Wichita - free ebook by Fred Harvey

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Wichita

Fred Harvey

33 chapters

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33 chapters

WICHITA

WICHITA

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

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The Wichita Union Terminal Station

The Wichita Union Terminal Station

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 approxi

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The Concourse and Ticket Offices of the Wichita Union Terminal Station

The Concourse and Ticket Offices of the Wichita Union Terminal Station

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....

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Main Waiting Room, Wichita Union Terminal Station

Main Waiting Room, Wichita Union Terminal Station

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 manufactur

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Dining Room of the Wichita Terminal Station

Dining Room of the Wichita Terminal Station

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

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Concourse, Wichita Union Terminal Station

Concourse, Wichita Union Terminal Station

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....

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Ladies’ Retiring Room, Wichita Union Terminal Station

Ladies’ Retiring Room, Wichita Union Terminal Station

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....

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A Twilight View of the New Union Terminal Station, Wichita, Kansas

A Twilight View of the New Union Terminal Station, Wichita, Kansas

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....

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“Watch Wichita Win”—The Motto of an Aggressive Community

“Watch Wichita Win”—The Motto of an Aggressive Community

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

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Looking North on Main Street, Wichita

Looking North on Main Street, Wichita

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....

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The Live Stock Exchange, Wichita

The Live Stock Exchange, Wichita

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, erecte

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Union Stock Yards, Wichita

Union Stock Yards, Wichita

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 t

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Wichita as a Milling Center

Wichita as a Milling Center

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,

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In the Retail Business District, Wichita

In the Retail Business District, 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....

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The Forum, A Gathering Place for the People of Wichita

The Forum, A Gathering Place for the People of Wichita

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....

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Y. M. C. A. Building, Wichita

Y. M. C. A. Building, Wichita

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 fi

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The High School, Wichita

The High School, Wichita

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,

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A Public School Building, Wichita

A Public School Building, Wichita

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....

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Boat House, Arkansas River, Wichita

Boat House, Arkansas River, Wichita

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....

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The Wichita Club, Wichita

The Wichita Club, Wichita

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

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Glimpse of a Public Park, Wichita

Glimpse of a Public Park, Wichita

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....

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A Bridge Spanning the Arkansas River, Wichita

A Bridge Spanning the Arkansas River, Wichita

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....

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A Residence Street, Wichita

A Residence Street, Wichita

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....

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The City Hall, Wichita

The City Hall, Wichita

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 commissioner

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Postoffice and Federal Building, Wichita

Postoffice and Federal Building, Wichita

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....

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Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, Wichita

Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, Wichita

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....

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The New Travelers’ Hotel, Wichita

The New Travelers’ Hotel, 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....

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Kansas Masonic Home and Chapel, Wichita

Kansas Masonic Home and Chapel, 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 Kansa

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The Central Station Company, Wichita Fire Department

The Central Station Company, Wichita Fire Department

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....

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City Library, Wichita

City Library, Wichita

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....

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Mount Carmel Academy, Wichita

Mount Carmel Academy, Wichita

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

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Friends’ University and Fairmount College, Wichita

Friends’ University and Fairmount College, Wichita

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

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Four Churches, Wichita

Four Churches, Wichita

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

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