Together with Sur La Table

With 3 kids under 5, date nights can be hard to come by if you don’t plan them and make them a priority (one of our 2025 goals).

Sur La Table makes it extremely easy to plan a fun, unique, and dare I say delicious date night.

Last weekend we headed over to Bradley Fair to learn how to make Chinese takeout.

When I say this was one of our favorite dates in a while, I mean it.

There are only 8 people to a class, so the teacher (shout out Julian) gives you as much attention as you need and they walk you through step by step from general cooking advice to specifics like how to cut an onion or pepper more effectively.

Oh, and you get to eat it all afterwards.

10/10 couldn’t recommend the cooking classes at Sur La Table more.

If you hurry, there might still be some classes left around Valentine’s Day.

(see our highlight reel here)

Another cool part? We have an allergy and they worked with us to tweak the recipe ahead of time so it wasn’t an issue!

The History of Delano (Part 1)

Years ago, we wrote a brief blog about the Delano District, but it didn’t do this historic part of Wichita justice, so we want to start a series covering the History of Delano from inception until today. Who knows how many parts it will be.

Most people recognize Wichita’s place in history as the air capital of the world or maybe as a Cowtown that Wichita started as or maybe even for Pizza Hut and White Castle.

I don’t think most people know the full history of the Delano District and how it has evolved over time.

Let’s rewind the clock to the 19th century to set up some context for where America was at the time, and then dive into Delano’s origins.

1861:

Kansas becomes the 34th state of the USA on January 29, 1861.

1862:

The Homestead Act was passed, allowing settlers and several settlers bought up land along the west bank of the Ar-Kansas River, naming it Elgin.

Homestead Act:

“Under this law, any man or woman twenty-one years old or the head of a family could have 160 acres of undeveloped land by living on it for five years and paying $18.00 in fees. They were also required to build a home, make improvements and farm the land before they could own it outright. Alternatively, the homesteader could purchase the land for $1.25 ($39.06 in 2025 dollars, can you imagine…) per acre after having lived on the land for six months.”

1865:

The American Civil War ends, ushering in a period of westward expansion and economic development.

1867:

The Chisholm Trail (named after the famous Jesse Chisholm who established trading posts stretching over 600 miles from San Antonio to Wichita) cattle drive begins, bringing thousands of cattle north from Texas to Kansas railheads. This marks the beginning of Wichita’s role as a major cattle town, and Delano’s Wild West reputation starts to take shape.

The Birth of Delano

In 1870, Delano (renamed from Elgin in 1871 because Elgin, Kansas was already claimed) had established itself as a cattle shipment point on the Chisholm Trail and began to grow as a community (although it never formally incorporated as a separate city). It was more of an independent settlement.

It was named Delano after Columbus Delano, Secretary of the Interior under President Ulysses S. Grant.

Delano was the place to be. Why so?

It was growing with hotels, saloons, new businesses, a post office, and toll bridge popping up over the next couple of years.

It was truly the wild west. It had no cops, unlike Wichita.

So you can only imagine what it was like:

✅ Drinking

✅ Gambling

✅ Prostitution

There were even gunfights like the classic wild west including a fight between two saloon keepers (Rowdy Joe and Red Beard) that ended fatally in 1873.

Imagine this - you had to check your guns at the bridge before you could head across the bridge into Wichita.

The Running of the Doves

As mentioned above, saloons were quite popular. A saloon was essentially a type of bar where people could drink, gamble, and socialize.

The first couple of blocks west of the Ar-Kansas river were stacked with saloons many of which were located right on Chisholm Trail.

“Chicago Street” was the main street of the day, later renamed to Douglas Avenue when it was rolled into Wichita.

Back in the years 1872 - 1873, saloon keepers hosted an …interesting form of entertainment on Sundays..

Saloon girls were loaded up in wagons, taken down the river where they would strip down and then race back to the saloons for the entertainment of cowboys.

The winner won a price and bets were placed on these races.

Moving West

All things must come to an end though as the cattle trade moved west to Dodge City in the late 1870s.

Ultimately, Wichita annexed (fancy word for “forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state’s territory by another state”) in 1880 where Delano become known as “West Wichita”. Wichita wanted to exert more control and bring it under their laws. There were 504 residents at the time and the post office was officially closed on December 6, 1880.

West Wichita

Not everything was negative though, a building boom in the 1880s brought paved streets and brick buildings to a budding Delano.

Streets were named after some of the big named settlers.

Businesses like a watch factory opened.

Friends University (originally Garfield University) opened in 1887.

That was until the economic downtown of 1890 where several developers lost their money and the economy shifted to agriculture from real estate.

This leads us into the 20th century, the aircraft industry and part 2 of our Delano Deep Dive. To be continued…

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!

Quick Rundown

• Desperate Housewives of Sedgwick Co | Mosley Street Melodrama | 2/7 - 2/9

• Tay Tay Dance Party | Wave | 2/7

• Cirque du Soleil: OVO | INTRUST Bank Arena | 2/7 - 2/9

• Second Saturday | Delano, Downtown, Old Town & Douglas Design | 2/8

• Pitch-A-Friend Wichita | Vorshay’s | 2/13

• The Book off Mormon | Century II | 2/14 - 2/16

• Carden Ineternational Spectacular Circus | Park City Arena | 2/14 - 2/16

• Star Wars Night - Wichita Thunder | INTRUST Bank Arena | 2/15

• Parker McCollum | Intrust | 2/20

• Rhea Lana Consignment | Century II | 2/23 - 2/28

• Disney on Ice | INTRUST | 3/6 - 3/9

• 2025 NCAA D1 Basketball Hosting | Downtown & Intrust | 3/20 & 3/22

• Wichita Riverfest | Downtown Wichita | 5/30 - 6/7

• Dude Perfect | INTRUST Bank Arena | 7/11

• Creed | INTRUST Bank Arena | 7/29

• Nate Bargatze | INTRUST Bank Arena | 9/14