Winfield, Kansas

==Economy==
===19th century===
====Railroads====
In 1877, the [[Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad]] Company built a branch line from [[Florence, Kansas|Florence]] to [[El Dorado, Kansas|El Dorado]]. The line was extended to [[Douglass, Kansas|Douglass]] then reached Winfield on October 1, 1879,<ref name="book-hcck"/> and finished at [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]] in 1881.<ref name="Marion 1972"/> The line was leased and operated by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]. The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942.<ref name="Abandon Railway 1942"/> The original branch line connected Florence, [[Burns, Kansas|Burns]], De Graff, El Dorado, [[Augusta, Kansas|Augusta]], [[Douglass, Kansas|Douglass]], [[Rock, Kansas|Rock]], Akron, Winfield, [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]].

The Southern Kansas and Western Railroad was completed from the east to Winfield on February 17, 1880, then continued westward, and it reached the western county line on March 16.<ref name="book-hcck"/> This railroad changed its name over time as it merged or purchased by other railroads.

Eventually, a total of five railroads passed through Winfield.<ref name="book-hcck"/>

====State mental hospital====
In 1881, The Kansas Constitution stated that the care, treatment, and education of the handicapped were responsibilities of public residential institutions. Accordingly, the Kansas State Asylum for Idiotic and Imbecile Youth was temporarily established at Lawrence, moving to Winfield in 1887.<ref name="disability"/>

The Kansas State Imbecile Asylum (later the [[Winfield State Hospital and Training Center]]) was established in the community in 1888, on a hill overlooking the city. For the next 117 years, it served as a dominant local employer, housing and confining those with mental problems from throughout the state of Kansas.<ref name="council_calls" /><ref name="wsh_ctnewsonline"/>

===20th century===
====Industry====
The Winfield-[[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]] area has a wide range of industrial employers—most of which emerged and developed in the 20th century. Many are based at, and around, Strother Field—a municipal airport that the two cities share.<ref name="industries"/>

=====Consumer goods=====
In 1916, Gott Manufacturing was established in Winfield to produce metal water coolers. Over the next 70 years, the enterprise grew into a major supplier of insulated water jugs and urns.<ref name="rubbermaid">Roy, Bill, [http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2011/12/22/newell-rubbermaid-to-bring-200-jobs-to.html "Newell Rubbermaid to bring 200 jobs to Kansas,"] December 22, 2011, ''Wichita Business Journal,'' retrieved April 5, 2017"</ref><ref name="rubbermaid_commerce">[http://www.kansascommerce.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=535 "Rubbermaid celebrates its renewed investment in Winfield, Kan.,"] May 3, 2012, Kansas Dept. of Commerce</ref>

In 1986, Gott was acquired by [[Rubbermaid]], a globally dominant manufacturer of [[rubber]] storage containers, and converted to producing Rubbermaid-branded products, manufacturing insulated water coolers, ice chests, outdoor-living and outdoor-storage products. Subsequent expansion of its facilities have continued into the present day.<ref name="rubbermaid" /><ref name="rubbermaid_commerce" />

A [[Crayola]] crayon-manufacturing plant was located in Winfield from 1952 to 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crayola.com/canwehelp/contact/faq_view.cfm?id=256 | title=Crayola.com Can We Help | access-date=December 11, 2011 }}</ref>

=====Aviation industry=====
======Strother Field======
In 1942, as America entered [[World War II]], Winfield, along with neighboring [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]], began development of a shared municipal airport. However, the entry of the U.S. into the war led to military acquisition and completion of the airfield, which became [[Strother Field]]. During the war, the airfield was used for military pilot training.<ref name="neumann_1975"/><ref name="field_history"/>

In 1953, the airport reverted to shared control of Winfield and Arkansas City, and became a major industrial center for both communities, which it remains to the present.<ref name="neumann_1975" /><ref name="industries" /><ref name="field_history" />

======GE Aviation======
In 1951, at Strother Field, [[GE Aviation]]—an aircraft-engine division of [[General Electric]]—began producing [[General Electric J47]] jet engines for U.S. military aircraft (notably the [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]] intercontinental bomber, built primarily in Wichita, and also built by [[Douglas Aircraft]] at [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]] in neighboring Oklahoma).<ref name="aerofiles">[http://www.aerofiles.com/_boe.html "Boeing numeric, and A to BX,"] ''AEROFILES.com'' retrieved April 7, 2017</ref> Approximately 3,000 of those engines were produced at Strother by 1955.<ref name="neumann_1975" />

With the end of the Korean War, the GE factory switched to overhauling jet engine parts and accessories. In 1962, GE began overhauling and repairing entire military jet engines (particularly [[General Electric J73|J73]] and [[General Electric J85|J85]]), and related parts and accessories—ultimately processing over 6,000 jet engines between 1962 and 1975.<ref name="neumann_1975" />

With the advent of [[business jets]] in the mid-1960s—led by Wichita's [[Learjet]] (using [[General Electric CJ-610]] engines, also used on other business aircraft)—the Strother Field GE facility switched to servicing GE's business jet engines, ultimately processing over 6,000 by 1975, as the factory grew to 125,000 square feet. During those years, several hundred business jets, from around the world, flew into Strother Field to be serviced directly at the GE facility.<ref name="neumann_1975" />

Subsequently, GE's Strother facility overhauled [[General Electric J33|J33]] military engines, and [[General Electric CF6]] engines for "jumbo" jetliners.<ref name="neumann_1975" />

In 1985, GE acquired much of the abandoned Cessna facility for use in its engine-overhaul enterprise.<ref name="cessna">"152, 172RG, 185 PRODUCTION SUSPENDED, STROTHER FIELD SOLD: Cessna Facility at Strother Field sold to General Electric," July, 1985 ''Cessna Owner'' Magazine, p.142, as summarized in [http://cessna.org/documents/magazine_index.pdf "Cessna Pilots Association Magazine Article Index, August 1984-December 2011,"] retrieved April 7, 2017</ref>

======Cessna======
In 1967, [[Cessna Aircraft Company]], the world's highest-volume producer of aircraft (mostly light aircraft, at the time) addressed booming demand for their smallest, most-popular aircraft, by opening a Cessna factory at Strother Field. Initially, the factory produced the [[Cessna 150]], at that time the world's most popular two-seat light aircraft (the world's dominant pilot-training aircraft for several decades).<ref name="legend">Rodengen, Jeffrey L., book: ''The Legend of Cessna,'' 2007, Write Stuff Enterprises, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, p.135.</ref><ref name="mass">
[https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1975/1975%20-%200078.PDF "U. S. Mass-Produced Aeroplane,"] January 9, 1975, ''Flight International,'' as photo-reproduced at ''FlightGlobal.com,'' (PDF) retrieved April 7, 2017</ref>

In 1975, Cessna also began to move the assembly of the world's most popular light aircraft, the [[Cessna 172]], from its Wichita factory to Strother Field.<ref name="legend" />

Several thousand of both aircraft models were produced at Strother Field (making it a globally major aircraft factory complex, in total unit production). The factory employed several hundred to a few thousand workers until the 1980s Recession and other factors crashed the market for light aircraft, and Cessna, following layoffs of 700 workers at Strother Field, eventually shut down the Strother Field factory in the early 1980s.<ref name="cessna_shut">Associated Press, [https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/17/business/cessna-will-shut-plant-6-weeks.html "Cessna Will Shut Plant 6 Weeks"], March 17, 1982, ''New York Times,'' retrieved April 7, 2017</ref>

====Institutions====
The [[Winfield State Hospital and Training Center]], established in the community in the prior century to house and confine the [[mental illness|mentally ill]] and [[developmentally disabled]], remained as a dominant local employer throughout the 20th century, housing and confining those with mental problems from throughout the state of Kansas—housing up to 1,492 "patients" at its maximum in 1952.<ref name="wsh_ctnewsonline" /><ref name="council_calls" />

Towards the end of the century the (now designated "Winfield State Hospital and Training Center") housed [[developmentally disabled]] people. Changing social and political attitudes, and [[SCOTUS]] decisions, and conservative political economics (developmentally disabled persons supported in the community cost the state $25,000 annually, versus $130,000 for confinement in the Winfield facility), led to the gradual closing of most of the facility—over heated protests from residents' families and local community leaders. In 1998, the [[Kansas Legislature]] officially voted to close it. At that time, it was the oldest and largest of the three Kansas state hospitals for [[developmentally disabled]] persons. When the closure of the facility was announced in 1997, the patient population had declined to only 250 residents.<ref name="council_calls" /><ref name="disability" /><ref name="wsh_ctnewsonline" />

The facility was gradually taken over by the [[Kansas Department of Corrections]], and repurposed as the [[Winfield Correctional Facility]], expanded to contain up to 556 prisoners.<ref name="corrections"/>

===21st century===
With the exception of Cessna, most of the area's major employers (some under new names and ownership) continued into the early 21st century.<ref name="industries" /> The Strother Field municipal airport remains the site of the area's principal industrial park, employing thousands.<ref name="industries" /><ref name="field_history" />

In 2010, the [[Keystone Pipeline|Keystone-Cushing Pipeline]] (Phase II) was constructed west of Winfield, north to south through [[Cowley County, Kansas|Cowley County]], with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs).<ref>[http://www.gpace.org/news/marion-county-commission-calls-out-legislative-leadership-on-pipeline-deal/ Keystone Pipeline - ''Marion County Commission calls out Legislative Leadership on Pipeline Deal''; April 18, 2010.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022015437/http://www.gpace.org/news/marion-county-commission-calls-out-legislative-leadership-on-pipeline-deal/ |date=October 22, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/dec/10/transcanada-inspecting-keystone-pipeline/ Keystone Pipeline - ''Trans-Canada inspecting pipeline''; December 10, 2010.]</ref>

In 2011–2012, Rubbermaid (now [[Newell Rubbermaid]]) announced it was moving 200 jobs from a Texas factory to Winfield, increasing its Winfield capacity to add manufacturing of Rubbermaid's trash cans and home-organization products. Further, Rubbermaid would invest $26.6 million to expand its operations, beginning construction of a 500,000-square-foot distribution center next to its factory.<ref name="rubbermaid_commerce" /><ref name="rubbermaid" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Kansas Dept of Commerce|title=Rubbermaid set to expand facility with major investment in Winfield|url=http://www.kansascommerce.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?aid=357|publisher=State of Kansas|access-date=7 March 2012}}</ref> In early 2017, the company was employing 1,054 people<ref name="industries" />

GE Aviation, which began Winfield operations in 1947, continued, generally, until the present day, (according to a local government statement online in April 2017), now employing 750 people in the area.<ref name="industries" />

[[Creekstone Farms]] beef processing plant, in neighboring [[Arkansas City, Kansas]], employed over 600 in early 2017.<ref name="industries" />

Hospitals and nursing-care facilities in Winfield and Arkansas City, combined, employed over 600 workers in early 2017—about half at [[William Newton Memorial Hospital]] in Winfield.<ref name="industries" />

The [[Winfield Correctional Facility]] employed another 200.<ref name="industries" />