The forces of westward expansion and financial rewards attracted the first white settlers to the area in the 1850s and 1860s, some of whom realized great profits from hunting and trapping the wildlife and trading with the native population. Among them were James R. Mead, Jesse Chisholm, William Greiffenstein, and William Mathewson; men who later shared a vision for a city on the prairie.

The first recorded permanent settlement was a collection of grass houses built in 1863 by the Wichita Indians. Due to the tribe’s pro-Union sentiment in the midst of the Civil War, the Wichita moved north from Indian Territory (Oklahoma) under the protection of the U.S. government. J. R. Mead, among others, established profitable businesses trading with the Wichita and supplying the government agency charged with their protection. When the region’s native peoples were "removed" to Indian Territory in 1867 to open the area for white settlement, the trading business followed them, using the Wichita site as a base and establishing the Chisholm Trail as a route of transport.

The City of Wichita was incorporated in 1870 as a village due to the efforts of Mead, Greiffenstein and other pioneers, and became county seat of Sedgwick County soon thereafter. A short-lived army post known as Camp Beecher was established nearby, providing a market for local businesses. In 1872, the railroad arrived, and Wichita became the destination for Texas cattle being driven north along the Chisholm Trail for shipment by rail to eastern markets. This industry coupled with the grain and milling market, led to rapid growth of the community. By 1886 Wichita was incorporated as a city of first class, and was established as the region’s principal city.

Just as the city experienced its initial growth during the post-Civil War era, so did the periods of the two 20th-century world wars bring further development. In 1917, the first plane, the Cessna Comet, was manufactured in Wichita. Over the course of the inter-war years, this industry would grow to establish Wichita as the "air capital." World War II brought thousands of aircraft manufacturing jobs to the city in the early 1940’s, resulting in a population explosion. Activation of the Wichita Air Force Base (renamed McConnell in 1954) in 1951 attracted thousands more. The entrepreneurial spirit that prompted Wichita’s founding continued in the development of several companies that would rise to national prominence, such as Mentholatum, Boeing, Beech, Lear, Cessna, Coleman, White Castle, Pizza Hut, and Koch Industries.

Wichita today reflects the impact of each development throughout its history. Evidence of these eras can still be seen in the city’s architectural heritage. From the mansions of the early cattlemen to the industrial buildings of the 20th century, the spirit of those who built Wichita into a manufacturing, financial, educational and cultural center lives on.

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