Wichita County Water Improvement Districts No. 1 & No. 2

Wichita County Water Improvement Districts No. 1 & No. 2 (HM2DMW)

Location: Wichita Falls, TX 76301 Wichita County
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Country: United States of America
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N 33° 54.013', W 98° 28.909'

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Inscription
Wichita County Water Improvement Districts No. 1 and No. 2 played major roles in the agricultural development of Wichita County. By 1900, Joseph Kemp, whose business activities were vital for the growth of Wichita Falls, developed plans for irrigation, leading to the construction of Lake Wichita. By 1914, Kemp and his brother-in-law, Frank Kell, filed a plat for irrigation subdivisions. They hoped agriculture would become the backbone of Wichita County's economy, even after the area later experienced an oil boom.

In 1919, Water Improvement District No. 1 organized, consisting of 15,543 acres including all of Wichita Falls and areas to the north, south and east. In 1920, District No. 2 formed, encompassing 76,784 acres west and northeast of the city. Under the leadership of Kemp, Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion, two large reservoirs with a gravity irrigation system, were constructed between 1921 and 1924. The completed system provided water for irrigation and municipal purposes, as well as a means of flood control for the city of Wichita Falls from periodic flooding of the Wichita River.


Although co-owned and operated on the same system by District No. 2, two different boards governed the district using different revenue sources. in 1961, the city of Wichita Falls abolished District No. 1 by annexing its lands, taking



control of its assets and liabilities, and assuming performance if its functions and services. Even though a major agricultural economy never developed in Wichita County, Water Improvement District No. 2 provides an important source of water for municipal use to the city's reverse osmosis plant and continues to play a vital role in irrigation and flood control.

Marker is property of the State of Texas (2008)
Details
HM NumberHM2DMW
Tags
Year Placed2008
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, January 17th, 2019 at 10:01am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14S E 547909 N 3751213
Decimal Degrees33.90021667, -98.48181667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 33° 54.013', W 98° 28.909'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds33° 54' 0.77999999999989" N, 98° 28' 54.54" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)940
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 901 Kentucky Ave, Wichita Falls TX 76301, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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