An introduction to Wichita, Kansas
I landed in Wichita last night after a mammoth 20+ hour journey from my home in the UK. Having never even set foot in the state of Kansas before, I did some research on the city I’m visiting for the next week as part of TBEX Wichita, and here’s what I’ve learned so far…
The area at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers denotes the pre-settlement era of the city. It was a long-time trading and meeting place for nomadic people, with human habitation dating back as far as 3000 BC.
This morning I walked past The Keeper of the Plains, an iconic 44-foot steel sculpture by Native American artist Blackbear Bosin that was installed at the river confluence in 1974 to honour the city’s Native American heritage.
The city of Wichita is named after the Wichita tribe, who formed a settlement of grass lodges near the river confluence in around 1863, after returning from Oklahoma.
The first permanent non-Native American settlement was a trading post opened by James R. Mead in 1864, who partnered with Jesse Chisholm, after whom the Chisholm Trail is named. Wichita established itself as a major base along the primary route for driving Texas cattle north to Kansas railroads. known as the Chisholm Trail.
It wasn’t until 1870 that Wichita was formally incorporated as a city, by which time it quickly earned the nickname “Cowtown” because it served as a destination for vast cattle drives in the early 1870s. Back then, the “Delano” district, across the river, was the infamous, rowdy part of town for cowboys, featuring saloons and dance halls.
Interestingly, the only woman to sign Wichita’s founding charter in 1870, and one of thecity’s first female entrepreneurs was a certain Catherine McCarty, the mother of the famous outlaw, Billy the Kid.
The arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1872 solidified Wichita’s role as a major cattle-shipping centre, but the cattle trade declined in Wichita and moved further west (to Dodge City) by 1876 due to farmers fencing off the prairie.
The city rebounded in the 1880s and 1890s, shifting to an economy centered on grain trade and milling.
Major oil reserves were discovered close by around 1914-1918, leading to a population boom and a new era of wealth for the city. This allowed local entrepreneurs to invest in the aircraft industry that was emerging at the time, earning Wichita this long-standing nickname “Air Capital of the World”.
Companies like Cessna, Beechcraft and Stearman were established in Wichita in the 1920s and 1930s, and – during World War II – Wichita became a major manufacturing centre, notably producing thousands of B-29 bombers. Today the city remains at the heart of the American aircraft industry, producing the majority of the world’s general aviation aircraft. The IATA airport code for Wichita – ICT – has also been adopted by locals as a common and popular nickname for the city.
Other claims to fame are that Wichita is the birthplace of several nationally known businesses, including White Castle (1921), the world’s first fast food hamburger chain, and Pizza Hut (1958). It is also home to Wichita State University (established 1895 as Fairmount College) and other educational institutions, whilst its sporting prowess is in the Wichita State Shockers basketball team (NCAA Division I), Minor League Baseball outfit Wichita Wind Surge and the Wichita Thunder Minor League hockey team.
My walk up and down the river from my hotel this morning helped me get my bearings a little, as did my exploration of the Old Town this afternoon, and whilst I know the above is only a very brief insight, I hope it has piqued your interest!
Let me know in the comments what I have missed or what I should make sure I see during my time here…
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Telegraph.
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Make sure you visit Tanganyika Wildlife Park!
Great recommendation, Marcus! I went yesterday and did the swimming with penguins experience which was incredible. Also fed a giraffe some lettuce! 😀 The work they are doing there is exemplary – they are deeply committed to animal rescue, education and conservation.
One thing you’ve missed is what’s TBEX. Is it some sort of travel exhibition?
John – this is the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Doesn’t take long to research that TBEX is Travel Bloggers Exchange. That’s how I found it.
Sorry, John… I should have explained. As Fiona says, it’s the world’s largest conference specifically for travel bloggers and content creators.
Yes, there’s always the fear when you go somewhere new that you’re going to miss out on some major sight.
After I’d been to Budapest for the first time, a well-travelled friend started talking about Heroes Square and I had to own up that I’d completely missed it. That was in the days before the internet and when buying a guide book seemed like a major investment.
Nowadays, thanks to the internet and its “Top 10 things to do in xxx”, lists it’s much easier to find out what to do. Now the danger is that you might miss out on the quirky attractions hovering outside the Top 10.
Sadly, I am going to miss out on some amazing experiences here in Wichita, simply because there’s not enough time to do it all. But Visit Wichita are doing a great job in making us welcome and showcasing much of what there city has to offer. Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the VIP party at Equity Bank Park (the venue for the Wichita Wind Surge baseball team) and even got to step out on to the field and face a few balls!
Have you heard The Wichita Lineman yet? Glen Campbell’s song must be one of the city’s claims to fame.
I have now. 🙂
And this is all I thought of while reading this article! It’s a beautiful song, one of my favorites, and you can’t say Wichita without thinking of that lonely lineman.
I didn’t know about Wichita and aviation, interesting.
It’s a song that has always made me think of the vast horizons of the mid-west and the loneliness that goes with. Every time I hear the song I feel for the linemen working far from home and their loved ones and of course it wasn’t only happening in Wichita.
You’ve done well to do so much on a business trip and to learn about the place. There are times when I hardly get out the hotel / convention centre etc
Nice pictures. May be there is more to Wichita than I had thought.
After stepping g out on to the baseball diamond do you think that a new career beckons? Hit any home runs?
Afraid I can’t help you on recommendations for Wichita, Paul. From where I live in deepest Cornwall it would be even more than a 20 hour journey. One of the reasons why I’ve never been there.
We all dread those long, long flights and yet we keep on doing them.
Most travellers I know are like me. As soon as they’ve landed the wanderlust spirit takes over and they’re keen to hit the ground and start exploring. Once you’ve got the travel bug it is an addiction.
Great to see that A Luxury Travel Blog was a finalist in 2 of the TBEX Awards, Best Blog and Best Niche Voice – thoroughly deserved.
I’m guessing that the niche category is for luxury. If it is I’m surprised. Luxury is such a vast market segment, worth trillions of dollars globally, that it can hardly be classed as a niche segment. Or was the niche classification for something else?
Does Wichita do Park Runs? Will you be able to slot one in if they do? Will you even be up for a Park Run after a 20 hour journey!
I saw your FB post which answered my question. Very impressive after that long journey.
Great introduction to Wichita! I didn’t know much about the city before reading this, but now I’m intrigued. It sounds like a hidden gem with a mix of culture, local history, and a growing food scene. Thanks for shedding light on a place that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves!
Picked up from your post on Facebook that A Luxury Travel Blog won Best Niche Voice at the TBEX Awards in Wichita.
That must have been very exciting to be there in person to receive the award and accolades. Very well done!
No surprise there!
I’ve always liked the way ALTB goes about its business. It has good global coverage and it certainly sticks to luxury – and it’s often luxury that’s affordable.
Even though there’s lots of different voices on the blog – which is a huge advantage over many other travel blogs – the writers usually seem to be on the same page when it comes to luxury.
I really enjoyed reading about one of the many American cities that flies underneath the radar.
Could we have some more posts on these lesser known cities please?
You usually get a lot better value for your buck in these sort of places that are well away from the usual tourist hot spots that sadly often become tourist traps.
A lot of us would be willing to give cities like Wichita a go if we could have the A Luxury Travel Blog insider track on what to do and where to stay. It’s always nice to have a slice of history too, to put it all in context, if it’s not over done.
What you say is very true of many a British town as well. There’s always plenty published on the likes of London, Bath, Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, Manchester etc.
It would be fascinating to learn about some of the less glamorous UK cities. I think it was a review in ALTB that encouraged me to spend a weekend in Coventry. It was well worth going for the Cathedral alone. I also learned book loads about the local car industry too.
There must be interesting sides to Bradford, Newcastle, Sheffield etc, etc.