Wichita in 1952-1956

[Teresa]

Here are some pictures of parts of Wichita in 1952-1956


54 Drive In



Carwell Vickers Service Station



Crestview Country Club



Eastborough Pond




Joyland Park




Rock Road & Kellogg



Wichita Airport 1954



Wichita Airport Entrance



Wichita Country Club

[W. Gray]

In reference to the 1954 photo of the Wichita Airport.

I wonder if everyone knows that McConnell Air Force Base on the east side of Wichita use to be the Wichita Municipal Airport.

The east side airport was built by the city of Wichita beginning in 1930.

Because of the Korean War, the Air Force in January 1951 announced they needed a new base for B36, B47, and eventually B52s. They needed a place that could house 6,500 men and they said they needed it within the month and they needed it close to Boeing.

The Air Force literally moved into the Wichita Municipal Airport and asked all non-military aircraft but commercial airlines to quit using it.

At the same time, the federal government gave the city of Wichita $8m for a new airport and told them to get out of Dodge as soon as possible. Thus, came about Mid-Continent on the west side which opened the year the above photo was taken.

Military bases only in the last few years have began using street addresses. If you were looking for a specific place you were told what the building number was and then you went searching for it. When I worked at McConnell, I could tell you that I worked at Building 22 and I would have to think hard to say what street it was on. If we needed a military taxi or had to call the military police, you gave only the building number. Same for every Army base I worked at.

Building One, the Wichita Airport commercial terminal, became the administration building of the new air force base. After the Air Force constructed a new administration building, the old terminal was made into a military air museum and is apparently now housing the Kansas Aviation Museum.

[Wilma]

Yes, I knew that the Wichita Airport used to be where McConnell is now.  My father carried air mail from the main mail terminal which was situated just south of the railroad depot (Union Station) at that time, out to the airport and picked up the incoming air mail.  There wasn't a lot of it then.  Now the main mail terminal is located close to the municipal airport on the west side of town.  I think I would be safe in saying that no mail travels by rail into Wichita anymore.  And, yes, the old building is now the Air Museum.

[W. Gray]

American Train and Track (AMTRAK) is authorized by Congress to carry mail, however, due to high costs and low revenue quit in 2005.

[Wilma]

I don't know about American Train, but there isn't any Amtrak to Wichita.  It is being talked about, though.

[W. Gray]

I never understood why Wichita was never included in the Amtrak system--literally forcing any would be train passengers to drive thirty miles, or so, to Newton.

On some timetables Newton is shown as "Newton(Wichita)."

Denver has an Amtrak station but if I want to travel to Newton, I have to drive 112 miles south to Pueblo and board Amtrak there. The only other alternative is to take a train to Chicago and then come back to Newton.

I suspect when Jan finds out how much an Amtrak connection in Wichita will cost her, she won't be paying.

[Diane Amberg]

The summer of 1954 was one of the times we went to Wichita and Howard to visit family. It was hot and very dry and there were big grass hoppers everywhere.