Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-20
A wINsoMe WESTERN WIZARD.
a City That was Born in a Day-A Me-
oropons Of Business Palaces, Huge
manufactures, Beautiful Homes
And Costly Public

FROM the Lutheran Observer.
The Junction of the Arkansas and the
Little Arkansas rivers was for many
years the council ground of the Wichita
Indians, the Osages and many other
tribes. Here in 1869 tine great treaty be-
tween the Wichitas. Cheyennes. Arapa-
hoes and other tribes of Indians was
consummated. Here Kit Carson, Gen.
Harvey and Col. Deut, representing the
government, met the chiefs of all these
tribes In council. The first white settler
In the county (Sedgwick) came in 1857;
the first white settler with family was
John Ross. who came in 1860. In 1863
trading post was established by Hon. j.
X. Mead, where Wichita now stands. In
1868 the wife of William Matthewson
crossed the Arkansas and was the first
white woman upon the ground where
the city now stands. In 1867 the Wich-
ila Indians came from their home in the
south and established themselves at the
mouth OF the Little river, where they
lived peacefully until 1867, when they
| returned south. In 1867 Sedg-
wick county was established, and in
1868 the little village of Wichita was
made the county seat. Until 1876,
Wichita was one OF the iveliesr cowboy"
towns between the seas, and then settled
down into quiet and uneventful little
burg, and so continued until 1882, when
her wonderful growth commenced. The
increase in her population is about as
follows: 1870, so; 1880, 5,4S2; 1882,
5,779; 1888. S.0O5; 1884, II, 470; 1885, 49,,
019: 1886, 20,121: 1887. 81, 760; 1888, 3S,-
600; 1889, probably $4,000 to $4,000.
The most substantial Of these people
have come to stay and have invested
their money here, not simply in land,
but in the erection of substantial and
costly dwelling and business houses and
manufacturing plants. For example,
among the private residences, that of j.
0. Davidson, erected at a cost of $50 900;
that Of B. H. Campbell, costing almost
as much; and many costing from 5000
to $780, 900, aggregating at least SS.0O0,-
900 put into this class of residences.
Business houses as follows: The Carey
hotel, $780, 600; Hotel Metropole, $40, 900;
Sedgwlck block, $4,000; Zimmerly
block, 100000; Fletcher building, $75,-
600; Getto block, $4,000. Richland
block, Wichita Mercantile company
building, Fechheimer building, Noble
block, Temple block, Smith and Skinner
block, 0. Martinson block and Palace
block, from $4,000 to $4,000 each;
and many more ranging from $50, 900 to
$4,000.
There are in the city eight public
school buildings, erected at an average
cost of $4,000; and these having been
found inadequate to the needs of the
city, the contracts for five more build
ings of the same character have been
awarded, and the building Of them will
be pushed forward rapidly. There are
nearly 1000 children to attend these
schools.
Besides the public schools there are
several universities, notably the Gar
field and the Wichita; the Roman
Catholic male and female colleges,
the Southwestern Business college,
and the Lewis academy, in operation.
This last cost $4,000, of which one in
dividual contributed $4,000. This is a
Presbyterian institution. with over two
hundred and fifty pupils this fall.
There over thirty churches in the city,
many as beautiful as can can be found |
in any city. Among them are Ameri-
can. German and African Methodist, |
Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational,
Christian, Episcopalian, United Brethren,
Seventh Day Adventist, Re-
formed, German and American Catholic. |
The UnitarianS have an organization, |
but no church building. Even the He
brews have an organization, but as yet no |
synagogue, although a movement is on
foot to build one. Many of the Protes-
tant denominations named have several
church buildings, and others are now
new congregations. The Y.
NJ. G. A. building when completed NOW
under roof, will cost SIS, 600, ane will be
one of the finest, if not the finest west of |
Chicago.
NEGLECTED to state that the Paramount |
University and the John Bright Uni
versity, backed by the Congregational
and Friends churches, respectively, are
in course of erection.
A new court house and county build
ing are in process of erection, and will
soon be finished at cost of $3.50, 900.
The United States government building
now being built will be completed next
year, at cost of 100000. The Rock
Island railroad has handsome station,
and the Santa Fe is building depot of
red and white sandstone. The Crawford
Grand opera house is handsome build
ing, and cost SO, 900. Besides those
there are large number of
business houses aud private residences
now being built, many of them to cost
thousands of dollars.
Among the great business enter
prises established here might be men
toned the two packing houses of Jacob
Dold & Son, of Buffalo, n. Y, and
Francis Whitaker & Son, of st. Louis,
have combined capacity Of 5000 hogs
aud 1 900 cattle per day; the Stewart
Bros Architectural Iron works, and the
Coney & Co., Architectural Iron foun-
dry; the Wichita Craker company: the
Burton car works. representing capital
of about $4,000, 600. and giving constant
to several hundred men:
the Wichita Crystal Ice Manufacturing
company, etc.
From Wichita there are ten railroad
lines, diverging to the different points Of
the union, four of them running into
and through the indian territory. Being
a railroad center, Wichita is CONNER
cial center, market center, stock CEN
ter, a grain center.
Sedgwick county, in which Wichita
IS located. is one of the wealthiest in
the state, its size is nearly that of
Rhode Island, and half that of Della
ware. The seven counties adjoining
Sedgwick have an area or over $500
square miles-nearly as large as Massa-