Auto Glass Windshield Repair and Windshield Replacement in Wichita, Kansas (KS)

Wichita, Kansas Information

Wichita County is in the extreme north central portion of the state, on the Oklahoma border. Wichita Falls , the largest city and county seat, is 144 miles northwest of Dallas and 141 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The center of Wichita County is at 34°00' north latitude and 98°42' west longitude. The county comprises 606 square miles, most of which lies in the eastern part of the Central Texas Rolling Red Plains. The extreme southeastern corner, however, is in the Central Texas Rolling Red Prairies. The Rolling Plains include oil, gas, sand, gravel, and stone. Temperatures range from an average high of 98° F in July to an average low of 28° F in January, combining for an average annual temperature of 63° F. Rainfall averages twenty-seven inches per year, and the growing season lasts, on average, 221 days each year. The area that became Wichita County was home for Caddoan Indians <../../indians/CADDO%20INDIANS.cfm>, principally the Wichitas <../../indians/WICHITA%20INDIANS.cfm> and Taovayas <../../indians/TAOVAYA%20INDIANS.cfm>, who migrated to the area from present Kansas and Nebraska, in the middle of the eighteenth century. Despite their mastery of the horse-introduced into the region by Spanish explorers-and therefore the buffalo <../../../bi/mammal/BUFFALO.cfm>, these natives remained heavily dependent upon agriculture , and settlement was hindered by Indian attacks. Most of the area's AngloAmerican pioneers arrived after 1870, when school lands were purchased to become cattle ranches, which have remained an important part of the economy. Wichita County remained unorganized and sparsely inhabited until after 1880, when its population reached 433. On June 7, 1882, Robert E. Huff <../../people/reHUFF.cfm>, a recently arrived attorney, presented a petition bearing 150 signatures-some of which allegedly were fraudulent-to the Clay County <../clay/default1.cfm> commissioners court seeking independence for Wichita County. Elections for county officers took place on June 21 of that year. Wichita County's population increased relatively rapidly during the decade after its organization, rising to 4,831 in 1890. The population was predominantly AngloAmerican. In 1880 the county only had seventeen African Americans <../../History1/AFRICAN%20AMERICANS.cfm> and in 1890 only 128. This pattern has remained constant throughout the county's history. Wichita County remained overwhelmingly rural and agricultural during its first decade, with the number of farms increasing from sixty in 1880 to 326 in 1890. Cattle production dominated the economy, and between 1880 and 1890 the number of cattle increased 62 percent to 88,683. Corn and hay were the leading crops raised in the county. The extension of the tracks of a number of rail lines into the county greatly facilitated growth. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad <../../railroad/FORT%20WORTH%20AND%20DENVER%20RAILWAY.cfm> reached the tiny settlement of Wichita Falls from Fort Worth in September 1882. This connection ensured the existence of Wichita Falls, which adopted the date of the arrival of the first train, September 26, 1882, as its birthday. Additional railroadbuilding activity resulted, in large measure, from the efforts of two Wichita Falls businessmen, Joseph A. Kemp <../../people/jaKEMP.cfm> and Frank Kell <../../people/frankKELL.cfm>. Between 1884 and 1911 these men, acting independently and in concert, organized and promoted three rail lines out of Wichita Falls: the Wichita Falls and Northwestern <../../railroad/WICHITA%20FALLS%20AND%20NORTHWESTERN%20RAILWAY.cfm>, the Wichita Falls and Southern <../../railroad/WICHITA%20FALLS%20AND%20SOUTHERN%20RAILWAY.cfm>, and the Wichita Falls and Wellington <../../railroad/WICHITA%20FALLS%20AND%20WELLINGTON%20RAILWAY.cfm>. The construction of these roads, all of which were purchased by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas <../../railroad/MISSOURI.cfm> line in 1911, established Wichita Falls as a regional transportation and distribution center. Its population increased from 2,480 at the turn of the century to 8,200 by 1910. Call Field , an Army Air Corps training facility, was built south of the city during World War I <../../History1/WORLD%20WAR%20I.cfm>. Wichita Falls continued to grow; by 1920 it had a population of 40,079 and by 1930 of 60,000, or 80 percent of the county's total population.

Wichita, Kansas, KS - Auto Glass & Windshield Replacement