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A museum always looks for items portraying the area it represents. The Museum of North Texas History has an extensive military collection representing the legacy of Sheppard and Call Field. The Museum is the home to Nat’s Hats, which symbolizes the cowboy and ranching heritage of North Texas. The Museum also commemorates events and people of the area. Here are a few of the items, people, and representatives of North Texas and Wichita County.
Gang Plow: Developed and manufactured by Wichita Falls blacksmith, Henry Luecke, the Wichita Gang Plow was patented in 1905. Similar to other plows with multiple plow points with the addition of levers to improve the maneuverability of the plow. The advent of the steam tractor made the plow obsolete.
Hotter'N Hell: Starting in 1982 as an event to celebrate the Centennial of Wichita Falls, Hotter’N Hell has developed into a premier, four-day cycling event. Drawing participants from across the United States and around the world, Hotter’N Hell provides the area with an economic impact of up to eight million dollars.
The Littlest Skyscraper: J. D. McMahon constructed a 4-story building adjacent to the existing Newby Building during the Oil Boom of 1919. Each floor of the building consisted of one room large enough for only a desk and chair and accessed by a ladder. Described as a scam promoted locally and in out-of-town newspapers, the blueprints allegedly described the building in inches instead of feet. The story, repeated many times, has become an urban legend.
Auto Racing: Three names come to mind: George Barringer, Lloyd Ruby, and Eddie Hill. During his career George Barringer started 17 AAA-American Automobile Association National Championship races between 1934 and 1946, scoring two remarkable second places at Springfield in 1935 and Milwaukee in 1939. Barringer died in a racing accident at age 40. Lloyd Ruby, the Gentleman from Wichita Falls, long considered the best race-car driver never to have won the Indianapolis 500, remains a Wichita Falls legend and will be commemorated with a Texas Historical Commission marker. Eddie Hill won his first race at age 11 and has raced everything from top fuel drag to motorcycles to drag boats. Owner of Eddie Hill’s Fun Cycles, Eddie’s firsts include introducing small profile front tires on a dragster, introducing the front wing on a dragster, introducing charcoal-filled breathing masks for safety, and inventing the tire-smoking burnout.
Food: There are many foods and one particular drink iconic to Wichita Falls. Here are some of our favorites: Casa Manana‘s Red Tacos; Frontier’s Green Goddess dressing; Prine’s Barbecue and pimento cheese; Underwood’s Cherry Cobbler; August Fried Pies; Pioneer’s steak on garlic; and that drink, P-2’s (the Deuce) red draw.
What would you add?
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