Wichita Falls - A Western Town Building
Example

For its rather isolated location just south of the Red River and just east
of where the Texas panhandle meets North Texas, Wichita Falls has
enjoyed economic good fortune throughout its history. That's not to say
it hasn't had its fair share of problems - but even those have made this
town more resilient. If you had a dictionary, and squinted a little, it
wouldn't be a stretch to see a photo of Wichita Falls next to the word
"scrappy."

The term "scrappy" can be applied to most western towns that have
experienced a boom (whether in railroads, speculations, cattle, or oil).
While during their peak years, they epitomized the boundless wealth of
a young and eager country, today they exhibit urban decay that can't be
easily undone.

Wichita Falls can be considered "exhibit a." Its former glory is
well-represented in many large, imposing buildings, but just outside
this magic ring lie forgotten stores, warehouses, and roads.

Boomer Generations
The real boom period for the town came from the discovery of oil, first
in Electra, then in the Burkburnett fields just north of town. Oil rush
towns, mainly made up of canvas tents and lots of mud, spread over
the prairie like wildfires. Wichita Falls gained notiriety and a lot of
money. Downtown Wichita Falls grew quickly, with broad streets, large
buildings, and fancy hotels. During the height of the oil boom in 1922,
Midwestern State University began life as Wichita Falls Junior College.

Population reached its height in the 1950s, when Wichita Falls counted
over 110,000 souls on its census. Since that time, the population
numbers have remained fairly stable. Wichita Falls did lose 45
residents on April 10, 1979, when an F5 tornado ("the finger of God"
according to the movie, Twister) obliterated the southern part of town.
The Wichita Falls tornado outbreak is still considered the most violent
in recorded weather history.

"Fatigued" People (Get it?)
Being just down the road from Lawton, Oklahoma, and its military base,
Wichita Falls has gotten a lot of residual business over the years.
Wichita Falls still has a strong military history, too. Although one
military camp that opened during World War I had to shut down due to
the Spanish Influenza epidemic, Sheppard Air Force Base opened in
1941 and continues to train pilots today.   

Wichita Falling
The city of Wichita Falls has recreated the "falls" (never really more
than a small level change in the river) in a nice roadside park. Several
historical museums and art venues abound. However, the downtown
area looks and feels very deserted. This is typical of many western
towns: they boom, then speculators build up as much real estate as
they can. Once the boom days are over, however, unused or
abandoned buildings take up whole blocks, and the folly of building too
much, too soon, and too wide becomes readily apparent. When I visited
Wichita Falls in April 2008, entire city blocks were boarded up, and
many empty, weedy lots collected trash.  

That's not to say Wichita Falls is a dying town. To the contrary, it's alive
and well. And it's quite nice. But I would say that by using Wichita Falls
(and other towns like Waco and Oklahoma City) as an example of a
badly planned boom city, it would behoove city planners to be more
compact in their designs.
Wichita Falls - Boom
Town Then and Now
Early Peeps
Wichita Falls was named after the Wichita tribe, a large confederation
of semi-nomadic hunters and farmers who lived all around the central
portions of the Red River for centuries. Among their kin were the
Taovayas and the Tawakonis - the original Texas and Oklahoma
settlers. A source I found said that the term "Wichita" comes from a
Comanche word meaning "waist deep:" maybe someone used this
description  to identify the river, and then the word was attributed to
the people who lived near it.

The first American settlers arrived in the 1870s, and by 1879 a post
office sent and brought the mail. In  1881, the Fort Worth-Denver
Railroad made the fledgling town a depot stop. In short order, other
railroads followed suit: the Wichita Falls Railroad; the Wichita Falls &
Southern Railroad; the Wichita Falls & Northwestern Railroad; and the
Wichita Falls & Oklahoma Railroad. Do you gather from this list that
most of these railroads originated in Wichita Falls?

Wichita Falls became the county seat of Wichita County in 1883, and
things only looked up from there. Wichita Falls became a cattle and
farm shipping center, and many a hustler came to town to partake of
its high-flying ways. Some genius even gave the town the nickname of
"Whiskey-taw Falls." Clever people, here.
A Little More Trivia about the Wichitas
In the 1760s, Athanase de Mezieres wrote about the Wichitas while on
a reconnaissance mission for the Spanish. He called them the
"nortenos" and, while he encountered no hostilities, he was definitely
put off by their extensive tattooing and forceful ritual dances.

Due to disease, and also greed for land by the American pioneers of
the late 19th century, the Wichitas were pushed into Indian Territory
(later, Oklahoma). During the Civil War, several Wichitas followed
Jesse Chisholm as he carved a trail to Kansas for them, allowing them
to escape the volatile situation in Indian Territory. This trail would
become part of the massive cattle drive network envisioned by Joseph
McCoy.

Recently, the Dallas Morning News reported that only one Wichita
exists today who can still speak the language. Researchers at the
University of Oklahoma are recording her for posterity, but as she is
over 80 years old, one could surmise that the days of the living Wichita
culture are numbered.
The tracks leading into town pass by the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum
. Nearby is also the Museum of North Texas History.
The world's skinniest skyscraper apparently was built on a swindle - a
speculator convinced several people to invest in Wichita Falls' first
skyscraper. It was built, but the plans were in inches, not feet. Today,
this building is an antique store.
Old warehouses and storefronts along a broad street indicate
what used to be.
The backside of Wichita Falls.
The Falls of Wichita Falls.
Other Places to Enjoy in Wichita Falls

Kell House Museum

Kemp Center for the Arts
Finding Wichita Falls isn't
that difficult; it sits south of
the Red River along the
Wichita River, where US
highways 287, 82, 281, 277
and Interstate 44 meet. But
here's a map, just in case:
AND NOW TIME FOR SOME TRIVIA!