Historical Events of Wichita Ks.

1. Historical Events of Wichita Ks.

2. Wichita was founded in 1864 as a trading post on the site of a village of the Wichita Indians, and owed its early development to the Texas cattle trade along the Chisholm Trail, and to the rapid spread of agricultural settlement along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, then under construction. The picture of the train at the right is the first train to come to Wichita. In its early years Wichita was a stopover on cattle drives to Abilene and other points as the railroad moved west; in 1872 the line reached Wichita, and the city became a major cattle-shipping center. By 1875 farmers' fences were obstructing the movement of beef herds. Then grain took over as an important part of the economy. History

3. During the 1930's partially in part due to the needs for grain for the troops during WW1, farmers were encouraged to plow more and more of the land and seeding areas in the prairies states. Kansas was included in that and suffered terribly windy conditions that pretty well blew the top soil out of the state. Strong winds noted in this area with no mountains to block them had a devastating effect on the area. In succeeding years the dust storms re-occurred from December to May. Crops and pasture lands were ruined by the harsh storms, which also proved a severe health hazard. The uprooting, poverty, and human suffering caused during this period is notably portrayed in John Steinbeck's, "The Grapes of Wrath". Through later governmental intervention and methods of erosion-prevention farming, the Dust Bowl phenomenon has been virtually eliminated, thus left a historic reference, source Historical Events

4. More Facts • Wichita is the largest city in Kansas. This is confusing to some who are sure it is Kansas City. The problem lies in the fact that most of Kansas City is in Missouri. Wichita prides itself on being the ‘Air Capitol' of America, and rightly is home to many of the notables in air craft manufacture; Boeing, Learjet, and Cessna for instance. You can see hundreds of contrails in an hour of looking out your window. McConnell AFB is based here as well and yearly host an aviation show, most often with the ‘Blue Angels'. • Wichita is also home to several yearly functions that are fun and bring in revenue. Both in the spring you will find The Renaissance Fair, hosted by Kansas Newman University and The Wichita River Festival, hosted by the City of Wichita. • Wichita is home to more than 330,000 people living in neighborhoods scattered over 120 square miles, as well as three major universities,_ Kansas Newman (Catholic ),_Friends (Quaker ),_and Wichita State (secular ). There are several other community colleges and universities within 30 minutes to 4 hour drive.

5. Crowd gathered at the Go Away Garage to see the unveiling of the Riverfest 2008 artwork. After a well-received 2007 artwork and advertising campaign developed by Associated Advertising, WFI asked the firm to again develop the artwork for the 2008 Festival. “It's again a thrill and a great honor to work with Wichita Festivals to develop the marketing campaign and imagery that symbolizes one of Kansas' best and most recognized events,” said Mike Snyder, CEO of Associated. “Wichita Festivals traditionally does a great job in communicating the vibrancy and fun-for-everyone nature of Riverfest, and our team had a lot of fun taking the theme and artwork to new, non-traditional levels.” “This is a new look for the Windwagon, very hip and new,” said Janet Wright, President/CEO of Wichita Festivals, Inc. “Associated captured the true spirit of this years' Festival with the design.” This years' poster features Admiral Windwagon Smith riding across the Kansas prairie in his revved-up Windwagon, complete with a supercharged blower in the front. This year's theme is “Party in Overdrive” and Festival attendees can expect to see several new events that will showcase that theme. QuikTrip Corporation is once again sponsor of the poster art. Signed and numbered limited edition posters are available for purchase for $25 and regular edition posters are available for $5 at Wichita Festivals, Inc. and at the Festival.. 2008 RiverFest