Timeline of Wichita Falls, Texas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, USA.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

19th century

• 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
  • Town of Wichita Falls incorporated.^[2]
  • Otis T. Bacon becomes mayor.^[6]
• 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

House in Wichita Gardens, built circa 1933 by U.S. Department of Interior Subsistence Homesteads Division

• 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
  • Burnett Street Bridge^[2] and Temple Israel synagogue^[12] built.
  • Population: 40,079.^[7]
• 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
  • Scott Avenue Overpass built.^[2]
  • Parking meters introduced.^[9]
• 1938
  • KWFT radio begins broadcasting.^[14]
  • Wichita Falls Day Nursery built.^[2]
  • Kamay oil discovered near Wichita Falls.^[1]
• 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

• 2010
  • Glenn Barham becomes mayor.^[6]
  • Population: 104,553.^[22]
  • Racially-motivated shooting spree kills one and injures four others, before the suspect committed suicide.^[23][24]

See also

• 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

1. Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr. "Wichita Falls, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
2. Federal Writers' Project 1940.
3. "A Very Short History of Wichita Falls". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
4. "Texas Historic Sites Atlas". Austin: Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
5. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
6. "Mayors of Wichita Falls". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
7. "City Population History from 1850–2000: Wichita Falls", Texas Almanac, Texas State Historical Association
8. Handbook of Texas Libraries, Houston: Texas Library Association, 1908, hdl:2027/uc1.b4221835 – via HathiTrust
9. "Wichita Falls Time Line". City of Wichita Falls. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
10. "Movie Theaters in Wichita Falls, TX". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
11. Kelly 1982.
12. "Texas: West Texas". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Jackson, Mississippi: Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
13. Betty Holland Wiesepape (2004). Lone Star Chapters: The Story of Texas Literary Clubs. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-324-6.
14. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
15. "United States TV Stations: Texas", Yearbook of Radio and Television, New York: Radio Television Daily, 1964, OCLC 7469377 – via Internet Archive
16. "Wichita Falls, TX Tornadoes (1900-Present)". Norman, Oklahoma: National Weather Service. Retrieved April 13, 2017. (Chronological list)
17. "About". Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
18. "Texas Food Banks". Food Bank Locator. Chicago: Feeding America. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
19. "Texas". Official Congressional Directory. 1991/1992- : S. Pub. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1995. hdl:2027/uc1.l0099748295 – via HathiTrust.
20. "City of Wichita Falls, Texas Home Page". Archived from the original on November 28, 1999 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
21. Kevin Hyde; Tamie Hyde (eds.). "United States of America: Texas". Official City Sites. Utah. OCLC 40169021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000.
22. "Wichita Falls city, Texas". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
23. "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.
24. Forester, Samantha. "7th anniversary of shooting rampage in Wichita Falls". Retrieved 2017-05-11.

Bibliography

• "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
• 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

• "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