Wichita County Was Organized in 1882 After Decades of Sparse Settlement

The Texas legislature officially created Wichita County on February 1, 1858, naming it after the Wichita people who had long inhabited the area. But the county stayed mostly empty for decades. Wichita County had only 433 residents in 1880. Cattle ranching began to take hold after school lands were purchased for range use.

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad reached Wichita Falls in September 1882. That arrival secured the town's future. On June 7, 1882, local residents petitioned for independence from Clay County, and elections for county officers were held on June 21. By 1890, the county's population had grown to 4,831. The city celebrates September 26, 1882—the date the first train arrived—as its birthday.