Historical Markers in
Sedgwick County, Kansas

1854 Treaty Oration Excerpt 99 Words & Phrases Coined by Shakespeare A. S. Parks and A. E. Jones Building Advance Rumely Building American Gold Star Mothers Area History Bicentennial Flag Memorial Bicentennial of the Birth of George Washington Bicentennial of the Birth of George Washington Brokers Office & Warehouse Company Building Buffalo Ceremonial Pipes Ceremony Chiefs Chisholm Trail Circle of Life Civil War Memorial Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coleman Coleman Co. Inc. Factory Building Coleman Company Coleman Lamp & Stove Building Coleman Lamp & Stove Building Coleman Lamp & Stove Building Coleman Lamp & Stove Building Coleman Lamp & Stove Building College Hill Streetcar No. 230 Columbus Standard Commander In Chief's Personal Flag Commercial / Residential Buildings Commercial Building Confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers Delano Township Don't Spit on the Sidewalk Dorado SS (248) Dream Animals Eagles Edwin A. Ulrich Engine House #6 F. G. & C. H. Smyth & Sons Building F. G. & C. H. Smyth & Sons Building Fifty Star Flag Fiske Hall Fiske Hall Centennial Celebration Flag of Fifteen Stripes Fleet Marine Force Navy Hospital Corpsmen Forty-Eight Star Flag Forty-Five Star Flag French Tricolor Gene Stephenson's Wichita State University All Americans George Innes Dry Goods Gerald and Shannon Michaud Gold Star Families Grand Union Flag Grant-Billingsley Warehouse Harry "Hap" Bledsoe Hauser Garrison Dry Goods Building Indian Treaties of 1865 Innes Wholesale Furniture / City Ice Delivery Isaac N. Hockaday Building Isaac N. Hockaday Building It Happened Right Under Our Noses Jim Yarnell's (Untitled) Smoky Hills of West Virginia (1960) John Cheney on Wichita State Basketball John Mack Bridge Johnson-Frazier Building / Cox Produce Company Kansas Korean War Memorial Keen Kutter Building Keeper of the Plains Keeper of the Plains Lampl Produce Company Building Lehmann-Higginson Wholesale Grocery Building Marine Corps Memorial Maurice Clifton Naftzger McCormick Harvester Building McKnight Art Center Memorial '70 MK-14 Submarine Torpedo Modern Cleaners / Dye Chile Morrison Library Myra Warren McHenry North High School Indian Head O. A. Boyle Building O.L. "Rusty" & Joan Eck Oldtown Marketplace Pizza Hut Number One Purple Heart Memorial Remember Pearl Harbor Replica of the Statue of Liberty Riding the Rails Ron and Linda Tyler Salvation Army Building Simmons Hardware Company Simmons Hardware Company / Hockaday Paint Company Spanish-American War Memorial St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church Standing Proudly on the Hill Stars and Stripes (1818) Stories The Chisholm Trail The Eaton Hotel The Historic Sedgwick County Courthouse The Power of X-Ray Vision Thirteen Star Flag (Bennington Flag) Thirty-Four Star Flag (1861) Tipis Tribes U.S. Submariners On Eternal Patrol Since World War II U.S.S. Wichita (CA-45) Union Flag Union Station and the Santa Fe United States Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II USN Armed Guard Vietnam War and Homefront Memorial Virginia H. Farah Foundation W. S. Grant Building W. S. Grant Building Walterscheid Pump Factory & Machine Shop Building Warehouse District Warriors Way of the Horse White Castle Wichita Casket Company Building Wichita State University Shockers 1989 NCAA National Champion Wichita Vietnamese American Memorial Women World War II Memorial "Minisa" Bridge
The state bird of Kansas is the western meadowlark, which is known for its distinctive song.
Kansas random facts
Sedgwick County, Kansas, located in the central part of the state, has a rich and diverse history that spans several centuries. The area that is now Sedgwick County was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Wichita and Taovaya tribes. In the early 1800s, European settlers began to arrive, attracted by the fertile land and abundant natural resources.

In 1867, Sedgwick County was officially established, named after John Sedgwick, a Union Army general during the American Civil War. The county quickly grew and developed as a thriving agricultural community, with wheat becoming the primary crop. The construction of railroads in the late 1800s further accelerated the county's growth, allowing for easier transportation of goods and people.

The early 20th century brought significant changes to Sedgwick County. The city of Wichita, located within the county, experienced an economic boom due to the oil industry and the emergence of aircraft manufacturing. Cessna, Beechcraft, and Learjet, among others, established their headquarters or manufacturing facilities in Wichita, earning the city the nickname "Air Capital of the World."

Throughout the 20th century, Sedgwick County continued to grow and diversify. Today, it is the largest county in Kansas in terms of population. Along with its strong agricultural roots, the county has a diverse economy that includes aerospace, healthcare, education, and advanced manufacturing. Sedgwick County also offers a wide range of cultural and recreational opportunities, such as museums, parks, and annual events like the Wichita Riverfest.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Sedgwick County, Kansas.

  • 1867 - Sedgwick County is established by the Kansas State Legislature.
  • 1870 - Wichita, the county seat, becomes a major cattle town due to the arrival of the Kansas Pacific Railway.
  • 1873 - The county's first courthouse is built in Wichita.
  • 1880 - The population of Sedgwick County reaches around 18,000.
  • 1900 - Exploration and drilling for oil begins, leading to the discovery of oil fields in the county.
  • 1914 - Henry J. Allen, a former governor of Kansas, establishes the Industrial Survey of Wichita, laying the foundation for the city's industrial growth.
  • 1917 - The United States enters World War I, and Wichita becomes a major aviation center with the establishment of aircraft manufacturing plants.
  • 1925 - The Wichita Municipal Airport, later known as Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, opens.
  • 1951 - McConnell Air Force Base is established in Sedgwick County.
  • 1963 - The Sedgwick County Zoo opens in Wichita.
  • 1976 - The Century II Convention Center is completed in downtown Wichita.
  • 1989 - The Exploration Place, a science and discovery center, opens on the banks of the Arkansas River in Wichita.
  • 1991 - Intrust Bank Arena, a multipurpose entertainment venue, opens in downtown Wichita.