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 Delano Township -- Delano Park, Wichita KS
N 37° 41.145 W 097° 20.687
14S E 645947 N 4172238
The history of Delano: by all accounts a wild, drunken, half (or full-buck-) naked place where anything goes -- MUCH more fun than their stuffy neighbor on the other side of the Arkansas River -- Wichita.
Waymark Code: WMH1P7
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2013
Views: 12
Delano's history reminds Mama Blaster of the shocked and horrified stories of the goings-on in 1880s North Fort Worth that straight-laced Dallas twits used to whisper and swoon over -- except Delano's saloon girls were more visible in their nudity.
Sounds like a fun place!!
The maker is near the post-rock limestone Chisholm Trail monument in Delano park -- maybe even near where Delano's saloon girls raced naked to the saloons from the river!! :)
Marker Name: Delano Township
Marker Type: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Marker text:
DELANO TOWNSHIP
Delano, the town located west of the Arkansas River, was a colorful locale. Although the violence in this area was over-dramatized, it remained as a place of drunkenness, gambling, gunplay, and prostitution. The most popular and dramatized gin battle was between Rowdy Joe and Red Beard, rival saloon owners, which ended in Red Beard’s death. Wichita did not object to Delano because cowboys needed an outlet after a long cattle drive, and this was a way of containing the rowdiness. (In Wichita, men were required to check their guns.) The total separation of Wichita and Delano was not possible. When Delano’s saloon girls decided to create their own river run and race nude to the river amidst cheers and wagers, it was impossible to obstruct this view from Wichita citizens. In 1876, Delano’s post office was phased out and the area was officially incorporated into Wichita. This explains the slight jog in Douglas Avenue, then known as Chicago Avenue in 1880. A grand promotion brought a building boom to this western section, creating hotels, retail stores, and offices.
Wichita’s Historic Preservation Board
1993
Marker Location: Sedgwick
Year Marker Placed: 01/01/1993
Name of agency setting marker: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Marker Web Address: [Web Link]
Official Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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