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THE KANSAS CITY STORY FOR KIDSMonroe Dodd Daniel Serda
KC
KCTHE KANSAS CITY STORYfor kids
LET’S GO TIME TRAVELING THROUGH
THE MAGIC OF HISTORY!
Monroe Dodd Daniel Serda
TIME TRAVELHOW TO NAVIGATE THIS BOOKThese symbols will show up in this adventure through time, now you’ll know what they mean!
Then and Now: Make a connection between what is going on in the text and what is still happening today. For instance, if there is a historical site you can still visit.
Glossery: Make sure you know what you’re reading.
Pop Culture Connection: What was going on in pop culture at the same time these events were happening in Kansas City?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the past? What it was like to live in a world without electricity, television, or telephones? This book and the stories in it are designed to do just that—to transport you to the past, as if you were in a time machine. Using words, pictures, maps and activities, this book will take you and your imagination into the history of this place we call Kansas City.
TIME TRAVELIN POP CULTUREMODERN DAY INTERPRETATIONS OF HOW IT WORKSMovies and television shows have been obsessed with time travel for as
long as it has been in the relm of thought. Jumping from one time pe-
riod to another can be seen in classic 80s films like Back to the Future,
to witty British televsion shows like Dr. Who, and even in modern chil-
dren’s classics like Harry Potter. Time travel adds a fantastical element
everyone can love to indulge in.
CONTENTS
01 1800s-1853 Bend of the river 02
02 1854-1865 Brother against brother 16
03 1866-1893 The city takes off 26
04 1894-1914 Making life better 42
05 1915-1939 A swinging town 56
06 1940-1963 Wartime, peacetime 74
07 1964-1979 In the spotlight 88
08 1980-2000 Where do we go? 102
09 Epilogue 113
George Caleb Bingham, a Missourian affected by Order No. 11, created this dramatic painting intended to create outrage at General Thomas Ewing. Ewing issued General Order No. 11, requiring evacuation of most Missourians living in the counties along the Kan-sas border. Twenty thousand people were forced to leave the area and find new homes
THE ISSUE IS LOYALTY TO THE UNION.
THE ISSUE IS LOYALTY TO THE UNION.
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHERKansas City isn’t much of a town in
1854, but this will change soon. The
national argument over slavery and
states’ rights has divided the South
and the North for decades. Suddenly,
with the question of statehood for
Kansas, our region becomes a central
battleground for the future of the
American Union.
Slaveholders in Missouri are pit-
ted against New Englanders who
are establishing towns like Quindaro,
Lawrence, and Manhattan. The new
arrivals hope to keep Kansas a free
state and help end slavery. The is-
sue is loyalty to the Union. Should
the United States stay together as a
single country, or should states be
allowed to become miniature nations?
The question is settled more often in
violent brawls than in polite debates.
The tensions in Kansas City and
the eastern part of Kansas are high,
and the violence is the rule of the day.
Far away in Washington, congress
tries to compromise—but the battle
lines have been drawn with Kansas on
one side and Missouri on the other.
18541865
In the 20th century, many Ameri-
cans will believe that politics is dirty.
They will say that politicians some-
times focus too much on personality
and too little on issues.
In the years leading to the Civil
War, however, personality and issues
are not easy to separate. You are ei-
ther for or against slavery. Your politi-
cal beliefs determine whom you call a
friend, whether your neighbors talk to
you, and even whether the merchant
on the riverfront will sell you food.
This is why the Civil War will be
known as the war that pits brother
against brother—a war that will end
with more than a million Americans,
nearly one or every 20 persons in the
country, killed in battle.
It may be hard to imagine that
people can feel so strongly about an
issue that they will burn down some-
one’s house or even kill another per-
son. But that is what makes this the
gloomiest period in American history.
Once the Civil War begins, the
major battles will be fought largely
east of the Mississippi river. Yet in the
years before the war, the debate over
the future of the United States will be
played out in the Kansas City area,
at the boundary between North and
South, East and West. These events
will occur on streets as ordinary as
the ones where you live. It’s not hard
to imagine that these events are real.
The names of the places sound famil-
iar—Lawrence, Wyandotte, Olathe,
Topeka, Westport. So do the names
of some of the villains—or heroes,
depending on your point of view.
In 20th century Kansas City, in
Loose Park south of the County Club
Plaza, you will see cannons commem-
orating a wartime battle that took
place there. On Lexington, Missouri,
just east of Kansas City, a Civil War
cannonball will still be lodged in a
column at the country courthouse.
This is the real magic of history—
not looking at the past in a wistful or
a dreamy way—but recognizing that
people in the past had to wrestle with
difficult and troubling issues.
John Brown
William T. Anderson
FREEDOM VERSUS SLAVERYThe push to create a state west of Missouri came from farmers, investors and
backers of a trans conteninental railroad. In Congress a plan was pushed to
convert Indian Territory into Nebraska. Missourians feared that, if Kansas en-
tered the Union as a free state, Missouri slaves would slip away to it. In 1855, so
many slaves were being stolen or had run away
that Kansas City imposed a curfew.
Black people, slave or free, could not be
on the streets at night without a pass. By 1860
there were 4,000 slaves in Jackson County.
Anti-slavery settlers won the Kansas territo-
rial Legislature in 1857. In early 1858 they won a
constitutional referendum. These were growing
signs that the free-state side would win.
In 1859 a constitutional convention met in Wyandotte, just west of Kansas
City. It adopted a plan to admit Kansas into the Union as a free state. The plan
was sent to Congress but blocked by Southerners there. In late 1860, Abraham
Lincoln was elected president and several Southern states seceded from the
Union. Then, Kansas had enough votes in Congress to win admission as a free
state in January 1861.
I, JOHN BROWN, AM NOW QUITE CERTAIN
THAT THE CRIMES OF THIS GUILTY LAND WILL
NEVER BE PURGED AWAY BUT WITH BLOOD.
BUSHWHACKERPro-slavery fighter engaged in plunder and property
destruction. Also called a border ruffian.
FREE-SOILERSPeople who did not want slavery in a territory.
19
THE WAR BEGINSMissouri allowed slavery, just as the Southern states that were seceding from the Union. When the Civil War began in early 1861, Union troops quickly took control of St. Louis, the states largest city, and Jefferson City, the capital.
Pro-Confederate Missouri officials
were forced to flee to Texas. Even
though these Confederate offi-
cials voted for Missouri to join the
Confederate States of America,
they had no power to enfoce the
decision. Missouri remained a
slave state and a member of the
Union. In June 1861, only a few
months after the war started,
Kansas City was occupied by 200
federal soldiers. They were sta-
tioned at Camp Union, pictured
below. Despite the presence of
these soldiers, the city had a
sizable number of residents who
openly sided with Confederates.
THE BORDEROutside Kansas City, along the
Kansas-Missouri border, Mis-
souri’s Southern sympathizers
and Kansas’ Unionists raided one
another throughout the war. One
side’s raid would by avenged by
the other. Raiders on each side
burned, looted and plundered
farms where they thought their
opponents’ sympathizers lived.
Sometimes they killed male occu-
pants. Kansas raiders were called
Jayhawkers or Red Legs. Missouri
raiders were called bushwhackers
or border ruffians.
HOT HEADSAmong leaders on the pro-Union
side, James Lane of Kansas was
one of the most extreme. In fall
1861 his band of raiders entered
Missouri, looting and burning
farms and villages.
The most notorious leader
of the pro-Southern raiders was
William Quantrill. He led a raid on
Olathe, Kansas, on Sept. 2, 1862.
In June 1861, only a few months after the war started, Kansas City was occupied by 200 federal soldiers. They were stationed at Camp Union, below.
In late October 1864, Price’s
troops pushed through Indepen-
dance, drove Union defenders
back from the Blue River and on
Oct. 22 camped south of Brush
Creek, across from Westport. The
morning of Oct. 23 the Confed-
erates attacked, but the Union
forces held and drove the Con-
federates back. When reports
arrived that other Union forces
were attacking from the east,
BATTLE OF WESTPORT
Abour 10,000 Confederate tropps entered Missouri from
Arkansas in late summer 1864. Their commander, General
Sterling Price, aimed to attack Union forces in St. Louis. He
hoped that this would draw the Union’s attention from the
Civil War in Virginia and so help General Robert E. Lee’s
forces there. Price attacked a Union stronghold in southeast
Missouri, Pilot Knob, but the federal defenders escaped.
He advanced north toward St. Louis but found the city too
strongly defended by Union troops. Then he headed west.
After being repulsed by Union troops at Jefferson City,
Price aimed to attack Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth.
Meanwhile, Union forces chased him from behind.
FIGHTING IN KC
21
WARWAR
HARD TIMES AS THE WAR WEARS ON
HARD TIMES AS THE WAR WEARS ON
CHAPTER REVIEW
Q.Who is the man shown in the painting in the
bottom left corner? What was his stand on the
slavery issue?
Look at the illustration of Kansas City’s riverfront
shown on the right page. How many types of
transportation do you see?
Why did Kansas City’s growth and prosperity
suffer during the Civil War?
A.1. John Brown. He was opposed to slavery. 2. Walking, horsedrawn wagons, oar-driven boats and steamboats. 3. Pro-union and pro-Confederate gangs roamed the area, intimidating residents and creating fear for travelers and shippers. Also, the city feared attack by the Confederate Army. Small wonder that few people wanted to move to or trade with Kansas City.
Historic home of John Wornall:
John Wornall House Museum
146 W. 61st Terrace, Kansas City
Alexander Majors House:
Majors’ Historical House
8201 State Line Road, Kansas City
PLACES TO VISIT
WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON BETWEEN 1854-1865?Presidents: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln
Walt Whitman published a book of 12 poems, Leaves of Grass
Henry Bessemer (below) invented a process allowing mass production of steel
Adventurer William Walker conquered Nicaragua
Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision: decided the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the territories, and that people of African descent (both slave and free) were not protected by the Constitution and were there-fore, not U.S. citizens
Oregon was admitted as a State
Lincoln was shot on April 14 and died the next day
54/56/60
55
56
56
57
59
64
TIME TRAVEL
25
Above, the Kansas City Chiefs walk off the field after a loss in the first Super Bowl (January 1967). In 1960 Lamar Hunt helped establish the American Football League and moved his team from Dallas to KC. Also new to the KC entertainment scene were the Royals, who be-gan playing at Municipal Stadium on April 8, 1969. Before Kauffman took over the team, in 1967 the Beatles came through town.
BASEBALL, THE SUPERBOWL AND THE BEATLES
ALL DESCENDED UPON KANSAS CITY
POP CULTURE BOOMIn turbulent times Kansas City begins
a new effort to reshape its image and
identity. City leaders tour the United
States, speaking to officials and to
news reporters in cities such as New
York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Los An-
geles. Kansas City, they announce, is
in its Prime Time. The phrase “prime
time” is ordinarily used to mean the
evening hours when most people
watch television. It is the prime time
for advertising. Kansas City’s Prime
Time campaign is intended to make
the same point. City leaders boast of
new development and a new spirit of
progress that are making Kansas City
a modern, attractive place to live.
New public buildings spring up
downtown and on the city’s boundar-
ies. Kansas City builds a new interna-
tional airport, new sports stadiums
and a modern convention center, and
a major downtown redevelopment
project gets under way. Kansas City,
Prime Time declares, is now a first
class city.
In 1960, Arnold Johnson, the
man who had brought the Athletics
19641979
baseball team to Kansas City, died of
a stroke. The team was bought by a
Chicago millionaire insurance man,
Charles O. Finley.
The new owner promised great
things for the team, but he kept few
of his promises. For example, Finley
said he would soon move his fam-
ily to Kansas City. However, in 1967
Finley moved the team to Oakland,
Calif. Finley had gone through seven
team managers in those seven years
in Kansas City.
After the 1967 season, major-
league baseball owners promised that
Kansas City could have a new team
in 1971. The new owner of the team
would be a local man and soon to be
local hero, Ewing M. Kauffman.
At the same time that O. Finley
was baffling and embarassing many
Kansas Citians, he was experimenting
with his baseball team. He tried many
tricks to make more fans come to the
ballpark. Finley brought the Beatles
to Kansas City. At the time the band
was the hottest rock ‘n’ roll group in
the world and was touring America.
What did that have to do with base-
ball attendance? Finley’s theory was
that “today’s Beatles fans” would
become “tomorrow’s baseball fans.”
We’ll never know whether his
theory was correct. He paid $150,000
for a 31-minute concert. About
20,000 were in the audience that
night. Fewer than half the available
seats were filled.
Ewing Kauffman and his wife are treasured figures in Kansas City because of their
help in revitalizing the city with the Royals.
Kansas City had approved a law prohibiting discrimination by hotels and eating places in 1960. After being challenged in court, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the law in 1962. Other businesses continued to discriminate.
STRIVING FOR EQUALITY
SOCIAL CHANGE
In the late 1960s, many demonstrators made their point using peacful means.
Inspired by successes of civil rights protesters, young people began to protest conditions they didn’t like.
Economic disparity and social inequality. The Black Panther party and oth-
er groups that were consideredradical shocked middle-class Kansas City.
Restrictions on their conduct and course work by schools. Many objected
to dress codes and to closing hours for dormitories, particularly for wom-
en. Others called for schools to offer courses in black and women studies.
Discrimination, not only against black people, but alsoagainst women, His-
panics and Native Americans.
The draft. This was a nationwide system in which men who reached 18
signed up with the government. Unless they could get an exemption, the
armed services could “draft” them to fight.
91
BUILDING UP
KANSAS CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CROWN CENTER
Opened: Fall 1972
In 1966, Kansas City voters ap-
proved Mid-Continent International
Airport. It was to be constructed
on land recently annexed by Kan-
sas City in Platte County.
Opened: 1973
Hallmark Cards led the way in the
construction of Crown Center. The
project sprawled across an area
once known as Signboard Hill. Hall-
mark wanted to make a new city
within a city.
NEW BUILDINGS TODAYKansas City is currently in the process of reener-
gizing the city again. New buildings like the Sprint
Center and the Power and Light district are new,
exciting draws for tourists.
BARTLE HALL HARRY S. TRUMAN SPORTS COMPLEX
Opened: 1976
The areas biggest meeting hall was
named for Kansas City’s mayor from
1955 to 1963, H. Roe Bartle. The hall
was used for conventions, auto shows,
boat shows and other displays.
Opened: 1972
The complex was a project of
Jackson County, not Kansas City,
because Jackson County could
more readily provide money. The
project was approved by voters
in 1967. The Chiefs played its first
season in Arrowhead in 1972, while
the Royals began playing in 1973.
95
THE KANSAS CITY STORY FOR KIDS
Dodd/Serda
THE KANSAS CITY STORY FOR KIDS
THE KANSAS CITY STORY FOR KIDSMonroe Dodd Daniel Serda
Dodd/Serda