Community thread

8 Comments

  1. Ben
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 9:26 am | Permalink

    I noted it elsewhere but:

    RIVER FEST WAS GREAT AND SUCCESSFUL!

    http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/107961.html

  2. A Swede from up north
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 9:46 am | Permalink

    I am a frequent visitor to Wichita. I would like to say to those who live in the Wichita metro area what a wonderful city you have, and that you should be proud of your community. There are wonderful shopping, dining, and entertainment options available, and the city is well maintained and clean. But most importantly, I have found the residents to be kind and courteous. Though all of us tend to take our communities for granted, and it is all too easy for residents to see and focus on the shortcomings or negative aspects of our cities and towns, as an outsider I would like you to know that you have much to be proud of for making your city such an inviting and enjoyable place to visit.

  3. JWink
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 10:17 am | Permalink

    I wish someone would write the “Great Wichita/southern Kansas Epic” about the first half of the twentieth century.

    Tie together the early Wichita air industry entrepreneurs, Cessna, Beech, Stearman (Boeing/Wichita).

    Also Richard Robbins of Pratt, founder and first president of TWA airlines which he could have located in Wichita as easily as Kansas City. Robbins also assembled many of the large ranches that are still operating in Barber, Kiowa and Chase counties.

    Early oil men that touched Wichita such as E.W. Marland of Ponca City (later Continental Oil Co.), Frank Phillips of Bartlesville (why didn’t he headquarter in Wichita?)and other great oil men in El Dorado (Skelly comes to mind).

    Early contractors and architects who designed and built the great hotels and office buildings in downtown Wichita. George Seidoff comes to mind.

    The early banking families, the Chandlers (First National Bank) and the Kempers of Kansas City (Commerce, United Missouri and Fourth National). And the banker, ______, owner of Pratt’s Peoples Bank along with Mr. Innis of Wichita who helped finance the early air entrepreneurs of Wichita.

    The newspaper and early radio men. Hockaday and his maps of early Kansas roads comes to mind.

    The ranches and ranchers in the Kansas Flint Hills northeast of Wichita and in the Gypsum or Red Hills in Barber and Kiowa (Greensburg) counties.

    Grain men including the Garveys of Wichita and the huge network of towering grain elevators that dotted western Kansas … and Oklahoma, Nebraska and so forth.

    The oil wealthy Osage Indians just south of the Kansas and Oklahoma state line.

    The intercontinental Highway 54, the “shortcut” road from Chicago to El Paso and, renumbered, on to southern California. This road was as well known as Highway 66 further south. And the Rock Island Railroad and Santa Fe Railroad main lines, both of which missed Wichita, but crossed southern Kansas.

    And the bank robbers of the 1930’s. Did Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly pass through Wichita? Most likely.

    Could be a great movie! Is Humphrey Bogart available?

  4. Ben
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 10:26 am | Permalink

    Try Craig Miner. He ahs written a lot of Wichita/Kansas history.

  5. JWink
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 10:29 am | Permalink

    Ben: You are right … perhaps he has already written this book!

  6. Joe Williams
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 7:50 pm | Permalink

    I have taken Craig Miners class on the History of Wichita and his book called “Wichita the Magic City” which I read from time to time. Great book, very detailed.

    http://www.amazon.com/Wichita-Magic-City-Craig-Miner/dp/0962125008/ref=sr_1_1/104-2303944-0383912?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183077811&sr=8-1

    Jay Price is another local historian that has a couple of great books about Wichita.

    http://www.amazon.com/Wichita-1860-1930-KS-Images-America/dp/0738523178/ref=sr_1_6/104-2303944-0383912?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183077811&sr=8-6

    Another great book about the Civil Rights struggle in Wichita and how we as a city became very progressive and pioneers in the Civil Rights Movement is called “Dissent in Wichita”. Written by a Friends University Professor.

    http://www.amazon.com/Dissent-Wichita-Movement-Midwest-1954-72/dp/0252026837/ref=sr_1_1/104-2303944-0383912?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183078164&sr=1-1

  7. Ben
    Posted June 28, 2007 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    Thanks Joe! I knew Craig had wrtten but did not have the links.

  8. JWink
    Posted June 29, 2007 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

    Friday evening, June 29th, 2007 @ almost 10 PM: I just drove to the little Dillon’s Store at Douglas and Meridian. DOUGLAS, WEST OF MERIDIAN IS CURB TO CURB IN FLOOD WATER. Danger lurks out on Wichita’s flooded streets this evening.

    Also my sump pump is turning on and off every few minutes. Hope the electricity doesn’t go off.

    I predict the Arkansas River will be raging in the morning when I go to breakfast at Riverside Cafe.

    I believe one of our flood years in the past started like this. Lots of small rains every day through the summer. Then … BOOM … the big rain hit in August or September and flooded the Kansas River valley including the west bottoms in Kansas City.

    Was that the devasting “100 year” flood of 1951? Or was it a later one? I remember in 1969, it rained almost every day from April 1st through the summer into the fall months.

    So dig out your row boats.