🌻 Wichita's First Christmas (1870!)

Unfortunately, no record exists to date concerning a description of the first Christmas observance in the village of Wichita. There would have been a sufficient influx of settlers by December of 1868 to have some type of community celebration. Perhaps the holiday was observed at Durfee’s, a trading post and stockade, located about 400 feet n.w. from Ninth and Waco, managed by Milo Kellogg. Camp Beecher, an adjacent military outpost to protect the new immigrants to the area from Indians, was in existence here from October 19, 1868, to October 23, 1869, so, it would be logical that the troopers stationed at the camp did indeed celebrate Christmas with the few settlers at that time.

A diary kept by Lt. Thrasher, quartermaster of the Nineteenth Kansas, had an insertion for November 13, 1868, "Go to Kellogg's to dance." However, the use of Durfee's (WW Note: I think “Durfee’s Ranch” was managed by or owned by Kellogg) for a Christmas celebration is strictly speculation on my part and by no means fact. To insist otherwise would cast an ill wind to my historical credibility.

The Christmas of 1869 was recorded by William Finn, our first surveyor of Wichita. From an old diary he recorded this very brief description, "Then, on December 23, the first Sunday school teacher's meeting was held in Milo Kellogg’s house. (Durfee's)”… The insert in his diary for December 25th disclosed, "Christmas in a new country. No fun at all. Killed one prairie chicken and hunted me a new claim." Unfortunately, Mr. Finn didn't jot down the weather for that long ago holiday.

For a pleasant review of an early Christmas in Wichita, one that was recorded and observed the following year of 1870, let us focus on a small community of frame dwellings, several log cabins and a few store fronts sprouting up here and there…

Christmas of 1870 was indeed a white Christmas. A cold wave had hit on the 22nd of December that froze the ice on the Little Arkansas river to a depth of six inches. The settlers didn't appreciate the frigid temperatures. It was the coldest weather that some of the earliest citizens could recall, even those who had resided in Kansas a decade earlier. A six-inch snow had fallen on the 16th of December that still graced the rooftops and ground for that special day. The weather had turned mild, which contributed to the holiday spirit.

It was suggested the settlers take advantage of the thick crystal clear ice on the Little River and start cutting [it] to store for the summer months. At that time, the waters of the Little Arkansas were fed by various springs along the river's winding path to Wichita and, consequently, was of good quality.

Perhaps the most unusual sport for the holiday and during the cold snap was ice fishing on the river. This consisted of cutting a hole in the ice and waiting for a school of fish to surface for air and then, with a quick flick of a hoop or snare, which usually consisted of a heavy brass wire loop inserted in and attached to a stick, the fish were caught by looping them out onto the ice.

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Perhaps the first holiday activity for that 1870 Christmas was a festival, held on the evening of the 23rd of December, at the new Presbyterian church, located then at Second and Wichita. It was a duo-purpose occasion, to celebrate the holiday and to raise additional funds to complete the church. The Society of Church Ladies officiated and sponsored the festival. (This church stands today in Wichita's Cowtown.)

A concluding celebration for the pioneer holiday of 1870 was a grand masquerade ball held on December 29th. The occasion was the wind-up of the Christmas holiday and the opportunity to "hoof" out the old year. This ball, held at Wichita Hall, was labeled "the affair of the season."

The admittance charge was $3.00 [(a significant sum in those days!)].

The merchants in the new town, who had been wise for laying in ample provisions for the holiday trade, were quite pleased over the healthy Christmas business.

J. H. Dagner, proprietor of a liquor and tobacco shop, offered a Christmas glow with pure Kentucky Bourbon whiskeys. Brandy, Gin, Port and Sherry wines were also on display for sale.

Sol Kohn, in partnership with his brother, Morris, operated a prominent dry goods and clothing house that also sold groceries. Boots, shoes, hats and caps were also featured at their New York store. Sol Kohn later established a bank at Wichita and served as Mayor in 1879 but resigned five months later.

George Smith, who was an exclusive dealer in groceries, offered fancy food items for the holidays.

Emile Werner's Oyster Depot boasted a fine cellar and ice house. This establishment offered a large supply of fresh oysters for sale. Oysters must have been in abundance locally for Charlie Corderio's Arbor Restaurant and lodging house featured oysters on the menu. The cooked variety were listed at $0.75 and the raw, $0.50.

William Bloomfield Hutchison, co-founder of the first newspaper in Wichita, Wichita Vidette, complained that the only greeting he received for Christmas was a notice of an unpaid bill. The notice demanded payment before January 1st…

Doc Lewellan, a pioneer trader and merchant in the area, boasted the largest stock of dry goods in the valley.

Typical examples of food prices in Wichita during that December had potatoes selling for $1.50 a bushel; 100 lbs of flour at $6.00; a pound of butter and a dozen eggs selling at $0.40 respectively.