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Description

This is a great birds-eye map of Wichita Falls, advertising the area's recent irrigation projects and dating to the time just before the Dust Bowl. The central focus of the map is on a recently built 4.5 million dollar irrigation project which included dams and dikes. The work attempts to draw immigration to the city, advertising both farmers and potentially wealthier people as well.

On the map, denoted by the large dark spot, are the newest branch of the Charles Weeks farms, a national chain of industrial farms focusing on mass poultry production. The chain had branches in other parts of the country, including Palo Alto, and heavily advertised itself throughout the country. Charles Weeks was interested in establishing cooperatives throughout the country, and had started his work at New Plymouth, Idaho in 1895, with the motto "One Acre and Independence." Week tried to shape American suburban communities, but his dreamed utopia never took off.

The town of Wichita Falls is attractively portrayed on this map, with rivers, canals, and railroads passing through the town. Other cities in the region, including Dundee, Electra, Burkburnett, and Iowa Park are all visible. Across the Red River, the start of Oklahoma can be seen.

Other details dot the map. In the upper left, an inset shows "The Sportsman's Paradise," trying to portray Wichita Falls as equally good for jobs as for recreation. The verso shows scenes from throughout Wichita, including of the school, the gothic Methodist church, and, of course, the irrigation projects. Overall, this is a great map of Wichita Falls and the surrounding area, complete with plenty of information regarding recent developments and irrigation projects.