The City That Faith Built (Wichita Falls slogan)

Wichita Falls has called itself “The City That Faith Built” since 1921. People had “faith” in the city to build big and have big dreams, according to the 1920s promotions. Tradition states that the “city that faith built” was acquired in a poker game in 1837.
   
   
Wikipedia: List of city nicknames in Texas
Wichita Falls
The City that Faith Built
 
Wikipedia: Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in the state of Texas and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. As of the censusGR2 of 2000, it had a population of 104,197. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties.GR6
 
Sheppard Air Force Base, a United States Air Force base, is located in Wichita Falls.
 
Wichita Falls is sister city to Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, Germany.
 
The city’s main newspaper is the Times Record News. The weekly community newspaper is The News Mirror.
 
Handbook of Texas Online
WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS. According to tradition, the land where the city of Wichita Falls is presently located, in southeast Wichita County, was acquired in a poker game by John A. Scott of Mississippi in 1837. In fact, Scott acquired the tract by purchasing Texas land certificates, which he packed away and promptly forgot. Years later the certificates were rediscovered by Scott’s heirs, who commissioned M. W. Seeley to map out a townsite on the tract on the Wichita River. As platted by Seeley in July 1876, the townsite included the location of a small waterfall on the Wichita River that was later washed away, several named streets, and a town square. In a fanciful drawing that accompanied the plat, Seeley also included an imaginary lake, a steamboat on the river, and warehouses laden with cotton and other goods. The town never became a steamboat shipping center, although railroads were very important to its later development. 
   
6 March 1921, Dallas (TX) Morning News, part 2, pg. 2 ad:
Wichita Falls
“Where Today’s Dream Is Tomorrow’s Achievement”
(...)
Wichita Falls is the city “Where Today’s Dream Is Tomorrow’s Achievement!” It is the City That Faith Built. It is building big because it is people with big men who make the best of big opportunities. All the Southwest is proud of Wichita Falls.
 
6 March 1921, Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, TX), part 3, pg. 4, col. 2
Leslie came back to the city that faith built…
   
9 March 1921 Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, TX), part 3, pg. 5 ad:
“The City That Faith Built” Invites You
To Visit Its Greatest Automobile Exhibit 
 
22 January 1922, Dallas (TX) Morning News, magazine, pg. 5:
Wichita Falls Is Steadily Growing Industrial Center
City That Faith Built Meets Every Anticipation
(...)
The persistent faith that has always been back of all the great movements of progress in the community that has transformed the little village into a city of skyscrapers, with spacious offices and excellent hotel accommodations, beautiful homes, good schools and wholesome amusement facilities, has won for the city the title, “The City That Faith Built,” and Wichita Falls citizens are making it their aim not only to make Wichita Falls a bigger city, but a better city in which to live.
   
13 June 1922, Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, TX), “‘Faith’ Address on Postcard Brings It Directly Here,” pg. 10, col. 2:
A post card addressed to “The City That Faith Built, Texas,” found its proper destination promptly and surely Tuesday.
 
The card was addressed to Hubert Harrison at the above address and was from Sal Lake City, where John Donald, assistant city engineer, is on his vacation.
 
The card was mailed June 9, losing no time in reaching here in spite of the lack of definite address. 
 
12 July 1938, New York (NY) Times, “Texts of Three Speeches by President Roosevelt,” pg. 4:
WICHITA FALLS SPEECH
Governor Allred, my friends of Wichita Falls, I am glad to come here. My old friend, Congressman McFarlane, has told me much about the city that “faith built” and that is the finest name that could be given any city of the nation.
 
(OCLC WorldCat record)
Title: Dedicated to a greater service in the city that faith built.
Corp Author(s): First Methodist Church (Wichita Falls, Tex.) 
Publication: [S.l. : s.n.,
Year: 1939
Language: English
SUBJECT(S) 
Named Corp: First Methodist Church (Wichita Falls, Tex.)—History.
United Methodist Church (U.S.)—Texas—History. 
Geographic: Wichita Falls (Tex.)—Church history. 
Note(s): Cover title.
Document Type: Book
 
Alibris 
History of Wichita Falls. the City That Faith Built
by Morgan, Jonnie
Publisher: Nortex, Wichata Falls
Date Published: 1971
Description: Near fine copy (some light binding glue offsetting to end papers) in fine dust jacket (in mylar). 8vo. Illustrated.
Languages: English
Alibris ID: 9119684351
 
(OCLC WorldCat record)
Title: Westward to Wichita
“the city that faith built” /
Author(s): Horner, Edward H.
Fitzner, Linda. 
Corp Author(s): Wichita Falls Centennial Committee. 
Publication: Wichita Falls, Tex. :; Made by Norman W. Daggett,
Year: 1982
Description: 1 videocassette (VHS) (ca. 120 min.) :; sd., col. ;; 1/4 in. +; 1 script (ca. 50 p. ; 28 cm.) + 1 program ([12] p. ; 28 cm.)
Language: English
Abstract: Presents the 100-year history of the city of Wichita Falls in a musical-dramatic production.
SUBJECT(S) 
Geographic: Wichita Falls (Tex.)—History.
Wichita Falls (Tex.)—Social life and customs. 
Note(s): Titles on container: Westward to Wichita pageant and 1882-1982, 100 year celebration pageant Westward to Wichita./ Recorded at the Wichita Speedway, Sept. 27-Oct. 2, 1982.
 
New York (NY) Times
WILL THE WORLD FLOCK TO WICHITA FALLS?
By WILLIAM HAUPTMAN; WILLIAM HAUPTMAN IS THE AUTHOR OF ‘‘GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT,’’ A COLLECTION OF STORIES TO BE PUBLISHED THIS FALL BY BANTAM BOOKS.
Published: August 7, 1988
(...)
IN THE 1920’S, WHEN civic pride was at its previous height, Hubert Harrison, head of the Chamber of Commerce, wrote a poem called ‘‘The City that Faith Built,’’ which was set to music by R. E. Shepherd ( ‘‘The Singing Mayor’’ ): We live in the City that Faith Built Out where the West begins, Where friendships are true And success beckons you In a thousand different ways. Opportunity new With each dawn comes to you Where the derrick touches the sky. Let me live in that land In that Red River land Where the best in me hears a clear call. I will work, work, work For my hometown, The City of Wichita Falls.
 
Wichita Falls has always been a working man’s town, and in my day that meant working for the oil industry. Oil supported the city’s economy all through the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Everyone, it seemed, was a roughneck, or employed by a drilling company or one of the local refineries.