Wichita Falls, Texas

Everything Wichita Falls is known for

6 songs mention this city 4 artists from here

Wichita Falls, Texas, located in North Texas near the Oklahoma border, has a notable musical presence. The city is home to four artists in our collection, including the pop band Bowling for Soup and country artist Jay Burnam. Six songs in our collection mention Wichita Falls, such as "Wichita Falls" by American Aquarium and "Jamie" by Zach Bryan.

Beyond these artists and songs, Wichita Falls has a history of live music, with venues like The Iron Horse Pub hosting local and touring musicians. The city has also been a stop for famous musicians like Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Little Richard in earlier decades.

Music in Wichita Falls

Songs About Wichita Falls

Wichita Falls
American Aquarium
80%
"Wichita Falls"
Tornado Time in Texas
Guy Clark
52%
"Dump it on Wichita falls"
A Little West of Wichita Falls
K.R. Wood
25%
My Hometown
Bowling for Soup
25%
Jamie
Zach Bryan
20%
"From here to damn near Wichita County"
Fort Worth, Dallas Or Houston
George Hamilton IV
1%
"In Wichita Falls or Waco or San Angelo"

Artists From Wichita Falls

B
Bowling for Soup
pop Pop: 61
J
Jay Burnam
country Pop: 27
J
Jaret Ray Reddick
pop Pop: 26
C
Clint Vines
country Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Wichita Falls

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Wichita Falls.

Interstate 44 3 songs Red River 50 songs

History of Wichita Falls

Iowa Park, TX RoadyGoat

Iowa Park, nestled in the Cross Timbers region, owes its existence to the dreamers who came south from Iowa in the late 19th century. They saw potential in this land, covered in post oak and blackjack oak, and they weren't wrong. Incorporated in 1903, the town has always had that small-town feel, the kind where neighbors know each other and lend a hand. Agriculture is in its bones, the lifeblood that keeps the community going. It's a place where the legend of buried gold still whispers on the wind, a reminder of fortunes sought and dreams pursued. The lifeblood of Iowa Park runs deeper than just the soil. Just a few miles south, Lake Arrowhead, impounded by a dam on the Little Wichita River, provides the water that sustains the town. It's also a playground, a place for recreation at Lake Arrowhead State Park. Iowa Park’s also a place where Friday night lights shine bright, and the high school football team’s history of district championships is a real source of pride. It’s a quiet place, but one with stories etched into the land, stories that continue to unfold.

10.6 mi away

Iowa Park, TX RoadyGoat

Iowa Park, a little north of Wichita Falls, might look like your typical quiet Texas town, and in many ways, it is. Folks are friendly, and there’s a good sense of community. But every now and then, someone special rises from these parts.

10.6 mi away

Iowa Park, TX RoadyGoat

The land around Iowa Park is a subtle thing, easy to overlook if you’re just passing through. It’s part of the Cross Timbers, a band of wooded land that runs north to south through Texas. The post oaks and blackjack oaks that dot the landscape speak of sandy soils, a world away from the rich blackland prairies further east. This is rolling country, not dramatic mountains, but a gentle rise and fall that hides little creeks and draws. The Little Wichita River, now dammed to form Lake Arrowhead, carved its way through this land over millennia, a constant presence shaping the lives of those who settled here. That lake is everything to Iowa Park, the source of life in this part of Texas. Lake Arrowhead State Park is right there, a reminder of the recreation and resources the water provides. It’s no surprise that many folks around here have always worked the land, raising crops and livestock, their livelihoods tied directly to the rhythms of the seasons and the generosity of the soil.

10.6 mi away

Allred, James V., Texas Governor

1923

From this courthouse, James V. Allred began his career that led to highest state office. As lawyer with firm of O'Neal and Martin, he won elections as district attorney in 1923 and Attorney General of Texas, 1931. Governor from 1935 to 1939, he corrected many social and economic ills, ushering in era of better government for state. In his last years, he was a federal judge. He is remembered for his crusading liberalism and his personal integrity. He married Joe Betsy Miller. They had three sons. (1970)

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Barwise, Joseph Hudson

1877

A native of Ohio, Joseph Hudson Barwise brought his family to Texas in 1877 and to Wichita County in 1880. An astute businessman and community leader, he earned the nickname "Father of Wichita Falls" after he donated land to the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway as an inducement for the building of a rail line through this area. He was instrumental in much of the city's growth and development, and served as county judge for three terms. Married to the former Lucy Hansell, Barwise was the father of seven children. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery. (1991)

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Lost Batallion

1942

To the memory of those honored members of the Lost Battalion, native sons, members of the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, 36th Infantry Division. On March 3, 1942, these gallant men were taken prisoner by the Japanese on Java, held captive for three and one half years. The living members were released September 2, 1945. To these valiant men living and dead we offer our humble gratitude, August 1951.

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Cline, Walter Dearing

1918

Walter Dearing Cline, wildcatter, city official, and civic leader, was born in a dirt floor shack built by his father on March 26, 1883, in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. He was the son of Orville Hilton Cline and Mary Cornelia (Dearing) Cline. His father, a carpenter and builder, was constructing a sawmill in the area. The family moved to Jackson, Louisiana, in 1892–93. Walter Cline attended Millwood Institute, a school for girls that also allowed boys until age fourteen. He later attended Centenary College and worked his way through with carpentry and kitchen skills he learned from his parents. He left Centenary College prior to graduation to help with the education of his two younger brothers. Cline worked manual labor on the rice canals near Crowley, Louisiana. Later, he was placed in charge of carpentry and built flumes and bridges. In 1902, when oil was found near Jennings, Louisiana, Cline took a job in the oilfield and earned $1.75 a day, an increase over his previous canal job of $1.50 a day. Cline went from working as a roustabout laying pipelines to pulling sucker rods and later pumping wells. He then secured a job as a roughneck on a drilling rig. Rotary drilling was new, and Cline learned many rough lessons while running the rotary through floor boards and crown blocks. At this time, oil was selling for five cents a barrel. After working in the Evangeline, Batson, and Sour Lake fields, Cline moved to Humble, Texas, where he worked as derrick man, pumper, and finally night driller for several years. He then went out on his own and first drilled wells near Laredo. A true “wildcatter,” Cline followed the oil strikes across Texas and New Mexico. In 1913 he and his family moved to Wichita Falls and then to Burkburnett, where Cline was involved in the oil activity west of that town. Cline, with investors including John G. Hardin , Joe Staley, Bob Moore, and Will Daniel, drilled the Fowler discovery well just north of Burkburnett, which ushered in the area boom of 1918. Over the forty years before he retired, Cline had drilled wells for major and independent operators. He also served as the first president of the Texas-Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. During his residence in Burkburnett, Cline was elected mayor, served on the school board and as director of a bank, and donated land for a high school. In 1917 Cline moved back to Wichita Falls where he was elected mayor in 1920. He inherited a city wholly unprepared for the massive population growth due to the oil boom. During Cline’s term, the city acquired a municipal water system and a new city charter. During the battle over the bond election to provide water and sewer systems to the city, Cline and a partner, Clint Wood, offered to “buy” every piece of land in the city at twice its newly-assessed value. Ultimately, no one took them up on their offer. Cline continued his civic work in Wichita Falls. During World War I , he commanded the city’s war emergency drives and Liberty Loan campaign. He founded the first Community Chest in the South and was a field director of the American Red Cross during the flu epidemic of 1918. He helped organize the West Texas Chamber of Commerce and in 1921 helped organize the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. During the Great Depression , Cline led distribution of relief funds from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. He was one of the directors of the Texas National Recovery Administration and regional director of the Federal Housing Administration. During this time Cline coordinated the Wichita Falls Golden Jubilee Celebration, held in September 1932. He later helped organize and provide preliminary management for the Texas Centennial celebration in Dallas. Cline was active in the Wichita Falls Rotary Club and served as president. He later became a board of director of Rotary International and coordinated a convention held in Belgium in 1927. Cline was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Leopold II by King Albert

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Fowler, Thomas Weldon

1944

Thomas Weldon Fowler, Medal of Honor recipient, was born on October 31, 1921, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was the son of Austin H. and Mattie (Wilson) Fowler. As a youngster, Tom played in the school orchestra, belonged to the Latin Club, and to the DeMolay (a Masonic organization for young men). During the summers, Fowler, along with his four brothers, worked on one of the family's two farms-one near Burkburnet and the other near Floydada, Texas. After graduating from Wichita Falls High School, he entered Texas A&M in September 1939. During his time at College Station, Fowler majored in animal husbandry and selected the cavalry branch for his required military science training. During World War II , Texas A&M implemented an accelerated year-round program of study that consisted of three semesters and classes six days a week. As a senior, he served as a cadet captain and executive officer of the cavalry squadron. Fowler also courted his high school school sweetheart, Ann Oakes, and invited her to dances and football games in College Station. He graduated with a degree in animal husbandry in February 1943. After successfully completing the Armor branch of Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in May 1943, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. On May 12, he married Ann Oakes in Wichita Falls; son Thomas W. Fowler, Jr., was born in February 1944. In October 1943 Fowler arrived in North Africa where he remained for a number of months. In February 1944 he was designated to Italy and the 191st Tank Battalion. On May 23, 1944, Lieutenant Fowler found himself in a desperate situation involving both armored and infantry forces near Carano, Italy. Assigned as a liaison officer to an infantry unit, Fowler, moving on foot ahead of his unit, witnessed two infantry platoons that were seriously disorganized in a German minefield. Although a tank officer, Fowler quickly took charge of the situation. On his own, he examined the ground and by his hands removed antipersonnel mines and cleared a seventy-five yard path. In individual squads, Lieutenant Fowler then took the infantrymen through the minefield. As the infantrymen moved forward, Fowler made a quick reconnaissance of enemy territory and searched for a path where tanks could be positioned. He then proceeded to direct tanks to a position where they could support the infantry. Leading the two platoons forward in the front, Fowler surprised a number of dug-in Germans that were then taken prisoner and sent to the rear. For those that resisted, Fowler threw hand grenades toward two dugouts and killed the defenders. After Fowler led the two infantry platoons to their objective, they were attacked by German infantry and tanks, and the attack set fire to one of the American Sherman tanks. Under intense enemy fire, Fowler raced to the burning tank and sought to treat the wounded crew. He withdrew a short distance only after German tanks had overrun his position. Fowler then provided first aid to nine injured infantrymen in the face of hostile fire. For his actions, Lieutenant Fowler was recommended for the Medal of Honor. A few days later on June 3, 1944, Fowler was shot and killed by a German sniper while doing a personal reconnaissance for his tank platoon. Maj. Gen. Ralph McPennel presented the Medal of Honor to Anne Fowler and her son, Thomas Fowler, Jr., in a ceremony at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on November 11, 1944. Thomas Fowler was buried in the American military cemetery at Nettuano in 1944. In 1948 his remains were returned to the United States. Second Lt. Thomas Fowler was buried with military honors at Crestview Memorial Park in Wichita Falls on July 27, 1948. In the years after his death, Thomas Weldon Fowler has been honored in many ways. In his hometown of Wichita Falls, an elementary school and the American Legion Post 169 are named in his honor. At Fort Knox, Kentucky, an Officer Candidate School barracks was named Fowler Hall. At Texas A&M University, a campus dormitor

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Kearby, Neel Earnest

1943

Neel Earnest Kearby, Medal of Honor recipient, was born on June 5, 1911, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was the son of Dr. John Gallatin Kearby, Jr., and Bessie Lee (Stone) Kearby. He spent part of his childhood in Mineral Wells before the family moved to Arlington in 1924. Kearby graduated from Arlington High School in 1928 and attended North Texas Agricultural College (now the University of Texas at Arlington) in 1930 and 1931. Following three years of employment in Dallas, he enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin during the fall of 1934 to study business administration. He finished his coursework in late 1936 before receiving a diploma in June 1937. By that time he had joined the United States Army Air Corps and was already in flight training at Randolph Field in San Antonio. There he met and married Virginia King Cochran, and they had three children before Kearby was sent overseas during World War II . By July of 1943 Colonel Kearby was the commanding officer of the 348th Fighter Group in the Southwest Pacific Theater. His fighter pilots achieved spectacular success flying their famous P-47 “Thunderbolts” against Japanese forces in the New Guinea area. Described as the “perfect combat leader,” Kearby was a superb pilot and tactician, credited in particular with the development of combat tactics used to maximize the high-altitude capability and extraordinary diving speed of the massive P-47. Often leading missions himself, he emerged as one of America’s greatest fighter pilots, credited with twenty-two aerial victories in only a few months of combat. On October 11, 1943, Colonel Kearby volunteered to lead a flight of four fighters to reconnoiter the strongly held enemy bases at Wewak, New Guinea. After securing important tactical information on four enemy installations, he saw an enemy fighter below. He made an attack and shot it down. His small flight then saw twelve enemy bombers escorted by thirty-six fighter aircraft. With numerical odds of twelve to one and low fuel supplies, he led his flight on a diving attack. He shot down three planes, then observed one of his comrades with two of the enemy fighters in pursuit. He attacked and destroyed both, then escaped into the clouds. After calling his flight back together he led them safely to a friendly base. Kearby had destroyed six enemy aircraft during one mission, the most ever for an American fighter pilot at that time. It was for this mission that he was awarded the Medal of Honor, presented in a special ceremony by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Kearby was promoted to a staff job at the headquarters of the 5th Air Force Fighter Command in November 1943 but received permission to continue flying combat missions. He was leading a three-plane formation and had just claimed his twenty-second victory, when he was shot down on March 5, 1944, over Wewak, New Guinea. It was not until 1949 that his remains were recovered and returned to Dallas, Texas, where he was buried with full military honors at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Survived by his wife and three young sons, he was laid to rest on July 23, 1949, next to the burial site of his older brother, Army Maj. John Gallatin Kearby III, who also died during the war. Colonel Kearby is remembered as one of America’s most acclaimed fighter pilots. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he received five Air Medals, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Stars, and the Purple Heart. Within a few months of his death, the Dallas Morning News hailed Kearby as “one of Texas immortals,” and Time magazine described him as “one of the great U.S. fighter pilots of World War II.” The United States Air Force honored him in 1959 with the dedication of Neel Kearby Hall, a missile training facility at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. An exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force features a display of his medals and a full-sized replica of his legendary P-47 Thunderbolt, Fiery Ginger, named in honor of hi

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Sports in Wichita Falls

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 5A · Football

Rider — Rider — a college & pro athletic pipeline

5 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Rider High School in Wichita Falls has a history of athletes who have gone on to compete at higher levels. The school's athletic programs have supported students who later pursued professional careers. Former professional football players Khari Long, Markelle Martin, David Nelson, and Dean Prater all once competed as Raiders. Their journeys from Class 5A competition to the professional ranks highlight the pathways available to dedicated student-athletes.

The tradition of Rider High School alumni reaching major-college and professional sports continues to be a point of local interest. Jacob Rodriguez, a professional football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, represents a more recent example of a Raider making an impact in professional football. These athletes demonstrate the potential that can develop within the local sports community.

Pro/D1 alumni
5
Class
5A
Founded
1961
Key Players
  • Khari Long — , former professional football player (NFL, CLF, UFL)
  • Markelle Martin — , former NFL football player
  • David Nelson — , former NFL football player
  • Dean Prater — , former NFL football player
  • Jacob Rodriguez — , professional football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins
The moment

Jacob Rodriguez is a professional football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins.

Sources: Wikipedia

Everything Near Wichita Falls

143 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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