The Littlest Skyscraper

It started out innocently enough, but then most swindles do. In 1919, Wichita Falls was a crowded place. Area businessmen were enjoying the first of several region-wide oil booms. Offices were located wherever space could be found, and "coat pocket" business addresses were as common as anything made of bricks and mortar.

Investors practically stood in line to buy stock in a construction project proposed by a Philadelphia building engineer, a man whose given name has been lost to history. He probably was a genuine building engineer or he could never have presented his $200,000 project so convincingly! Contracts were signed, money changed hands and construction began on the lot next door to the clever visionary's hotel address. Trouble was, none of the investors seemed to notice that the Philadelphian's blueprints, which called for dimensions measured in square feet, were actually executed in square inches until after the property, still standing after 80-plus years, was finished. By then, he had long checked out of the hotel, taking the bulk of his ill-gotten $200,000 along.

You can still visit The Littlest Skyscraper today. It is located at 701 La Salle (on the corner of Seventh and La Salle streets), access is inside the Hello Again Boutique.

A City Rich in History

Founded in 1882, early Wichita Falls was as robust as any movie frontier city. Railroading, agriculture, ranching, oil, and manufacturing heralded the boom-town period of the twenties.

The resulting prosperity was imprinted on the city by its commercial buildings, beautiful residential areas, and impressive cultural features.

A drive through the older business center where fortunes were made (and lost) in a day, by grand residences built with oil money, and by Spanish Mission style cultural buildings, gives us a view into the past of this city rich in history and cultural heritage, Wichita Falls, “the city that faith built.”

With the revitalization of downtown, many of the old buildings have been restored. They are now home to the finest restaurants, breweries, and boutiques, like The karat Bar located in the very first Zales Jewelry store.

Sheppard Air Force Base

Wichita Falls proudly calls itself the home of the finest military installation in the country, Sheppard Air Force Base. Named in honor of Senator Morris Sheppard, former chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, Sheppard Air Force Base was activated Oct. 17, 1941, and provided aircrew and aircraft mechanics training during World War II.

Today, Sheppard is the largest and most diverse training base in Air Education and Training Command--the only Air Force base that is home to both technical and flying training.

The 80th FTW hosts the world’s only internationally manned and managed pilot training program. Having celebrated 37 years of existence in 2018, the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program has now delivered more than 7,500 trained combat pilots to our NATO allies. ENJJPT trains 50 percent of all U.S. Air Force fighter pilots and is the sole source of fighter pilot training for partner nations Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and Norway.