10,000th Kaydet is delivered Friday to armed forces
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: July 29, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle covers the release of the 10,000 Boeing/Stearman Kaydet training airplane and the B-29 "X" airplane. Both airplanes had their production numbers painted on their fuselage to represent their respective milestones in aircraft production. The "X" on the B-29 denoted the fact that the official production numbers for the B-29 were classified during World War II.

1000 B-29's
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1945
This article, published in the March 1945 edition of the Boeing Magazine, covers the completion of the 1,000 B-29 Superfortress in Wichita, Kansas.

Adjutant General of Kansas to Governor Andrew Schoeppel
Creator: Kansas. Adjutant General's Dept.
Date: Between 1943 and 1947
This memorandum, from the Adjutant General of Kansas to Governor Andrew Schoeppel, addresses the use of conscientious objectors on dairy farms. During World War II, thousands of men applied to the Selective Service as conscientious objectors to war based on their religious beliefs. Many, as this memo indicates, worked on farms during the war.

A Dust Cloud Rolling Over the Prairies (near Hugoton, Kansas)
Creator: Stovall Studio
Date: April 14, 1935
This is a photograph of a dust cloud rolling over the prairie near Hugoton, Kansas. Southwest Kansas was among the hardest hit areas during the Dust Bowl. Dust storms, such as the one depicted here, could blow for a full day, coating everything in their path with a layer of dirt. It was taken by the Stovall Studio in Dodge City, Kansas on Sunday April 14, 1935. It is labeled #3.

Affidavit from Homer W. Hunter to U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle
Creator: Hunter, Homer
Date: March 22, 1943
Affidavit from Homer Hunter of Coffeyville, Kansas, to U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle. The affidavit describes the treatment endured by Melvin L. Jackson, F. Jerry Molohan, and Homer W. Hunter during World War II. The three men, all Jehovah's Witnesses and conscientious objectors, describe the harsh treatment and threats of violence they faced from some members of the American Legion due to their religious beliefs.

Aide center, Kansas City, Kansas
Creator: United States. Works Progress Administration
Date: Between 1935 and 1943
An exterior view of an aide center in Kansas City, Kansas. The center was part of the Works Progress Administration's domestic science and foods program.

Aide center, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: United States. Works Progress Administration
Date: Between 1935 and 1943
An exterior view of an aide center in Topeka, Kansas. The center was part of the Works Progress Administration's domestic science and food program.

A living example of our problem in soil conservation
Creator: Works Progress Administration Indian Program
Date: 1935
This image, part of the New Deal Indian Program scrapbook compiled by the Works Progress Administration, depicts a gully created by severe erosion. Erosion such as this depleted the soil of its nutrients and decreased fertility, and blowing soil contributed to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Alphabetical agencies created under the Roosevelt New Deal Party
Creator: Biggers, E.M.
Date: 1932
This item, printed and issued by Biggers Printing Company of Houston, Texas, lists the many different agencies created under President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. In addition to well-known programs such as the WPA, the list contains many lesser-known agencies, providing an interesting glimpse into the expansion of the U.S. Government under the New Deal.

Andrew Schoeppel to James Boyack
Creator: Schoeppel, Andrew Frank, 1894-1962
Date: April 20, 1943
In this letter Kansas Governor Andrew F. Schoeppel informs James E. Boyack that he can not provide detailed information concerning Kansas' contributions to the war effort that Boyack wanted, for the 1943 addition of the aviation yearbook Aerosphere, because of the secret nature of the information. However, Schoeppel does praise the achievements of Kansas' aviation companies up to that point in World War II.

Anna M. Hogsett to Governor Payne Ratner
Creator: Hogsett, Anna
Date: October 22, 1942
This letter from Mrs. Anna Hogsett of Brownell, Kansas, to Governor Payne Ratner, details her efforts to help her son Luther who refused to join the U.S. military because he objected to war of any kind. In addition, Mrs. Hogsett's letter is important because it details the stance of many Jehovah's Witnesses toward armed conflict and violence.

Approaching dust storm
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: Between 1935 and 1936
A photograph of an approaching dust storm in the Middle West; most likely in southwest Kansas. The southwest corner of the state was one of the hardest hit areas during the Dust Bowl. Dust storms, such as this one, rolled over the the southern Great Plains from 1932-1936, removing top soil from agricultural lands and prompting important changes in agricultural practice.

Approaching Dust Storm in Middle West
Creator: Conard, Frank Durnell, 1884-1966
Date: 1935
This is a view of an approaching dust storm somewhere on the southern Plains. The photograph was taken by Frank D. ("Pop") Conard, a well known photographer in Garden City, Kansas. Dust storms, such as this one, rolled over the the southern Great Plains from 1932-1936, removing top soil from agricultural lands and prompting important changes in agricultural practice. The image is labeled #24 Conard.

A study made of 719 rural rehabilitation families relative to their standard of living
Creator: Kansas Emergency Relief Committee
Date: 1935
This study was compiled by Conie Foote, supervisor of home economics, and her county home advisers. The report includes an introductory note from Foote, who states that the goal of this study is to provide the rural rehabilitation program with essential information about the needs of relief clients during the Dust Bowl years. The study addresses several questions, including: "What is the present standard of living of the families making application for rural rehabilitation loans? Is there a standard below which a family cannot live and maintain health and efficiency?" To answer these questions, the report includes statistics, such as charts documenting housing conditions, the number of applicants in each household, the items of household equipment required by relief families, and the number of persons needing medical care.

B-29 backlog of 1 1/2 billion dollars held
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: December 30, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the huge demands placed on the Boeing Aircraft Company by the War Department which needed more B-29s for the U.S. air effort in World War II. Totaling over $1,150,000,000.00 in new orders, the War Department's requirements led Boeing employees to work around the clock to produce the requisite number of aircraft.

B-29 is city's big contribution to the war effort
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: June 15, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the features of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The B-29, the most powerful U.S. bomber during World War II, put Wichita on the map and provided the city with the tremendous influx of money and people that were required to build the airplane.

B-29 is rated as deceptive in appearance
Date: June 16, 1944
This article from the Wichita Eagle details the experience of a Wichita Eagle writer and their flight in a B-29.

Beechcraft AT-10 twin-engine advanced pilot trainers
Creator: Beech Aircraft Corporation
Date: 1940s
This photograph shows a Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita. The AT-10 trainer was built for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and served as the primary training aircraft for pilots who went on to fly multi-engine bombers during the conflict.

Biggest land transport
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1944
This article, published in the November 1944 edition of the Boeing Magazine, details the development of the Boeing 377 airliner. Produced at the end of World War II, the 377 Stratocruiser owed its development to the success of earlier Boeing airplanes, such as the B-29.

Black Friday meets its master
Creator: Garden City Daily Telegram
Date: April 10, 1935
Several articles about life in the Dust Bowl can be found on the front page of this newspaper from Garden City. Articles of particular interest include two articles on "raging dusters," one on the winter wheat crop, and a brief article discussing the postponement of community meetings to distribute aid under the soil erosion program. The newspaper also includes articles about other newsworthy events occurring in Garden City and around the state of Kansas.

Boeing adds to list of achievements in plane industry
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: April 25, 1943
This article from the Wichita Eagle covers the Boeing Aircraft Company's completion of the 7,000th trainer airplane for the U.S. Armed Forces. By 1943, Boeing was producing a trainer airplane every 90 minutes.

Boeing Airplane Company, Wichita, Kansas
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1943
This is a view of men and women employees working on B-29 Superfortress airplanes at the Boeing Airplane Company plant in Wichita, Kansas.

Boeing B-29 Bomber
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1945
View of a Boeing B-29 Bomber in flight.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress and a PT-17 Kaydet
Creator: Boeing Airplane Company
Date: 1945
This photograph shows two aircraft that were very important to the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the U.S. war effort as a whole, during World War II. While vastly different in both size and capability, each plane fulfilled a vital role during the conflict.

Boeing to remain integral part of industrial Wichita
Creator: Wichita Eagle
Date: August 26, 1945
This article from the Wichita Morning Eagle details Boeing Airplane Companies wartime accomplishments and the postwar plans for its Wichita division.