Kansas History and Heritage Project-Sedgwick County History

Sedgwick County History
"Illustrated Wichita History, 1868-1880"
"An Early History of Wichita" by Kos Harris, 1914


The common-place acts of today, the tittle-tattle of yesterday and the things passed by the unheeded tomorrow may be hunted up, preserved and treasured by future generations.

The Daughters of the American Revolution, of Wichita, in this spirit, have prepared this booklet to preserve Early Wichita, to enable those who shall come after, as they walk upon the sidewalks, drive on the paved streets, look upon the splendid buildings created by the wealth of this generation, and enjoy the pub- lic parks, to, in some measure, call up the past and comprehend the poor beginnings, and early struggles of the pioneers, who founded a town on buffalo grass, rank with sunflowers, far removed from commerce and railways, and as a fruit of their industry, ambition and faith, beheld a city that provoked the envy of the elder towns of Kansas, became the admiration of all beholders and is now the one commercial City of Kansas, whose future will bring a thousand blessings to those who shall be its citizens, when "we things that are now" have become as dust of ashes.

Some buildings, shown in this booklet, were built at a time when the total taxable value of Sedgwick County was less than the value of the Schweiter Building.

The gathering together of the old photographs herein has been a labor of months by the Daughters of the American Revolution, of Wichita, and as years come and go, those who possess them will not only prize them, but will hand them down to their children and grandchildren, as heir-looms.

To write the early history of Wichita would make a volume, and therefore, only data is given of things preserved in an hundred other places to verify which would take days of time and hours of weary labor.

The Wichita Town Company was formed at Emporia, Kansas, April 27th, 18(58, and had for its object the land North of Central Avenue and West of Lawrence Avenue to Waco Street.

Greiffenstein's Plat of the City of Wichita, was South of Central Avenue, West of Lawrence and North of Douglas Avenue. The Town Plat of the City of Wichita, composed of that part of the City West of

Lawrence Avenue and North of Douglas Avenue, platted by Munger and Greiffenstein, by mutual agreement, was filed on the 25th day of March, 1870, and became the Original Town of the City of Wichita.

Greiffenstein's Addition and English Addition, South of Douglas Avenue, and Mead's Addition, East of Lawrence Avenue, were thereafter taken into the City and comprise a portion of the City of Wichita. The West Side, under The Wichita Town Company, was taken by Trustees, under the laws of the United States, and thereafter was annexed to, and became a part of, the City.

When Greiffenstein built the Eagle Block, Douglas Avenue was indistinguishable from the sunflowers and buffalo grass, both North and South of it.

There is a legend that Douglas Avenue was to be one hundred feet wide, but by carelessness and a wet rope, it was staked out so as to be one hundred and fourteen feet wide.

There is also another legend that when Greiffenstein built the Eagle Block, no one thought anything about the chimneys until the building had reached above the second story. This discovery required the tearing down of a portion of the building and rebuilding the same. The stone in the old Eagle Block was obtained from a quarry about three and one-half miles North of Wichita, and there was not enough stone to complete the building and this, so far as known, was the only stone quarry ever discovered in Sedgwick County, Kansas.

Among those who inhabited the Townsite in about 1867, were Greiffenstein, J. R. Mead, Eli Waterman, H. W. Vigus and wife, D. S. Munger, Durfee and Ledrick. Mrs. Vigus, so far as known, was the first white woman of the Townsite of Wichita.

Originally, Greiffenstein had a trading post on the Cowskin, near where old Jamesburg was located in 1865.

Shortly afterwards, Jesse Chisholm, who was part Indian, established a ranch about three miles Northwest of the City, between the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers and in 186.5, Dvrfee and Ledrick started their ranch on the banks of the Little River, near the site of the old Woodman homestead on Waco.

The location of the town of Wichita became known as Wichita, though not platted until sometime thereafter.

In the summer of 1868, the postoffice was first established, with Milo B. Kellogg as Postmaster.

Between what thereafter became Douglas Avenue and First Street, a ferry boat line was established across the Arkansas River.

In July, 1870, Wichita was incorporated as a town. On April 3, 1871, the town became a city of the third class. Of the city officers elected at that time, only Dr. Fabrique, one of the Councilmen, and H. E. Vantrees, Police Judge, are yet living in 1914.

In May, 1870, the first bakery was opened on the site of the present Baltimore Hotel, by E. H. Nugent. J. P. Allen opened the first drug store on Waco Avenue, North of the old Woodman residence, in 1870.

In June, 1870, was the first term of the District Court of Sedgwick County, Kansas. This court was held in the second story of a livery stable on the West side of Main Street, near the corner of Third Street. At that time, the resident attorneys of Wichita were Judge H. C. Sluss, Rueben Riggs and P. T. Weeks.

In the winter of 1871, the Land Office was removed from Augusta, Kansas, to Wichita.

The first newspaper established in the City of Wichita was by W. B. Hutchinson and Fred Sowers, called The Vedette, in 1870. Subsequently, The Wichita Eagle was established on April 13, 1872, by Col. M. M. Murdock, and The Wichita Eagle became a daily paper on May 21st, 1884.

In October, 1872, Floyd and Sowers founded The Wichita Daily Beacon. This paper was ahead of the town and died in its infancy.

History says it was in June, 1871, that Abilene and Wichita became rivals for the Texas cattle trade.

In 1874, Wichita shippsd, according to data, somewhere near seventy thousand head of cattle.

In September, 1871, the last large herd of buffalo passed through Sedgwick County from the Northwest and came within ten miles of the City on the West.

On March 15, 1872, the Santa Fe Railroad was completed to Wichita.

On June 12, 1872, the old toll bridge, shown in the cuts in this booklet, was opened to travel.

In February, 1875, Wichita had its first big fire on North Main Street, the loss of which was Twenty Thousand Dollars, which was a large amount in that day. In December, 1875, another fiie occurred on North Main Street, the loss of which was Fourteen Thousand Dollars.

In 1878, by a quotation in an historical book, the Occidental Hotel, now the Baltimore, was the only three story building in Southwest Kansas.

May 28th, 1880, the Frisco Railroad was completed to Wichita.

In April, 1871, an ordinance was enacted by the City of Wichita, that all saloons should close at 12 o'clock, midnight, on Saturday and not open until four o'clock A. M. on Monday morning. This would indicate that the dram drinkers at that date were "early risers."

Also, about the same time, an ordinance was passed that no hay should be stacked on any lot North of English Street, South of Third Street, East of Water Street or West of Lawrence Avenue, or any lot fronting on Douglas Avenue.

The Catholic Church in Wichita was organized in November, 1872, by Bishop L. M. Fink of Leavenworth, Kansas. The Baptist Church in Wichita was organized May 26th, 1872.

In 1878, there was a school building in the fourth ward, one in the first ward and one in the second ward. The fourth ward building was built in 1870, the first ward building on South Lawrence Avenue, in 1877, and the second ward building on Wichita Street, in 1877. The entire seating capacity of these school houses was four hundred and fifty.

The old Douglas Avenue hotel was built in the late fall and early spring of 1872 and stood on the corner of Water Street and Douglas Avenue, on the site of the present Pennsylvania Hotel.

The first bank opened in Wichita was by W. C. Woodman & Sons, in 1871, and subsequently became known as The Arkansas Valley Bank, but the first organized bank in the City of Wichita was The Wichita Savings Bank, organized in 1872. In 1877, The Farmers and Merchants Bank was organized by Col. H. W. Lewis. This bank subsequently became what is now known as The Kansas National Bank. The old Empire or Tremont House, shown in these cuts, was erected on the corner of Third and Main Streets. The two story back part was built by William Greiffenstein prior to 1871. Subsequently in 1871 and 1872, the three story front was built by James G. Barnwell, through a contractor by the name of Fred Martsolf. This building was subsequently moved to the corner of Douglas and Emporia Avenues, and thereafter moved on South Emporia Avenue and later was torn down.

The pastor of the Baptist Church, in January, 1873, was the Rev. J. C. Post of Fort Scott, Kansas. The first pastor of the Catholic Church, in January, 1873, was the Rev. F. P. Swenberg, formerly of Prairie City, Kansas. Rev. Swenberg was succeeded in 1874, by Rev. J. C. Shurz. The first Catholic Church was dedicated under the title of Saint Aloysius.

St. John's Episcopal Church was organized in 1875. The First Christian Church of Wichita was organized in 1880; the First Methodi-st Church in 1872. Of this last named church, the Rev. J. F. Nessley was the first pastor. The German Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1876. The First Baptist Church was organized in 1872. The first Masonic Lodge was organized October 19th, 1871, the first Odd Fellows Lodge in 1872 and the Kights of Pythias on November 25, 1881.

The Wichita Turnverein was organized in 1871. This Society built the fiist theatre in Wichita, which was situ- ated on the corner of First and Market Streets and was called Turner Opera House. The Old Settlers Association was organized October 27th, 1877. The first Fair Association of Wichita business men was organized in April, 1873, with William Mathewson as president. This association had forty acres of land, near L. W. Clapp's residence, which was lost to them by the foreclosure of a Four Thousand Dollar mortgage and within three years the land sold for Eight Hundred Dollars an acre. The first brass band was organized in 1871. Fred Schattner, who was City Clerk for several years, was the first leader.

In 1883, a letter was written by a then very prominent citizen of Wichita, an excerpt from which is as follows:

"The child and perhaps the man, now lives in Wichita, who will pass along its streets and listen to the hum of commerce in a city of Twenty Thousand people."

The letter provoked a smile when written and it does now, when read.

In detailing dry, historical facts, it is more than an art to be truthful, wound no one's feelings and at the same time, be interesting.

Wichita in the early days was cosmopolitan; every shade, hue and color of society was here. There was but little distinction among the people and the gatherings in old Eagle Hall and the Turner Opera House, were attended by all Wichita.

The Old Settlers Ball and Dinner on February 22nd of each year, was quite an event. Neither silks, nor dress suits were much in evidence and during the rage of the spelling schools old Eagle Hall, at the Boston Store corner, was the only room in town in which to house such meetings. The opening of Turner Hall Opera House was one of the greatest society functions that ever happened. When this building was built, Ten Thousand Dollars in bonds were issued, due in five years, and every man who took a Fifty Dollar bond got a free ticket for the first night's big show. These early days were the days of the one night stand on the coal-oil circuit, and occasionally, a week stand of Simon & Kendall. Simon & Kendall always gave a dance on Saturday night after the week's show and furnished the music and on one occasion, after the play of Othello, in which Desdemona was strangled, she arose from her death couch, with chalk all over her face, and led the grand march.

In 1883, the first street cars were put on the street, the cost of which road and equipment was Sixteen Thousand Dollars and they had three cars, two and one-half miles of track and twelve mules; the line ran West on Douglas Avenue to Main Street, North on Main Street to Murdock Avenue; East on Murdock Avenue to the old Santa Fe Depot. Col. B. H. Campbell offered a wager of One Hundred Dollars that the thing would bs in the hands of a receiver in six months. Two years afterwards. Col. Campbell bought a half interest and thereafter this was sold for One Hundred Thousand Dollars.

In 1887, the street car company got an electric franchise, and paid out Three Hundred Thousand Dollars. Then came that peculiar mile-stone in our history, called the Boom; that great epoch when paupers became millionaires and subsequently the balloon collapsed and the millionaires became tramps. After this, the Three Hundred Thousand Dollar street car plant sold for 10 % of its cost and fourteen years afterwards, the new company was paying Sixty-five Thousand Dollars annual taxes to the City of Wichita.





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This website created Dec. 2012 by Sheryl McClure.
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