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- Landon Huslig

Together with Sedgwick County Zoo

Did you know there is a baby boom right now at Sedgwick County Zoo?

That’s right - there have been elephants like Kijani & Bomani or a Chimp named Kyansa.

If you want to see some of the cutest babies around, head to the zoo today.

Can’t make it yet? No worries, elephants Arusi & Zuberi are due later this year as well!

Watch Wichita Win

This is the story of a sign that lit up Wichita’s past.

Birth of a Motto

Booster Trip Train

Wichita was incorporated in 1870 and served as a big Cowtown. Through the years, it was slowly transitioning out of the Wild West image as time went by with markets shifting towards grain and milling.

It was now aiming to become a modern metropolis as one of the fastest growing cities in the country in the 1880s – even earning nicknames like “the Chicago of the West”.

In the early 1900s, Wichita was a city with big ambitions.

Local booster groups wanted a catchy slogan to match the optimistic mood of the era and with the support of the City of Wichita government, coined “Watch Wichita Win” in 1909 as Wichita’s official motto. It went out on city stationery, brochures, flour sacks, and souvenirs.

They also put it on a big sign.

But the sign wasn’t just big, it was flashy. Hundreds of bulbs spelled out the motto in a “flasher” style display (think of a modern marquee), blinking and shimmering above the roadway.

The phrase Watch Wichita Win embodied the community’s pride and confidence. It was a bold invitation to outsiders and a promise to residents that our town was on the rise.

Lighting Up Douglas Avenue

Imagine standing on Douglas on a warm evening back then: partaking in whatever night life looked like back then, new electric streetlights buzzing, and above it all this brilliant arch shouting “Watch Wichita Win” into the night.

For Wichitans of the time, the sign became a beloved beacon. It was more than a marketing gimmick. It was a symbol of civic pride that could be seen for blocks. The slogan popped up everywhere.

(Similar to how the Wichita flag is everywhere nowadays)

When Wichita “Won”, The Sign Came Down

In August 1913, the Wichita City Commission and the local Business Association agreed that “Wichita has already won,” (I know right? I can feel your eyes roll), so there was no need to continue telling visitors to watch Wichita win on that street sign.

In a mix of practicality and pride, they opted to take down the now-famous sign. The plan was to remove it by September 1, 1913.

In the end, the grand sign stayed up a tad longer until it was finally removed in 1914.

One news report described how the fire department’s aerial truck was enlisted at 1 o’clock in the morning to carefully dismantle the massive arch.

And just like that, after only a few shining years, the Watch Wichita Win sign was gone.

Wichita had “won,” or at least outgrown its need for the old slogan.

The tides were turn in Wichita as World War I’s aviation boom would soon earn us a new moniker as the Air Capital, but that early chapter of civic pride left a lasting imprint.

Preserving the Memory

Although the physical sign came down, “Watch Wichita Win” never disappeared from Wichita’s story. It lives on in photographs and vintage postcards frozen in time above Douglas Avenue, lighting up the street alongside early 20th-century shopfronts.

Sneak peek at the Historical Museum

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum today keeps this memory alive. You can even go visit a reproduction of a “Watch Wichita Win” sign on display as a nod to the old city slogan. Exhibits like these help us remember our past and help inspire us for our future.

In recent years, the spirit of “Watch Wichita Win” has made a quiet comeback.

Some politicians have used the slogan through the years.

There was even an updated version of the slogan called “Make Wichita Win” back in 2020ish.

It seems that even a century later, those words still resonate. They call back to a time when Wichita was the scrappy underdog city that dared to dream big, and they remind us that the pride in our hometown never really went away.

I think Wichita in 2025 can relate. We’re still the “little brother” to KC. We’re smaller than other “similar” cities like Omaha and OKC. But why shouldn’t we dream a little bigger?

Should Wichita “Watch Wichita Win” Again?

All this begs the question: should Wichita consider restoring the Watch Wichita Win sign as a cultural landmark?

This would be an incredible tribute to our past. I mean I bet a lot of cities would kill to have an awesome slogan that also ties in historically.

Think of those old, restored neon signs along old Route 66 in other towns that would also be a great photo-op for locals and visitors alike.

An arching sign could add vintage charm to Douglas Avenue, connecting past and present. It would celebrate how far Wichita has come since 1909, and inspire today’s residents with the same message of optimism. As a community, we’ve embraced symbols of our heritage so why not bring it back?

What are we trying to win? That is for each person to interpret, but I think we can all take a little sneak peak into the future and imagine what that means to us.

I’m also not sure who would pay for this, but hey, a guy can dream right?

So, should we watch Wichita win again with a resurrected sign?

As a Wichitan, I’d love to see a bit of our history shine once more, so long as it reminds us not just of where we’ve been, but who we are. After all, the true heart of “Watch Wichita Win” was never the metal or lights; it was the people of Wichita (past and present) working together to make those wins happen.

And that’s something worth spotlighting for generations to come.

The last 10-15 years of Wichita, we’ve had a resurgence of local pride. It feels like we’re on the tipping point of the next era of Wichita.

So, should we bring back the slogan Watch Wichita Win?