Today is an important day in Wichita history. Our fine city was officially born July 21, 1870. A lot has changed in 147 years. The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historic Museum has some activities planned this weekend to celebrate Wichita's Birthday.
Human habitation in the Wichita area has been dated, in archaeological digs, as far back as 3,000 B.C.
According to Wikipedia; The area was visited by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541, while he was in search of the fabulous "cities of gold". While there, he encountered a group of Native Americans whom he called Quiviras and who have been identified by archaeological and historical studies as the Wichita. By 1719, these people had moved south to Oklahoma, where they met French traders.
The first permanent settlement in Wichita was a collection of grass houses inhabited by the Wichita tribe in 1864. They had moved back to Wichita from Oklahoma during the American Civil War because of their pro-Union sentiments.