Wichita County, Texas

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Wichita County, TexasHistory/Timeline

Electra.

• Wichita County was formed from Young Territory in 1858 and organized in 1882.^[1]

Caddoan Indians, (Wichitas and Taovayas,) had migrated from present Kansas and Nebraska, in the middle of the 1700's. The Spanish had introduced the horses here, and left mates at various creeks over the state. These Caddo native who farmed, were in conflict with the Lipan Apaches and Comanches who claimed this was their territory and were aggressive.^[2]

late 1700's and early 1800's Spanish Indian trader Athanase de Mézières, visited the area that became Wichita County during the late 1700's and early 1800's. ^[2]

1786, 1787 - Pedro Vial and José Mares,crossed here in the process of developing trails from San Antonio to Santa Fe, NM. ^[2]

post 1836 -Lands were granted to heirs of Texas Revolution soldiers as directed by the Texan Emigration and Land Company.^[2]

1855 -Mabel Gilbert, a pioneer of the settlement that became Dallas built a house on a bluff above the Red River (10 miles North of present Wichita Falls. The Native Americans drove him away from his farm 10 miles north of the site of present Wichita Falls, in 1855. Although Native Americans twice drove him from his isolated farm, in 1855 and 1862. ^[2]

Feb 1, 1858 -Wichita County was established by act of the Texas legislature from the Cooke Land District, and was attached to Clay County for judicial purposes. The new county was named for the Wichita Indians, and settlement was hindered by Indian attacks. ^[2]

1870 - Most of the area's Anglo-American pioneers arrived, when school lands were purchased to become cattle ranches. In 1880 population was just 433 and unorganized. ^[2]

Post 1870's Following the Red River wars, the Apaches and Comanches were relocated to reservations North of Red River, but occasionally made raids to the region since it was close to the Red River...^[2]

June 7, 1882 Robert E. Huff, attorney, presented a petition bearing 150 signatures—some of possibly were fraudulent-to the Clay County commissioners court seeking independence for Wichita County. Elections took place.^[2]

1890 Only 17 African Americans. This pattern has remained low throughout the county's history.

1880 to 1890 -Wichita County was rural and agricultural during its first decade, with the number of farms increasing from 60 in 1880, to 326 in 1890. Cattle production increased to 88,683, dominating the economy. Corn and hay were the leading crops raised in the county. ^[2]

1882 -Extension of the tracks of a number of rail lines into the county greatly helped growth. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad reached the tiny settlement of Wichita Falls from Fort Worth.. ^[2]

Railroad

Sept 26, 1882 The first train arrived into the town. This connection ensured the existence of Wichita Falls, which adopted the date of the arrival of the first train.^[2]

1884 to 1911 - Joseph A. Kemp and Frank Kell organized and arranged construction of (3) rail lines out of Wichita Falls: the Wichita Falls and Northwestern, the Wichita Falls and Southern, and the Wichita Falls and Wellington. ^[2]

1911 these railroads were constructed and bought by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line

Wichita Falls as a regional transportation and distribution center. Population increased from

World War I - Call Field, an Army Air Corps training facility, was built south of the city during World War I. Wichita Falls continued to grow.^[2]

':1911 Drillers drilling for a water well discovered the Electra field in Wichita County near the Red River. Electra oilfield was opened (see WICHITA COUNTY REGULAR FIELDS). ^[2]

1911 -The water well being drilled for was on W. T. Waggoner Ranch in Wichita County. It hit oil, bringing in the Electra Field. The Electra oil Field began.

^[3]

1918 -1925 Larger oil strikes in 1918- 1925 caused a huge boom, drawing more than 20,000 people to the area before the boom died in the late 1920s. ^[4]

1918,Following major discoveries near the community of Burkburnett, the county found itself in the midst of a full-scale oil boom. Extensions of the Burkburnett field and other discoveries :1919 and 1920 - Burkburnett field and other oil boom discoveries brought boom towns, adding rapid growth. brought the rapid growth and equally rapid disappearance of a number of boom towns. oilfield products, manufacturing, crude oil refining, stock sales, and related endeavors, began operations locally, most often in Wichita Falls.^[2]

1930's, 1940s Great Depression and World War II dislocations. population decrease, 61,000 acres in cotton, producing 18, 595 bales.. Population 73,604 and 98,493 in 1950.^[2]

1939 -war in Europe, followed by American entry into World War II in 1941, reversed decline.

1940- the county had become Texas's most productive and active oil county, having produced 320,000,000 barrels of oil. ^[2]

1910-1930 - population slowed then increased from 16,094 to 74,416, and the number of farms rose from 1,039 to 1,432, a high for the county. Although total acres of land in farms decreased somewhat, the total value of these farms increased from $12 million to $17.5 million. Cattle, hay, and corn remained of great importance to the economy, but cotton culture became increasingly important. ^[2]

1941Federal government located an Army Ar Corps training (Sheppard Field) It was used as pilot training, aircraft maintenance training and basic training.

1941 -Sheppard Field began operations in June 1941 and at its peak housed 46,000 men. It was used as a pilot-training, aircraft maintenance-training, and basic training facility. The facility added hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars into the local economy.It was deactivated in 1946. ^[2]

1950 Sheppard reopened in 1950 as Sheppard Air Force Base, and during the Korean War served as a training center for pilots and aircraft mechanics. ^[2]

1950- Oil still major economic force reached 363,251,849 barrels in the 1950's. ^[2]

Production of cotton, corn, and hay decreased, but production of cattle tripled. By the end of the war local factories had added 1,300 new workers, paid $5 million more in wages, and increased the value of products by $8 million over 1940 levels. ^[2]

early 1950's - Oil production, still a major force in the economy, reached 363,251,849 barrels. Federal government placed an Army Air Corps training facility just north of the county seat. ^[2]

1871 -Waggoner Ranch - located in Archer, Baylor, Foard, Knox, Wichita, and Wilbarger counties, size 524,000 acres, PRIMARY USE cattle, quarter horses Waggoner Ranch - W.T “TOM” Waggoner and father began their ranching by leasing acreage in Texas. Soon they leased thousands of acres.. By the time W.T. died in 1934,the Ranch was the largest contiguous piece of ranch land in the USA, 524,000 acres spread over 6 counties, and a single fence! In his will, Waggoner specified not to divide the ranch. Half of the Ranch is owned by Electra Waggoner Biggs (86 year old)and her children and grandchildren. The other half is owned by Albert B "Buck" Wharton III (age 51 and a cousin.. The two owners have feuded over management of the ranch for 20 years, yet live in separate houses, located on the west side of the ranch property.^[5]

Government Offices

• Wichita Falls entrepreneur and industrialist Joseph A. Kemp served from 1883 to 1885 as a school board member From 1917 to 1921, he was a regent of the University of Texas System.
• Texas Department of Criminal Justice James V. Allred Unit is located in Wichita Falls.
• The Sheriff of Wichita County is David Duke. He first took office on January 1, 2000

• Wichita County has had three courthouses:1883, 1886 and 1916.^[6]

1st Courthouse 1883 - No Image

2nd Courthouse 1886

1886 Modal of courthouse and the 1890 jail

1886 Courthouse, postcard.

1. 3 Courthouse 1916

1916 courthouse taken 1935.

1916 Wichita courthouse postcard

After renovation

After renovation and current courthouse.

Geography

FROM Wichita county, Texas Wichita County lies in the extreme north central portion of the state, on the Oklahoma border.

Wichita Falls is the largest city and county seat, which is 144 miles NW of Dallas and 141 miles SW of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Position -The center of Wichita County is at 34°00' north latitude and 98°42' west longitude.

Size: 606 square miles, in the eastern part of the Central Texas Rolling Red Plains. The extreme southeastern corner, however, is in the Central Texas Rolling Red Prairies.

Drainage - The Red River and Wichita Rivers drain SW too NE

Vegetation- for Rolling Plains- mid to tall grasses, mesquite, shinnery oak trees, cottonwood, elm, hackberry, and pecan trees along the streams.

Terrain - rolling plains with rounded slopes and shallow, broad valleys.

Elevation- 900 to 1,200 feet above sea level.

Drainage-- Red and Wichita rivers drain from SW to NE . The northwest quarter of the county :Soil -mostly red sandy loams, black loams, and clay loams comprise the bulk of the local soils. :Mineral resources-oil, gas, sand, gravel, and stone.

Temperatures- 98° F in July to an average low of 28° F in January, Mean temp of 63° F.

Rainfall--- 27 inches/year

Growing season 221 days each year.

Adjacent counties

• Tillman County, Oklahoma (north)
  • Cotton County, Oklahoma (northeast)
• Clay County (east)
  • Archer County (south)
• Wilbarger County (west)
  • Baylor County (southwest)

Protected areas

• Electra Oil field

Demographics

• (/ˈwɪtʃᵻtɔː/ witch-ə-taw) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 131,500. The county seat is Wichita Falls. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1882. Wichita County is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[7]

The census of 2000, there were 131,664 people with a population density of 210 people/sq mi. Races were: 78.76% White, 10.23% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 5.51% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. 12.23% of the population were Hispanic.

27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,780, and the median income for a family was $40,937. The per capita income for the county was $16,965. About 10.30% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18 and 9.80%

Highways:

• I-44. Interstate
• US Highway 82
• US Highway 277
• US Highway 281
• US Highway 287
• Texas State Highway 25
• Texas State Highway 79
• Texas State Highway 240
• Texas State Highway 258

Politics: -- Wichita county appears to be mostly Republican: It cast the majority of its votes for Republican John McCain. He won 69% of the vote and 31,673 votes. Democrat Barack Obama received 30% of the vote and 13,828 votes. Other candidates received 1% of the vote. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush did better than John McCain and won 71% of the vote and 32,472 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry won 28% of the vote and 12,819 votes.

Democrats carried the county for presidential election in 1960, 64, 68, and 1972 through

Republican presidents votes carried 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012.

^[8]

Cities

• Burkburnett

• Iowa Park
• Wichita Falls (county seat)

Town

• Electra
• Pleasant Valley
• Cashion Community

• Haynesville
• Kamay
• Valley View

Formed From

Upon reading this, seems the state of Texas could not make up its mind.... FROM County chronologies

• WICHITA 01 Feb 1858 WICHITA created from Young Territory; WICHITA not fully organized. (Texas Laws 1857, 7th leg., ch. 75, sec. 2/p. 87)
• 02 Jan 1860 WICHITA attached to CLAY "for judicial purposes." (Texas Laws 1859, 8th leg., reg. sess., gen., ch. 13, sec. 3/p. 17)
• 14 Feb 1860 WICHITA detached from CLAY, attached to MONTAGUE "for all judicial purposes." (Texas Laws 1859, 8th leg., reg. sess., gen., ch. 87, sec. 6/p. 120)
• 11 Oct 1866 WICHITA detached from MONTAGUE, attached to CLAY "for judicial purposes." (Texas Laws 1866, 11th leg., ch. 35, sec. 17/p. 27)
• 06 Nov 1866WICHITA detached from CLAY, attached to MONTAGUE "for judicial and other purposes." (Texas Laws 1866, 11th leg., ch. 96, sec. 2/p. 94)
• 23 Apr 1879 WICHITA detached from MONTAGUE, attached to CLAY "for judicial and other purposes." (Texas Laws 1879, 16th leg., reg. sess., ch. 136/p. 150)

• 21 Jun 1882 WICHITA fully organized, detached from CLAY. ("Wichita County," New Handbook of Texas, 6:952)

County Resources

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wichita County, Texas
• Lake Wichita
• The Kell House

• Genealogy research

Census

1880 --- 433 —

1890 --- 4,831 1,015.7%

1900 --- 5,806 20.2%

1910 --- 16,094 177.2%

1920 --- 72,911 353.0%

1930 --- 74,416 2.1%

1940 --- 73,604 −1.1%

1950 --- 98,493 33.8%

1960 --- 123,528 25.4%

1970 --- 120,563 −2.4%

1980 --- 121,082 0.4%

1990 --- 122,378 1.1%

2000 --- 131,664 7.6%

2010 --- 131,500 −0.1%

Est. 2015 131,705

Notables

Joseph A. Kemp

Frank Kell

• Hometown Hero: Colonel Neel Ernest Kearby (1911 - 1944)

Land Grants

Cemeteries

• [[Category: Burkburnett Cemetery, Burkburnett, Texas|Burkburnett Cemetery
• [[Category: Burkburnett Memorial Cemetery, Burkburnett, Texas|Burkburnett Memorial Cemetery
• [[Category: Electra Memorial Cemetery, Electra, Texas|Electra Memorial Cemetery
• [[Category: Old Electra Memorial Cemetery, Electra, Texas|Old Electra Memorial Cemetery
• [[Category: Crestview Memorial Park, Wichita Falls, Texas|Crestview Memorial Park
• [[Category: Riverside Cemetery, Wichita Falls, Texas|Riverside Cemetery
• [[Category: Rosemont Cemetery, Wichita Falls, Texas|Rosemont Cemetery
• [[Category: Sacred Heart Cemetery, Wichita Falls, Texas|Sacred Heart Cemetery

• CemeteriesGloria Mayfield
• Wichita Cemetery
• Wichita county burial records
• Listing cemeteries

Sources

1. ↑ https://texasalmanac.com/topics/government/wichita-county
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23} https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcw08
3. ↑ http://texasalmanac.com/topics/business/history-oil-discoveries-texas
4. ↑ http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/roughneck
5. ↑ http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-biggest-ranches/
6. ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/WichitaFallsTexas/Wichita-County-Courthouse-Wichita-Falls-Texas.htm
7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_County,_Texas
8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_County,_Texas