 1960 - Population: 101,724.[7]
- 1963 - Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre founded.[9]
- 1964
- April 3: Tornado.[16]
- Gates Rubber Company plant in business.[9]
- 1966
- Wichita Falls joins the Nortex Regional Planning Commission.[chronology citation needed]
- Lake Arrowhead created in vicinity of Wichita Falls.[9]
- 1969 - Wilson Memorial Parkway dedicated.[9]
- 1970
- School's Memorial Stadium opens.
- Board of Commerce and Industry active.[9]
- 1978 - Wichita Falls Transit System begins operating.[chronology citation needed]
- 1979 - April 10: 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak.[16]
- 1982 - Wichita Falls Area Food Bank established.[17][18]
- 1986 - Artificial waterfall built at Lucy Park.[3]
- 1987 - Times Record News in publication.[5]
- 1995 - Mac Thornberry becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 13th congressional district.[19]
- 1999 - City website online (approximate date).[20][21]
21st century edit
See also edit
- Wichita Falls history
- List of mayors of Wichita Falls, Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wichita County, Texas
- Timelines of other cities in the North Texas area of Texas: Arlington, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Plano
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr. "Wichita Falls, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Federal Writers' Project 1940.
- ^ a b c d "A Very Short History of Wichita Falls". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "Texas Historic Sites Atlas". Austin: Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "Mayors of Wichita Falls". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "City Population History from 1850–2000: Wichita Falls", Texas Almanac, Texas State Historical Association
- ^ Handbook of Texas Libraries, Houston: Texas Library Association, 1908, hdl:2027/uc1.b4221835 – via HathiTrust
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Wichita Falls Time Line". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Movie Theaters in Wichita Falls, TX". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Kelly 1982.
- ^ "Texas: West Texas". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Jackson, Mississippi: Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Betty Holland Wiesepape (2004). Lone Star Chapters: The Story of Texas Literary Clubs. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-324-6.
- ^ Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
- ^ "United States TV Stations: Texas", Yearbook of Radio and Television, New York: Radio Television Daily, 1964, OCLC 7469377 – via Internet Archive
- ^ a b "Wichita Falls, TX Tornadoes (1900-Present)". Norman, Oklahoma: National Weather Service. Retrieved April 13, 2017. (Chronological list)
- ^ "About". Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "Texas Food Banks". Food Bank Locator. Chicago: Feeding America. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "Texas". Official Congressional Directory. 1991/1992- : S. Pub. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1995. hdl:2027/uc1.l0099748295 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "City of Wichita Falls, Texas Home Page". Archived from the original on November 28, 1999 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
- ^ Kevin Hyde; Tamie Hyde (eds.). "United States of America: Texas". Official City Sites. Utah. OCLC 40169021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000.
- ^ "Wichita Falls city, Texas". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "Wichita Falls gunman who killed 1, wounded 4 yelled 'white power,' witness says | Texas | Dallas News". Dallas News. 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
- ^ Forester, Samantha. "7th anniversary of shooting rampage in Wichita Falls". Retrieved 2017-05-11.
Bibliography edit
- "Wichita Falls". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. St. Louis: R.L. Polk & Co. 1884.
- "Wichita Falls". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Detroit: R.L. Polk & Co. 1890.
- "Wichita Falls". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Detroit: R.L. Polk & Co. 1914.
- Ellis A. Davis; Edwin H. Grobe, eds. (1926). "(Wichita Falls)". New Encyclopedia of Texas. Dallas: Texas Development Bureau. pp. 103–106. circa 1926?
- Jonnie R. Morgan, The History of Wichita Falls (Wichita Falls, 1931)
- Federal Writers' Project (1940), "Wichita Falls", Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, American Guide Series, New York: Hastings House, hdl:2027/mdp.39015002677667 – via HathiTrust
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Duty, Michael (1982). Wichita Falls: A Century of Photographs. Wichita Falls: Midwestern State University Press.
- Kelly, Louise (1982). Wichita County Beginnings. Burnet, Texas: Eakin Press.
- Wilson, Steve (1982). Wichita Falls: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, Virginia: Donning.
- Wishart, David J., ed. (2004). "Cities and Towns: Wichita Falls, Texas". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7.
- Kenneth E. Hendrickson Jr. (2009). Wichita Falls. Images of America. Arcadia. ISBN 978-1-4396-4625-0.
External links edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wichita Falls, Texas.
- "Historical Maps of Texas Cities: Wichita Falls". Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection. University of Texas at Austin.
- "Wichita Falls". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Austin, TX.
- Items related to Wichita Falls, Texas, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
- "United States - Texas - Wichita County - Wichita Falls". Portal to Texas History. Denton: University of North Texas Libraries. 20 July 2023.
- Wichita County Historical Commission