Wichita has lively, interesting – even rowdy – past

Wichita does not look a day over 144.

Sure, there may be a few streets that sag here and there – but overall, the old girl is holding up.

When Wichita’s first plats were drawn up by William Greiffenstein and Darius Munger in the spring of 1870, brown wrapping paper was used to mark the young town’s beginnings because Greiffenstein – known as “the father of Wichita” – was in a hurry to get things done.

No local newspaper recorded the event until much later, because there wasn’t a Wichita paper then.

But even in 1870, Wichita was beginning to show signs of a growing community. That still exists today.

In honor of the birthday girl, here are some facts about Wichita.

This story was originally published July 20, 2014 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Wichita has lively, interesting – even rowdy – past."