WICHITA FALLS, Tex., city and county scat of Wichita County, situated in the northern tier of Texas counties, about 20 miles south of Red River, on the Fort Worth and Denver City, the Missouri Kansas and Texas, the Wichita Valley, the 'Wichita Falls and Southern,. the Wichita Falls and Northwestern and the Wich ita Falls and Oklahoma railroads. Wichita Falls is the most important city adjacent to the new and rapidly developing oil fields of Texas. It is only 1) miles from the Burkburnett field, 11 miles from Iowa Park, 26 miles from Elec tra and is connected with these fields by rail roads. It is 85 miles from the Stephens County fields and 100 miles from the Ranger fields. There are 10 oil refineries now operating in Wichita Falls, Burkburnett, Electra and vicinity, with as many more under construction or con templated. This city is headquarters for the oil fraternity of this entire section. The city has more than 45 manufacturing plants, ex clusive of oil refineries. with a total investment of more than $6,000,000, and an annual gross output of about $20,000.000. Among the articles manufactured here are motor trucks, window glass, glass fruit jars, sashes and doors, etc. The 11ichita Mill and Elevator Company, one of the most complete plants of the kind in the South, costing three-fourffis of a million dollars, ekes an emtmous domestic and export busi Wichita Falls is the distributing and jobbing centre of a large section of North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Wichita Falls has an estimated population (June 1919) of 40,000. The city is growing perhaps more rapidly than any city of the South. While the c•ilnrtrsnoo increase in population in so short a tune has added a gnzantic task upon the city, facilities are rapidly becoming adjusted to new kondititnis. A new eight-story hotel to cost api rkkximatel) $1,000,tXto: mu 10-story build ings, one six-stor) building and 30 smaller bit are btini.: ertited. A land
issue of $1:00.0110 for perm:omit public hikh v, ay kk was lots l reikntly in Ow county, and this money is to lie expended tor roads t.,poll) possible NeArl? $1,010110 is to be open' in the in .kr future for additional street paving and civic betterment. Besides the re cent county road bond issue other available road money will bring the total county and aattey expenditure for highways to about $3 It is planned to have the most elaborate and imposing rural highway system in the South west. There are five strong, growing banks with total deposits of $25,000,000 and clearings of $83,209,758 for the period from 1 Jan. 1919 to 14 June 1919. Total bank deposits tor this city are exceeded by only six Texas cities Annual postal receipts now approximate $180. 000, or an increase of more than 150 per cent in 12 months. The assessed valuation exceeds $20,000,000, while the real value of the city property exceeds $50,000,000. Wichita Falls is a city of homes, schools and churches. There are 25 imposing edifices of worship represent nig all the leading denominations faiths. Kemp Public Library, a gift to the citizen, from one of Wichita Falls' leading builders, is one of the most complete library buildings in the State and contains an excellent selection of the best literature. Wichita Falls has a modern and efficient system of public schools, and $100,000 was expended in 1919 for additional buildings. The State of Texas is expending $750,000 in the erection of one of its eleemosy nary institutions located on the shore of Lake Wichita about four miles from the? city.