Kansas City : an American story 9780960488407, 0960488405

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ck Eons Cae ari Shirl Kasper ed by Monroe Dodd KANSAS CITY STAR

Here, the great tt century adolescence

ruption and war and finally

new civic understandir

Rick Montgomery

et New

plore 50th

Japar a 1982

versity two son:

\imosities and the ir, the tiny City of g of The Bridge, the er and the herald of and through the

he packinghouses and

ills and bakeries, the city

a to the greats before

sey Stengel, Jean Harlow,

Shirl Kasper

porter and

in history f Kansas City

the University Annie Oakley

published in 1 homa Press. Sh

history at the Ur in Denver

Monroe Dodd tical machinery of Kansas

came a man who

iting jobs at The Sk

gree in history fror

andlives in Shawnee

wn, until now, are the stories

s, r e k c a p t a e m d n a s ie ar on

goworkers, suffragists, church

r ts. Kansas City has been thei

ed k o o b a s a h e r o f e b r e v e n | the of rn tu e th — ds oa sr cros the d n a m u i n n e l l i m e h t ‘turn of

Jacket photograph: The Main streets, 190¢

Western Historical Manu

University of Missoun:

PRINTED IN THE

lly fu ti au be is th s e m o c thday —

City. s a s n a K of fe li e th f o rait been s a h y r o t S n a c i r e ity: An Am It is the . g n i k a m e h t in nwo years m of journalists from The Kansas rediscoverthe city’s

KANSAS

*

CITY

STAR

Kansas City, Missouri

BOO!

a retrieval system, or trans echanieal, photocopying,

of the publisher,

INTRODUCTION

vii

uublished by the University

PB END

the University Press o}

OF

THE

190

THOROUGHLY MODERN 1920s; Roaring along in the Age of Play

210

THE TOWN THAT TOM RULED

RIVER

To the 1830s; A crossroads

1930s; Jobs, jazz, crime and corruption

Anderson, copyright (c)

1830s, ‘40s and ‘50s; Place of destiny

ds, Ine., Kansas City, Mis-

Hgts

TIMES

1870s and 80s: Six-guns and saloons,

faro and fallen women

ge granted by permission %®

1146

[oe

ch ri and thy Fil s; ‘90 d an s 80 s, 70 18 OF

AGE

up d in l ou g in ow Gr ; 0s ‘9 d n a 1870s, ‘80s

DAWN

OF

A

CENTUR®

1900s: “Hurrah for prosperity!”

Pcitry

ON

A

LEAG GS

1950s; Churning out children,

280)

WINDS

OF

CHANGE

1960s: A time of wrenching transitions

THE WORLD WAS WATCHING:

ae

1970s: City in the spotlight

COWTOWN

COMING

RESURGENCE

settling into subdivisions

1860s and '70s; Railroads come to town

hed by Farrar, Straus &

CRUSAD

fe li 0! s y a w w e n , s a e d 1910s: New i

99-72080 CIP

BIG

BRIDGE

Beer OW DY

AND

/940s; Stocking the arsenal of democracy

1854-1865; Turmoil and wat

1 (€) 1996 by M andSAIne,

e Craft with foreword! by ermission of Capra Pres:

WAR

Ol VIDED

himoAeGin Y

Ine, from I WAS RIGHT ON Conrids, Copyright (c) 1996

CITY

A

OF

wea tRitkH

SHOCK AND SURVIVAL 1980s; An age of extremes OF THE 1990s: The spirit lives on

Gc -ITY

FUTURES

Acknowledgements Bibliography Source notes

Photograph and illustration credits

Index

At the City Market in the 1910s:

Farm children accompanied parents

who brought produce and other goods to town. Later, many moved to Kansas

City.

5

ee Liberty

°

@ Lexing

Columbia

@ Mnicpemien

¢

Feanmeow

-

vissourt River

poonville

Chueeau >

srading pom @ Jctierso nn

pe

—

“

ay CD

\DIAN

City

=CD

:

|

fur

traders from St

is,

and it brought the pee : r ’ Ou

plain as

Kawsmouth,

the

early

settlers

ca

.

ever

can sec the

great

Above: In 1830, only a few towns had sprouted along the Missouri River. Right: Fur trappers ranged across the prairies into the Rockies to bring back pelts for the fashion-conscious ofthe East and Europe. In the late 1830s,

painter Alfred Jacob Miller toured the West and captured on canvas “Louis, Rocky Mountain Trapper.”

Cody,

Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Wyo., Gift of the Coe Foundation

iF yy

The commerceof the West flowed throughSt. Louis, founde d by the Chouteau family. This sceneis about 1836.

Rene Auguste

MarieTherese Bourgeois

Chouteau

the voyageurs and the coureurs de bois who came up from St. Louis or down-from the Rocky Mountains to live in the bottom land where the Kansas River met the Missouri. They were hardy men, French Canadians

Thegood times roll: fence caine trappers andtraders loved a party, mal or rustic. The drawing of this idancelaround the campfire was made

and creoles from French Louisiana whotraveled the rivers to trap beaver.

by Alfred Jacob Miller.

¥

i

i

Many had Indian wives — Flathead, Cree, Gros Ventre, Kickapoo and

}

|

ee

Brigitte

Jemmites

Pelagic

1749-1829

Chouteau

Saucier

Chouteau

ae aS

749-1829

Mines

SORCOE Ot Illinois

minister to the French Catholic voyageurs. To Father Joseph Lutz they were “slothful bellies ... addicted to drink and much talking.” Father Pemard Donnelly remembered them more kindly. On saints’ days, their fiddle music wafted up from the bottoms and the menfeasted on corn a member of Congress.”

5

A ie t Donnelly decided “it was fit for

Berenice Therese Menard

LEE

She husbandby four survived decades her spending her 2 last yearsin Kansas City

quilts and blankets. Some voyageurs, who handled the boats, came and went, but others setar eat

: ss Bend of The River ec

fur interests

wife

extendedias

rete

4 there were Cpe beads. In every cabin spinning wheels and looms andpiles of

ee

Clark, he built a aid Ade ¢ among ONS

Married ATIC

first

Y

)

amend Lwis anc

Indians that

s today’s

tent yma

The Indian . * women made moccasins and purses adomed pit alent

jeeAse

ones : tives in the

ufter the d oO | -a Fierre Ss

Ghoteat

a

1758-1849

age

brother and

7

77

i fe

Near with his half

Ri

bread and a bouillon soup so delicious P

Liguest 1729-1778 In 1763, as part ner in a trading firm, he established a head quarters that became St Louis

ee

Firstterritorial

accepted by manyof the pioneer priests who cameto early Kawsmouth to

Laclede

Forced to make her way with an infant af ter her husband’s departure, she met La clede, a prominent New Orleans merchant who evidently fathered her last fourchil dren. Barred by law from remarrying, she gavethem her husband's last name and took them to join Lacledein St. Louis in 1764. They became thecity’s leading family

Sse:

These biracial, bicultural people were the metis, a people “in between,” saat f whose ways andculture, historian Tanis C. Thorne says, were not readily .

1733-1814

1723-1776 A NewOrleans innkeeperwho left MarieTherese and Auguste and spent 15 rs in his native France. Helater tried in vainto retrieve her.

Sioux — and mixed-blood children :

Pierre de

=

z

3

;

Establ hed fi { permanent

stablishe@ 1 settlement ee

Sees :

Pierre Menard Chouteau 1822-1885

Francois Gesseau Chouteau 1797-1838

Becametreasurer of KansasCity

ts

the

aesas

viet oa 2

ssour

Nine other children

Cyprien

Frederic

Pierre

Auguste

Chouteau =

Chouteau 9-189

“Cadet Chouteau

Pierre Chouteau

L802 S72

ee

1789-1865

89-1865

a dominant

yure

1786-1838

- Il

in

OWT

fanrrade

Indians

pce || ders

H IG H W Ags)

0 F

WA Te Eek Re were the superhighways of the American frontier, and boats were the over-the-road

nf

ee ~a

Steamboat

s e u e c u H “ m oe t a f a t u

z

ee EAT EONOTE EE TE a PORTE:

Flatboat

trucks. Voyageurs, French traders, pierced the continent on casy-tomaneuver pirogues, which were hollowed logs propelled bypoles or paddles. Big loads of furs or other materials were shipped downstream on flatboats — simple, cheap and eas-

ily built craft shaped much like today’s river barges. Because they were clumsy to guide, flatboats weren't used for the return trip upstream. Shippers used or sold

the lumber for buildings and sometimes burned them. As the 18th century ended, keel boats came into vogue. Their long shape, narrow bowand stern and curved bottom madethem stable and maneuverable enough to trayel upstream or down. If keelboatmen were lucky, wind could provide the power. Typically, the power had to come from thesix- to 10man crew. Its members used long poles to push off the bottom or, in

somesituations, swam ashoreto

pull the boat with long tow ropes In 1819 the Independence, designed especially for the shallow Missouri, madethe first steamboat trip on the river. It took 13 days to go from St. Louis to Franklin (across from Boonville). Thereturn trip took three

Keelboat

uri” by George Caleb Bingham,

er, his son and petheadlan-

NDITIONE AN GOOD ORDER AXP WELL CO

WH Chet

oe

D amg E ——e ~ Fa

aon ffleacTehisngn

Low Rae FI

33, doc18 , 3 2 h c r a M d e t a d t, This receip

ing p p i h s s ’ u a e t u o h C s i o uments Franc outh m s w a K m o r f r u f f o s 240 pack uis o L . St to ) ty Ci s a s n a K y (present-da James B. , to Ot t a o b m a e t s e h t d aboar Hill, captain.

r Mis we lo e th of ” um pl e th ed er as consid w e d a r t e s o h w s, an di In e g a Os and s om st cu an di In ed yr n o h nguage, la e ag Os e th e yk p s re er Pi souri. Jean mixe d e er th fa ve ha o t id sa s a w he where e m a r fo e ib tr e h t g on am lived vern go S. U. e Th y le Fo . E m ia n Will ia or st hi to g in rd co ac , en blood childr e ib tr e th to t en ag an di In t rs au fi te ou Ch re er Pi an Je d te in po ment ap diar In at th d ne ar le u a e t u o h C ancois Fr at th er th fa s hi om fr s a w Perhaps it to gain their e way th t a h t d an rs ne ai rg ba ing were shrewd and demand

s d o o g ty li u q ly on n i e ad spect and go .d will was to tr f el ms hi d e d i r p u a e t u o h C nger u o y e h t h c i h w n o t in po a It was E R U D N E D N A . . . E R O TO EXPL

thar er rg la s a w r e v e n h t u Kawsmo at t n e m e l t t e s h c n e r F The e ad tr t s n e m m i n a of r e t the cen s a w t i s e d a c e d r fo t u b families, d, ca ol s r a e y 24 y l n o u a e t s Chou i o c n a r F at th 1 2 8 1 in s It wa

. ly mi fa s hi r fo t s o p g n i er to establish a trad as. s n a K o n s a w e r e h t state — and

Missoun was

There was only the

“‘

Kansas ‘

ne

“S

O

TR

(fe

ok Bayne 9.

: A

3

J

p

Lh Bo 5 a all

Z

Z tlhe fp

*

A E PL ED,

Limes

‘( a ee % :

oe

= a

tee

Balle ar oe

:

tL

: “ Ao Sr iva LL

CLs eee pedis fon x ee ee Z ae Ye . ae fe rs 4 Tllinois But letters he wrote, which were found in recent years at the Iilin Kansas City

S

By this time, commercial buildings were popping up along the rive r and atop the

bluffs. Traders to Santa Fe and travelers to ¢ dregon and California disembarked at the rocky landing and headed south on the road to Westport

WEES S siiieeOnk. i !

According to one

account, the 1844 flood changed Turkey Creek's course to enter the 4 Kansas River

ANCOIS

lahat

eaaer ip nalbcr ced i pla have

:

Tea

Thepopulation was sprawling southward, and today’s

"TURKEY CREEK

In 1830,it flowed northeast

y

it

downtown street grid wasin place

along today’s Southwest Boulevard and then northto the Missouri. Several Creoles had farms alongit, giving the area the nameFrench Bottoms.

Waste

~eqeuneeaes

;

.EELBOATS a

‘ Civil War.

Kansas City

2

Jt

IcCoy, from a photog?)

men aschain carriers anda black manas a cook. Years later Calvin McCoy recalled that trip, which brought him to the fu ture Kansas Cityfor thefirst time. In August 1830 thesurvey party passed single file through the public squarein Independence, a town of about 150 people. On westthey went, over the stump-covered ground tow ard the line where Missouri ended andIndian Territory began. “The picture as first I sawit,” McCoy wrote, was of “precipitous hills

Independence, seat of Jackson County in the early 1850s.

Thomas

DILaii

1

i

Isaac

SRN

nie dense

tg e fern

j

had

hopx

f

Baptist

Calvin McCoy went back to Jackson (

yuNty

Open a store,

That was

Kent

ere

Luke's Hospital. The younger Me¢

.

Sees 4

also

whom Johr

AN IDEA IS BORN

NTO for

|)

MeCoy

for the

was Of “PreChPHOUSHils, dee)

Johnson, for

el |

Wisely,

in |

he situated |

country with Independence,

at

buy goods, Independence

Trail, which traversed Jack Coy’s store,

McCoy

tore

nience store On some lonely And then McCoy went ing to start

a town

He called the place “West P printed and advertised a great j It proved

$14,”

he

a

wrote

great

one

sure

enc

in his reminiscenc

booms! For : Copy of Calvin McCoy's 1835 plat : Rar rt. of Westpo

a year or so afterward he

town, and finally did.

J.M.

Hunter opened a

McCoy offered him a free half-block an

et

i

tried t saddle id

| n

M\

stood at what became the northeast corner of Pennsylvania

Aver

Westport Road

ld bui n tow at s ort eff t firs his at d ghe lau oy McC r late rs Yea twee business was so slow that he and his slave Tom had time “be anc the m fro es vin d an sh bru se den the y awa ar cle to ” ers tom cus McGoy’s daughter, Nellie McCoy Harris, told how her father

Kansas City

2

“What a busy town

port when the Sania | be

was atits heig))

— NELLIE McCoy 1

West

affic

The Pioneer Mother Memorial in Penn Valley Park was dedicated in November, 1927,to reflect the spirit of all pioneer mothers. The sculpture, by Alexander Phimister Proctor was sponsored by area arts patron Howard Vanderslice.

Westport’s growth was tied directly to

the

frontier.

First

with the nearby Indians. Then came overland pionec gon, soldiers headed to the Mexican War and California.

1840s.

Most passed through Westport

pe

The longest-lived commerce wasthe Santa Fe trade.

manufactured goods from Missouri and around the

A

world heade

trail for Santa Fe after trade with Mexico was opened in 182 cloth; silks and velvets; French wines and champagne; pian needles; canned oysters, and strawberry jam Traders with long teams of wagons and oxen returned to Missour Mexican silver coins, mules, beaver pelts and wool.

The commerce

of tl

prairies, as it was called, was an extremely profitable venture that mad fortune for men like Jackson County’s Alexander Majors. Author Jami Park sontells how populartrade items such as calico and bleached cotton, cost 15 to 20 cents in Missouri, brought $2 to $3 in Santa Fe

“What a busy town was Westport when theSanta Fe traffic was t height,” recalled Nellie McCoy Harris, who wroteof streets crowded with familycarriages, freighters’ wagons andteamsters. It was a diverse society

Kansas City

29

A HIGHWAy

Here are the earliest routes through what would become

BOTTOMS and FORESTS Trees and dense under

brush along the streams made the going difficult

Jacksonand Johnsoncounties After leaving Fort Osage, the

traders’ biggest hindrance was the Blue River. They sometimes traveled extra miles over slightly rougher terrain to avoid its steepest banks and deepest waters.

| 1820s

RIVERS Steep, muddy banks and seasonal changes

Missouri River

in river levels created

troublesome crossings.

Kansas

| Santa Fe Trail

“The ordinary supplies for each man’s consump-

| routes

tion during the journey

are about fifty pounds of flour, as many more of bacon, ten of coffee and

é q 3 Little Blue River B 4

SeAeN © A

FE

in, on the north bankofthe Missouri across from today’s Boonville, or to Fort Osage. Floods in 1826 and 1828 wiped out Franklin. In 1827, Independence was es

tablished as the seat of the new Jackson

County, and the trailhead moved there ts landed on the Missouri River bank {the traders headed four miles south 10 dence. T Outfitting there, they drove wagons by mule or ox teams to Council

Kan., where in later years caravans de up and leaders elected. The 700-mile trip from the Missoun

to Santa Fe could take eight weeks

ally was marked by dust mud

Mosquitoes and heat. dence prospered as thefart hest

fitting point on the trail for \W° til the upstart Westport wit! ©

the river cut 12 miles off

r

i

[journey and avoided the trouble

in short

ofthe Blue River.

order, the Westport low" of blossomed, pushed by ; 4 flood along the M aged the landing at Indepe?

fmade the rockyledge at th

Kansas a far moreattractiveS

:

Pay seca

With open vistas, casy terrain and few trees, ridgelines were preferred by traders.

twenty of sugar, and a little salt. The buffalo is

chiefly depended upon for

To Fort

Osage

fresh meat. — JOSIAH GREGG

Oregon Trail .

COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES

Kansas

California Trail

@ War with Mexico in 1846. Some troops and supplies came throughthe new landing. Victory made NewMexicoa territory of the UnitedStates, and trade skyrocketed. @ Clashes betweentrail travelers and Indians at Point of Rocks and Wagon Mound in what is today New Me

NewsofAmerican deathsstirred anger in the states, leading Congress to yote mon-

eyfor military posts along thetrail, such as Fort Union in today’s northern New Mexico. Personnel and supplies to build and maintain the forts kept the Town of Kansas and Westport busy. Bythe late 1840s, Westport and the Townof Kansas had becomethe Santa Fe trail’s main eastern terminus. Meanwhile, people with other plans were passing through and spending money. In the early 1840s the United States claimed Oregon. Stories of its wonders

beckoned thousands

Santa Fe

of Trail families from the East through Jackson County to the OregonTrail, which followedthe Santa FeTrail until the two diverged near present-day Gardner in southwest Johnson County In 1849 newsof agold strikeat Sutter's Mill in California arrived, and prospectors

swarmed through western Missouri on

the Oregon Trail, splitting off in Idaho for California. TheSanta Fe trade was largely commertraders spent cial and went both ways;

money outfitting here and spent pro-

ceeds when they returned. By the mid1820s traders from Mexico were headed this way, too, and returning to Santa Fe

and Chihuahua.

Most travelers to Oregon andCalifornia were emigrants who never returned.

Kansas City

31

Westport and Kansas City emerged |

f Independence trader, establishmento s “ : : her up the Missouri and reduce Ove : ' g of Westport andjts fivertl;= rhe foundin ang n id-1830s further eased thejourney rem

Tandin,

Y

Shawnee \

Indian

Cc

Ountyiroad

+

Methodist Mission pol

a

Re oute through

a

Gum$ rings

| ‘ PN / NI|

(today’s

z

Indian Creek

|

2

In ms Cohtin.

IndianCreek campground

SS

(formerly Flat §

Rock Creek) campground F

Today's landmark

still exis MSS

JACKSONCO.

VAN BURD 2__ Military cassis

Be

toad

asso

Elm Grove

campground Oregon and California tr

County road Hi

Methodist Mission

Independence Courthouse Square

Westport

“

3|

{aura

herlap, clasp my arms aroundher waist and hide my face. 'Quantrell is advancing! is the cry ofevery one...

non counties unless they lived within a mile of Kansas City, Ind pen dence or any of three other military posts were ordered to leave their ru ral homes within 15 days. No matter where they lived, those who could not establish their loyalty to the satisfaction of Army authorities had to lea ve the district entirely Among the more than 60 exiles was John Calvin McCoy, the fou nder of Westport and the “father of Kansas City.” McCoy moved his fam ily to Glas

gow, Mo., where he continued to conduct business as best he could On Noy. 11, 1863, he wrote to a Mr. Brown about the sale of some property in Kansas City. McCoy proposed to rendezvous with Brown eit her at Liberty or Harlem, a town just across the Missouri River in Clay County ‘I supposeit might not be safe for meto go to Kansas City,” he wrote

and if you think I would not be safe at Liberty or in Clay be pleased to notify meby telegraph.” Onejournalist who visited Kansas City in 1863 said that everyone carried arms and slept with revolvers under their pillows Execution of Order No. 11, later depicted by George Caleb Bingham in his famous painting of the same name, brought sorrow and hardship. Refugees

fled in haste, someburying their valuables before leaving. By the end of Au gust two-thirds of the population of the border counties was gone

So many homes were burned by Union troops that people spoke of the

blackened chimneys as “Jennison’s monuments,”

Enraged by Gen. Thomas Ewing's man date evicting western Missourians from their homes, artist George Caleb Bing-

ham reportedly vowed to make Ewing “infamous with pen and brush, as far

as 1am able.” Thus was born this paint ing, originally titled “Civil War,” later “Martial Law” and eventually “Ord« No. 11.” Bingham placed Ewing or horseback in the scene, in which his Kansas redleg agents are packing res!

dents out and plundering their homes

Bingham and Ewing feuded the rest of their lives.

room window one morning at the break of day... “I have but to close my eyes to see a motley mob upon a distant hill in thepresent vicinity of Thirteenth and Wyandotte streets, congregated to witness a most hideous specta-

cle. A scaffold is outlined tnthedis-

tance. Thefigure suspended from

its beams is but partially obscured bythe curious, morbidspectators.A spy is paying his death penalty! he next day a new-madegrave ts detected in a nearravine. Everafter the children hasten when obliged to pass it, and but few grown-upfolk have the hardibood to go that way in the night-time.” — From In Memoriam,edited by Laura Coates Reed, 1897

after the hated jayhawker

BATTLE CRY

“The cannon was constantly re-

peating the signals of alarm given bythe pickets stationed onthe outskirts of thecity, the heart of every inhabitant quickened by the sound. Indiscriminate shooting continued among the guards, a bullet whizzing through our bed-

Bates and parts of Ver

By thetime Jonathan Fuller arrived in Kansas City, authorities had issued permits allowing many exiles to return

Still, the prospect of a Confederate raid was ever-present That summer of 1864, Mayor Van

Horn busied himself mustering 60-day volunteers into the militia. All Kansas City men, Northern or Southern, young or old, wereasked to sign up. When someoneasked theRev. Fuller to read a notice in church of a meeting of the citizens’ defense organization

the pastor knew he was in trouble — with Southerners if he read it, with

wersloagb's. LATEST yROM THE

FRONT!

Blunt Driven Out of Lexington!

Missour!

Martial

Under

Law!

fiansas Militia te Remain on the 1 Border! Blot got into’ Independance yeater He says be was driven oot of Lexi

ha P0000 eahale

Ouin Rosecrans t

Northerners if he did not Hebegged off, saying the notice had already appeared in the newspap« Considerable remark was madeabout the omission I understan wroteto his father As the war dragged on, people talked so often of an expectec Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price that Kansas City was said seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall — and Price’s raid At night federal troops patrolled Kansas City’s streets anc

Kansas (¢

AND

Toe

PRig ee

S

BA T fae

1864: Sterling Price leads an army into NV Aissouri hoping to r ally enough people to 6

The army turns west toward

his side to « apture 1. Louis a nd the state. If he succeeds, his reasoning goes the Union will have to br . forcements from the east to he Ip fight him. tn Septe ombe a a ” r, rice’s

and sets out to attack Kansa s City; id troops await Price's arrival in forces pursue the Confederates fr advance across the Lite Blue Independence and march west scene for the Battle of Westport,

Army of Missouri invades, loses at leas t 4 thousand men in an illconceived assault at Pilot Knob and fin (8 St. Louis

too strongly de-

fended

Oct.

22,

1864:

Union

commande

Samuel Curtis establishes defenses along,

the Blue River, On Saturday, Oct, 22, the

Confederates attack a weak point at Byram's Ford and drive the U.S, forces

THE BATTLE OF WESTPORT, OCT.

west, some retreating across the state line

4 %

Price sets up camp for the night on the

S

pursuers

from

same spot on the Blue River

horses in the Baptist Church yard. tou e th on d ne io at st ts ke ic wp ho ed ll ca re a ur Kersey Coates’ daughter La isind ch mu So d. rai nt ine imm of rm ala the ed nal sig en oft wn skirts of to criminate shooting occurred among thepickets that one morning, shesaid, * bullet went whizzing through our bedroom window...” There was reason to be nervous.

Blue andgray cavalrics charge a gallop in oneof the climactic ey the Battle of Westport. N.C. Wy«

of

Oct.

5

Price’s troops had marchedout of Arkansas, past Pilot Knob andinto Lexington, Mo., where they pushed the Union troops all the way to Independence On Oct. 22, Fuller heardthe artillery and the crackling of musketry as

Price's army of 12,000 men advanced toward W stport, bringing with it an immense wagon train of plundered goods and 3,000 head of tle. cat The army crossed the Blue River at Byram’s Ford near today's SwopePark, aiming toward Fort Leavenworth and its rich storehouse of food and military supplies, sy Hight, at a revival in Westport, Fuller saw the Rebel watch fires burn-

paintedthis heroic version of t

:

ind the Rebels in our streets,” : Moming dawned peacefully y, bbut by 8 a.m. the\ Confede r a t e ss hahdad ff ormeda line of battle beyond theoa s outh of Brush Creek. Fu ller climbed on a shed and thought ~ COU See “s‘osmo emtehitnhging ij n thedistan ce very much like a line of men,” The Confederates now faced a

the Union Ar ae 20,000 militia and troops under ide ty of the Border — roughly Gen. Samuel i s up R..Curt headquarters at the Harris House hotel in Westetport Freis, who» hadhad set

RIGHT ON THE LITLE | Major Smith, of tho 2d Col

do,

Killed !

Our Forces Fall Back to Bix

dt

Yosterday waon 'fiid day" » Army of the Border, Col, Moon!

he vind

iu

th

| Uhe dey the enemy appiared io for

ud

Lo

|

gucceeded in crosniug the Little B

|

Col. Ford. with bis private, waa

Geely videred up from Ieadepe! His bri ade cons sted of tou compe a!

ue tse ' Ve 4

Confederate troops

m

nes ce yn ol

ind cavalry

tide turns with word that Union pursuit forces have broken Confederate defens

. -

Brigad

a final stand by subordinate, Brig

Gen. Jo Shelby, near today’s

Price

a

Dobeid

After Price’s

Forest Hill Cemetery, Price and his troops flee south along the Missouri-Kansas border, Two days later the two sides fight once more

i |

:

e

trapped,

a

i

Batteries

The

es back at the Blue River. forcing Price to retreat south about noon lest he be

el

| Independence has been Aband

*

Union troops and cavalry

just

through which they can fire

ra

i 7

Sunday

on the Southern flank.

oat Z

going. Then a farmer shows Union soldiers a_ ravine

(to

KY

bis regiment, the Kansus Llih,

1864:

soe

Westport

attack and succeed in early

event, which occurredin a field day is LoosePark, for a mural is Missouri Capitol.

| holding tho lime of the Little

23,

have

;

yo!

morning, the Confederates

Byfall, Price was indeed marching west — andrumors wererife that he

Was going to storm Kansas City,

they

Confederates Artillery battertes

2 Z

the

cast, Confederate forces es tablish a defensive line at the

where crossed

@ Union

me

ridge across Brush Creek from Westport near today's Loose Park To protect against their Union

RATS OF WES

. By:

a e E

slemman'e Brigade

E EF si

5 “

.

i

& j e

H

Mills

Little Santa he

Route of Price’s retreat

on Oct. 23, 1864

at Mine Creek, Kan., after which Price and his troops retreat to Arkansas

b e th n, su e h t m o r f m r a w , m r a u s a w “ e l t t a b e h t f o y a d The

e, fl ri d n a n o n n a c g n i r and the excitement of roa ort

p t s e W of e l p o e P . y a d n u S s a w it hy g u o h t l a , g n i r t o n d i d s l l e b h c r u h c e h T “ e rates would win and sack U

d e f n o C e h r t e h t e h g w n i y r soldiers and wor p p e p s a w a z a l P b u l C y r t n u o C e h t s t w o n t a h W . d e g was besie

T T A B E H T N I T N A P I C I T R A A P , D R E H P E H S y e N D I — WILLIAM S EARS Y R E T A L N I , 4 6 8 1 , 3 2 RECALLING OCT.

x

t

(if ' 2.

i

: A E

‘

;

|= ”

:

; i

yn

a7f s G s e . g a i r B e t l About 1:303() f p.m Confedera aret e y e e a d e o a t om r f e n i l ; a n o s Stte and l u 1 f > s e c c ens ; ic nsu

is

ee

5

:

>

d, e e . P k r a P > f ue e T s o o L e s ’ y da ba e o t r a e n e e , e k e e e r C CU! h c fa i e e r a h f s u r B y! ; a ground above tage, n a v d a y l r a s high i the e

:

¢ d e n e p O h c i h w , e l . patt >

ps

;

oe c e r e e w B n e m 0 \ 30,00 7 y l r a e c n i h w e m at , Road 1 ynall at which u g n i v a e l , e t s a h n i d e l f s e t a r e e t d a e f n o der C e f n o ¢ . e t h a " T . r e v : s waass 0 o w k e l e t r l | t t t e a a b t e e p e e3ya5e a d l e i f e n th o d e d n u y é W y ! n l re e ve o r se e e v e e s y y a n a m B ¢ e r | a jead anndd n e r d l we men and chi , n e m — y t i s C a o s w n -n. of Ka All s y c t e r a t s d a s h g n g n i i t h g g i f e h T Fsuulller wrote.» < y e a : a : c a e l e l a e A i l l v i r n o s i i r r a H o t e n i l e t a t s e h t ‘ a e , 1 i t a e d t ] e c c t e i a p m s i o t r s P e n a g n i v a e PerJeC@oEmpeetmitAED Cale counties: l , ) e u n .ct Ave } : 4 . t 0 c O 0 n a o c a d r e p severely wound

=

st

u

d oF e l l i K n e n m e m pe Se “BATTLE OF WESTPORT.

wees

4

el

wie ars nee

v e l s e c n e f — n o n n a es — and an explodea d c aay > “Rehc”

roast of the Gghtiog on Friday, Curing

ar ul eg “r in ” ad cl y l d e h c t e r w “ whom he found

he fo daw ane nanan fall baad Com at

Butter

ieee

e i

-

a

es = ws

te

;

a 4

2 em

t.

s r o h d a e d e m o s — s J e b e r d a e d t h g i e “ d e t n u co

aera p ta eee

[a car Satarday’s edition wegerea”

-

alone d n a d l e i f e l t t a b e Fuller walked part of th

it ¢

led with the ground. He looked at the

Rebs

.” ns ea nj ow br y rt di f o nd ki a — me tu os

isp ho ld ie df an d, de un wo d an ad de 4n ambulancecorps gathered upthe which House, Wornall the including homes, tals were established in nearby still stands at 61st Terrace and Wornall Road. The steamer Tom Morgan tied up atthecity wharf and took 86 wounded Kansas State militiamen to the federal hospital at Fort Leavenworth. At Fifth and Wyandottestreets, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was converted into a hospital for Confederatesoldiers. There, 11-year-old EdwardScarritt went every night with his mother, who was one of many womenwho actedas nurses. They turnedthe long wooden benches into beds and covered the woundedsoldiers with white sheets, quil 1 ts andd beds bedprespreads from , their z own homes. The> men lay riin long lini es, the

head of one near thefeet of another, looking very much, Scarritt said. lik e an army of ghosts.”

As the federal sentries, “armed and uniformed.” paceds ilently and

solemnly up and down the narrow church aisles, the young Scarrit: t lay awake for hours The poor soldiers, with no privacy at all, were forced to hear “every moan and cry” as wounds were probe d or dress ed, or li immb bss

amputated When finally Scarritt could ho ld his eyes ope nN no longer, he crawle into the pulpit and went to sleep. Alias Be

Unidentified enlisted men

of a Kansas unit.

he Rev. Pullen

wn as Central Crit

‘some of the soldiers we re mort ally

wounded and were messages through the dear women to their loved ¢ a e pane n e s a t h o m e , ” Scarritt recalled. “Some were bitterly bemo: aning their fa t e a n d all were hushed int o r eess when it was ann stilln o ouncedthat a comra d e h ad closedhis eyes carumy scenes and was ‘ to slipping o’er the brink. ’ ” ™

re

S

A HOUSE DIVIDED

di

A

TheBattle of Westpor t ended the Confede rate threat in the West, but the

the bridge in two minutes, a

>

_

(

@ Most trains could cross

\

s

)

$11 million in today’s prices.

made from $2 to 35.50 a day.

Building the

S whentral

[QU

@ The bridge was built of wrought : iron, cast tron, pine and oak.Workers

3

O-cent toll,

s. te nu mi o w t in ge id br e th n e p o d levers coul

@ The bridge cost $1 million,

.

Horse-drawy, icles, which

draw span. Pedestrians paid a 5-

h c i h w , aw dr t vo pi a th wi t il bu s a w ge The KansasCity brid men operating

~

feet wide andy

|

side of the bridge, except at the

:

:

.

The bridge wa

t s e w e th to d e h c a t t a s a w k l a w A foot

Y B S T A O B E H T LETTI NG

Concrete footings were set into rock beneathriver.

feet wide, the shape

Dy A

t will be built in it

4

°

> ke

i

ih

a

b! ou tr t s o m e th 4, er Pi at rs ve Di site on the project. They were s°"

« ve mo re to er nt wi te la n derwateri e th d te en ev pr at th es on st f layer o

The river current

29 ck ro y v a e h n o g in tt si m o r f n o s . te re nc co of n io at ic pl ap r o t i mon

deposited tons o

Beneath the river, 4 a field of various size "rocks sloped down toward the north, It was scoured along

the south bank by swift currents, creating the navigation channel. so callable

t e l p m o c n e e b d a h s r e i p , By May1868

ed nearest dhe north and south Ve as w t a o b n o i t c u r t s n o c e h banks. T h c i h w 2, er Pi f o te si e h made fast to t

would hold the draw.

e a a s i d n a S : E E R STEP TH

pumped om DEREtre

als rests on r¢ ack pea : rie he pottom of caisson, 2*

OP ENG we Was the mother of alf Spi rit Festivals Saturday, July 35, 1KGO: HR Hol m

an, a Main Street jewele Ma nned a hot-air ba lloon over the you ng City,

The Lafayette Sil ver ¢ Ornet Band led a All along the rive r

parade, bank, thousands of r es). dents watched 4 train cre CP across t heir new bri

iron trus ses decked i n patriotic bunting rhe spectator: » had arrived so carly, some men reportedly “had dew on the ir beards Having built the first permanent span over the turbulent Mis: souri River, Kansas City was cager to dge its

celebrate

Of course,

there was barbecue. Som eone erect

ed a beef tent on pasture l and near what is now lroost Avenue and 12th St reet And, of course there

would be liquor One revel er counted 14 toasts at a banquet inside the Bro adway Hotel, just

before

The br

- - eeae | — ’,

A

KYYah U

, P Lees, poet A f¢ 7 ‘

the fir

|

tside cut them off

atten

lives and trains passed b

the Bridge and nota jar tible!

From that day forw;

bea crossroads in the souri Pacific came in fr cr’s south bank, and it

the west in 1868.The Hann

road — builder of the ney from the north, an © markets

Alas, Kansas City couk

first-ever bridging of the That litte-known di Neb. There in the winter atop the frozen river piles into the ice, and @ the solid glaze.

1D s)

We

+f

St.

civic resolve. “Hallmark Playhouse” dramatized it on the radio for the city’s

x

celebration of 1950;

tee out,” implored the character of Coates. “One day Kansas City is going to be one of the most important industrial and shipping centers...because that's what we're going to make her.” Noble or not, the men who won the Hannibal Bridge did lasso bragging rights at a time when bragging rights madeall the differenee. Omaha would boast of being the Pacific's true gateway, 4S eastern terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad. But that city didn’t bridg ¢ the Mi ssouri until the 1870s. The Hannibal Bridge — a quarter-

Although not so Joseph and possibly

OMise

Nonetheless, the Boston meeting would go downin local lore as an ae ee ial

tion. The Kansas City

n pyar of the

s

i

CAdnD

clongs the honor of

f\

{)p

. Dv (

oo

8

i

Bride

Have seent

In the

juet that night, someone off

+t

this curiosty.

end even

hlyy]pe behind the ver lost, SCOT es

Leaver aworth

and St, Joseph

m o C ” . e c n a t r o p m i r fo “ra ce ~~.”

in

s a s n a K o t d e l i a t h g i h m of the scp

GirieAN GING

EAeNeoaes C

A

P £

Looking into the future: In 1869, Wa} nut Street was just being carved from the hills in this view, left, looking south. By the 1920s the Western Union building had arisen, below, left, and just south across Seventh Street sat the Railway Exchange Building. Todaysey eral buildings are gone and newer ones tower above.

The Junction, where Delaware and

Main met Ninth Street, before and after the construction of Vaughan’s Diamon d building. Some called the narrow build-

ing, below, “Vaughan’s Folly” because it

was thought to be too far south for desirable office space.

numbers skyrocketed with word

coming of the bridge.

S

15,400

1

or a om

renamed it Ti s

865

s s i # : 0 1 n o i t a r u g u a n i s ’ ruman

1860

1870, according to the U.S. census.

Trailing Leavenworth and St. Josep! through the Civil War, Kansas Cit

19,500

The effect on the local psyche was swift and convincing. In the first year a quarter-million travelers passed through town, including 70,000 by train. A population of roughly 4,000 in 1865 grew to 32,000 by

THE POPULATION RA

870

A CITY TRANSFORMED

aid iman often eaid

Diad feltlt b hehe fe

, m o H n a V t e g r o f o t e i s é ween

hort |’

————E——

O R A F , S N O O L A S D N A S N U G X SI AND FALLEN WOMEN little

;

ee Sept. 26, 1872 )

girl was shot in the leg that day

Fe

The but The

Kansas City Times mentioned her only in passing. What mattered more was the “superb daring” of herassailants, those masked riders

whe robbed the Kansas City Industrial Exposition office in front of 10,000 fairgoers

ee oom pinying

Men who can so coolly and calmly plan and sO daringly execute a scheme of robbery like

bank, a favorite in

this,”

cards used for monte gambling halls. The

the newspaper cooed,

“deserve at least

idmiration for their bravery and nerve

game required no

The affair was characteristic of the soil and

ee

meridian. Everything that happens in Kansas City must, it seems, be startling. ..else it fails to bear the stamp of the city

skill. Right, “A Rowin

printed in Century Magazine in 1888. It was created by Freder-

ic Remington onty

:

‘

:

Two of the three bandits turned out to be

four years after he

Jesse James and brother Frank. Tales oftheir

spent time in Kansas

crimes would fascinate the ci ty for the next

City as artist, raconteur and tavern owner.

dec ade

But this isn’t a retelling of t he James legend. It's a look, instead, at a particular pl ace in time — a city largely d efined by

theruffians it raised. tolerated, ba ttled or embrac ed

A bigslice of 19th' century Kan sas City courted violence an d vulgarity as if they were natural features ofthe frontier. And maybe the y were. After all

82

Rowdy Times

Mis was rug ged territ

’y young risk-takers. These fear little except for Perhaps, the Indians, the Monmona al Slaves who thr eatened tl leir Co nquering ways.

tto

4

a a

t

a

be

si

:

££”

i ies

ni

—=

43

in

Get

’

B

ne

a

-

nia farms

oH

| Baeer Bost. N h o s a g a * i t a t s . s < # Wmirp.oaA Price Seale | 1 ;

Sometimes in a few days’ time Many z we re here

hind their war-torn South or their mined-out Pennsylva-

i HH Roh

business and real estat e they won or lost hug e

only because they were r uined elsewhere, leaving b e-

; ta 1 a 3 o e Th girie

t56

some familiar a ssum Ptons of the Wi ld West do applyto eg Plenty of people Carried guns. In gamblin g halls, they p chuck-a-luck In a s ection of tow n called Battle Row, loud p into Main Street saloo ns and threw back whi skey all night. In SsuMS,

Se

ety

TY seized |

Add )

hat frontier motif some featur es you never saw e e : ne s th Homeless sm hoeshine boy sleeping in

'

f Trade. Destirute women a 2t their fa milies ’. Racial con-

AXNTERIRG

= |

ae

LAS

«

1 f

s cheap a8 29 ties Exist

The big dif

> meant big DUS pe

cocksure, burg

E START s at least tom

f the Kansas whl

& d

stole the

‘

70 18 n i 1& i n i n io at il t p po 's ! ty un Co n 2 so -k s ck Ja FY . it f o ics explained much , d e e d n I . d e i r r a m n u | c an ung o y , ry to si an tr y el rg la d n a s le at percent ma s 55 waS . s r a e y e r o m 0 5 r o f e »s e cl 't the disparity in Kansas City wouldn y a w t s e r u s “ e h t , t h g i r w t r u o C T. d i v w D: n ia or st hi s e t o n Back then as now, 8 2 < d d n n a a 2 1 2 n e e w t l f e b t a ll able-bodied males

to reduce crime would be to pu into cryogenic sleep .

y t i C s a s n a K s n e a z o a d r L u o f d e o’ k ov anan gi§rls” pr rmrm *ration for *y“young Gese newspaper. s ui Lo . St a to er tt le 69 18 in n to pool their sweet nothings in me. e a i s e g a eS t n a v ie d a th of s ui Lo . St of s e i d a “Please advise the superfluous youngl

gs ha 2 d l o ny ma } ny t ma a s t ea gr “ “A . . d a o ad re al pe ap r ei which our city offers to them,” * th ”, d. an a sb hu a d un fo s ha em th of e on y er ev d an ve come herelately,

ha ¢ p u set e Sh s. on as re t en er ff di r fo , ar ye at th d Annie Chambers arrive e e er dh an rs be am Ch , on So h. as sm t tan ins an s wa ss ne si bu brothel. Her t! pe pa ws ne e On s. eet str e tt do an Wy d an d ir Th at ng di moved into a buil

dubbedit “the Southwest's best known sporting house.” Discreet it wasn't. First-time patrons ogled at “Chambers” spelled out in blue tile on the foyer floor. Wine flowed in the parlor. A button near oe

backstairs alerted police to trouble. A barber's chair served anyone needing a trim. And when thetransactions there were complete, customers could step around thecorner to the stone mansion that housed another bordello,

Madame Lovejoy’s. Railroaders and cattle drovers loved “the scarlet corner.” But sexual high

jinks were hardly limited to that corner. Well into the 20th century, the City Market area had more than 40 houses ofprostitution employing at least 250 women. CASHING IN ON AN IMAGE

The earliest morality crusadesfizzled. As early as 1855 — afew years after thetown was incorporated — local leaderstried drafting anti-gambling laws

and establishedthe following misdemeanors: “Profane discourse” inside a church: bathing in the Mis souri River: playing pool on Sunday; and appearing “in any public place in a state of nudity, or in a dress not belonging tohis or her sex.” Those rules had long been scrapped by the 1870s. The upstart railroad center nurtured a wide-open reputation not unlike today’s Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and it was paying off for merchants. Downtown was “a lMost constantly filled with stranger s,” the 1870 city directory boasted, One gambling house catered m ostly to women. Just down th e block, allmale crowds would cram into Fr ank's Hall and the Theatre C omique fo:r an evening of raucousplays,

ad most of her employees told n was “boarder,”

The Theatre Comique, which was near Main and Fourth streets, staged showssuch as “Forbidden Pl easures” and “M ountain Meadow Mass acre,” a

S fascination with scen e s of mayhem an:d assassination L my ade even the theater M a n ager wince. - T} 1he mostS . ys required thefiring t vivi olent of 20 blank cartridges e ach night, “Be reasonab © manager told Grover. le!” “Can't YOu save expens es and stab them?” The Kansas City Even ing Star profiled loc al drag queens in 1 880, under

sed

| Rowdy Times F

more straightforward, listing t

n s e t M c e e g j n b a u r t s S “ e e h n t i l f d o e n s ¢ the hea t s a e l t a r o f t s u o s i l ¢ s t i n i a t n o c t n e d l l u b o a c k r r a e p n a t p e s r t s o m The new a s i d n a y r a l a s e g r a l a s w a r d e h , r o t a n o t s o r n e p d m i n e a l a e m r e u f l i a a f s “A c i t n a g i g a s i e h n a m 2 s a t u b “ , d e n i p o r e t i n w e h t ” . ” y r o t a g . success, r u p o t l e u s a c e t a n i m e f f e s i h w o l b d l u o w t a t n e d n e p worth the powder th & r a f s r e t c a r a h c d e r r i t s d © a v a r b m e t s e w s i h t n i h t i w p e e D

for their own good

e h t n i n o i t a p u c c o s i h d e t s i l , r u o f f o r e h t a f o d I r a e y # , d a G.R. Whitehea

n w o t t u o b s a k l a w “ 1870 census as e f i w s hi s i h ft ft le r , d a r e b e d e r r , y g g a h s a h t i n a m e g r a l a , d r o f w a r And James C e h t d n u o r a t f i r d d n a k n i r d o t t s u j , d r o w a t u o h t i W s n o s g n u o anud d twte o y a h t i w d r a y k c a b e h t n i i c e r a e p p a e r d r o f w a r C r e t a l s r a e y e v i F . | country sheepish, “Say, Sarah!” Then he asked for supper E C R O F E C I L O P L A E R A

bta es s a w n u o s s i M of e at st e h t y db ne er v go e rc fo ce li po an it ol A metrop

c ho ad st mo al l, al sm on up ll fe t en em rc fo lished in 1874. Before then, law en So s a w em st sy e Th l. ha rs ma d te ec el y ll ca lo bands of peacemakers led by a

vague thatcity records ofthe 1860s listed one lawman in charge, whilestate

records listed another. al on ti na a of rt c, pa te ni ta pa es ld ea re ar du en st d ju ha 74 18 in ty as Ci ns Ka depression, which left someofits 40,000 residents wiser: Town building meant more than turning afast buck. This clearly wasthe sentiment ofartist George Caleb Bingham. who opposed gambling partly because he thought it hurt his property values. Vowing to personally raid the joints, Bingham headed the first Board of Police Commissioners. Police Chief Tom Speers, 29, oversaw two dozenofficers in the mid1870s. Legendary lawmen Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok, though not employed at the Market Square police headquarters, were frequent visitors. One day Hickok was showing off a pair of ivory-handled revolvers to Speers. Earp supposedly witnessed what later happened, as toldto his biographer, Stuart N. Lake:

; a —epaiamiae oaamne “i hundredyards away, was Ds ya eo bs

e ee ans a sign that carried a

l il ldB Wi s, wa et rg ta s hi at Wh eroe m the n n

gu i his right hand, shifted guns, andfired five more shots . Then he told Tom to send someone over to look at the O All tea n of . Bill's slugs : were fou nd In inst insside t he ri i ng off the letter.

I hat Was

Shenanigans aside, Speers and hi s officers h ad their work cu t out restraining Kansas City’s underbelly. A single front page of The Fr ‘ening Star —

In 1889, the Kansas City police p: for a picture at headquarters at t! southeast corner of Fourth and M

time past : oa

—

streets.

to uUsse ing TO

o a ne

sah.

¢ ‘

ard

mm

T4. ee

ed

:

¢

‘

cK

e

S Speer T

from

JECAUSC

inside the Whiteaa™

ice officer in the line < vur months later.

1 time Was unknown,

t s e W e h t n i e g d i r the Bluff B

¥ s e m a J e s s e J y a d te ppened the HNt hsa

i v e L f o g n i h c n w I

2

detailed thes

fingenng a black man

S

pare

per

the

t d e t a g e l e r s a w n Hamingto

Pa apeperr: s.

The % preass later report ed that Harrin gton

gton

night Officer Jones died A haé lf doze en

just just

was was

a

er bystand bystander

the

per

v 2 n as S tandins8 at the inquest that Harrington wWa SONS swore on 4 saSa l loon porI pore h an”1 d ran to the fallen offic er after h1e arrir ea Inti ing gua nf irre. PolI< CE detained Harrington tha t night for q uestioning. Hea ring I Cu > ut c > 5 ai € moD’ss 1 > e i) si r de s e le with

Wi Kansas 1912 Oregon ee Arizona

a

‘Ml Montana

19

bilaLat M@ Nevada 1914 did souri rejected the measure in 1914 1914., S0 i

Pakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio

et

Kansas City

16

NAACP saw to it that anot her was built The 191010ss were were full of new ideas the new psycholo gy of Sigmund Freud: the ne1€w -bibi rt rthh-contro; l education of Margaret Sa nger, the new poetry of

Robert Frost and Amy Lowell 1C ; In the > 19 10s, scholar ViI ncent 7Tompkins writes, “the broad patterns” of 20th century America were laid The decade brought thefirst U.S. income tax, the ; first asse mbly-line au é tomobiles and, of course, thef irst world war It was Nas 2 a Chao ; tic ti im mee born , of the Industriial Revolution, when mo re and more people moved to thecities andold lifeways were turned upside down.

7

© wicn's noLLow ® orivipane

oe

| Ai,|

A es

|

Qboweny (04 OOT arnt sent

HGH NECKO Frees

\

)

J

Ll

canoe

on of Negro Neighborhoods

Most black Kansas Citians were restricted to living in three crowded neighborhoods, which had few paved streets, few sidewalks and poor sanita-

tion.

y Presse Kansas Wit Dot end Ceidtine” nd Behera” Ditint rit tet

In Kansas City, membersof the radical labor union Ind ustrial Workers of the World congregated on street corners and agitat ed for the elimination of

the “wage slave” system.

Bythespring of 1914 so many “Wobblies” had beenarrested that the city's Municipal Farm was full of them. As the Wobblies cracked rock in the municipal quarry, women andgirls, many of themblack, labored in Kans as City’s steam laundries foras little as $4.50 a week — $70in today’s money They washed, pressed, folded, mended, ironed collars and starched cuffs dayin and day out, even whenthe temperature in the ironing room topped 120 degrees. “At best, a laundry is a terrible place in hot weather,” came the word from a new“welfare” department of Kansas City government. Said tobe first in the nation, the Board of Public Welfare embodied the essence of the Progressive Era as it decried every “social evil” and injustice it could find in Kansas City — from domestic violence and street beggars to low wages and housing conditions so deplorable that in one neighborhood it found only two bathtubs in 827 homes. The board and its hefty staff of social workers put Kansas City on the cutting edge of progressive thought. Though by decade's endits good intentions fell victim to machinepolitics, the Board of Public Welfare was a harbinger of the welfare state,when Americans began to look to their govern-

ment to help care for them.

Nene und alte Hiite emai Xaltrag wed geaath

907 matt Sir.

Dns Grote’,

j

el ys

‘tanuas City, Mo.

Arto te

20 Yabre der

ATA

Grfahring wat cone Te recent Wd GE ee

i‘

TRanfas

S

Fy

Bal

SONA et MARAE wh hem deabrontiun WEN a rete omrm wa ie Mewar ero se Pe mctrm tm Aisaree rinsnteee tes eetrten. Be reaeete

eaten Retina

City [Photo Supply Co. 1010 Grand Ave.

Early in the century, German-speaking

Kansas Citians were served by the Kansas City Presse. These ads were published in summer 1915.

‘MOST AMERICAN CITY’

ty Ci sas Kan a d un fo t 0,i 191 in rk wo to t go e ar lf We ic bl Pu of d As the Boar

of predominantly native-born whites: 80.35 percent.

he-t of mtu r he ot ny ma of e os th th wi ed ar mp co ge That figure was so lar r ee Am st mo e “th y Cit as ns Ka ll ca d ul wo century cities that writers later

to the ion ent att of k lac ir the to s, ap rh pe city,” a concept that contributed,

g city’s racial and ethnic minorities. n b a s an ic er Am nca ri Af , 10 19 in Of Kansas City’s 248,381 residents

s e o on cti fra a t, en rc pe 5 .1 10 for 9.49 percent and the foreign-born Eun er st Ea d an rn he ut So om fr where immigrants

with cities like New York,

rope

y. tur cen th 20 e th of s de ca de y swelled tenement slums in the earl

Union Avenue in 1911. Believing that

the seedy row street from Union

tailers across the Depot madea poor

impression on arriving passengers,

civic leaders sought to avoida similar situation when the terminal moved over the bluffs to Union Station.

roads, manufacturing, livestock, wholesaling and jobbing.

And now

second decade of the 20th century, Pen andSunlieht Sketches found it to be the center of something else: the automobile, now “manufactured com plete” in Kansas City The Ford Motor Co. already had a plant in the Centropolis district in

ern Kansas City,

and Stafford motorcars were being manufactured i Blue River valley. A man with means could buy an Overland or a Jackson

car at the West Side Garage, 829-831 Minnesota Ave.

in Kansas City,

Kan.,

or

a Westcott motorcar selling for $1,000 to $2,500 at the Day and Night Garage

Co., 11th and Locust streets hese minorities became thefocus of the Bo ard of Public Welfare as it di-

vided the city into districts and set to inve stigating

It t

fou ncnd fou

wedes des li| ving og on Swe the . wes»t side. Italians on the north side and many Ri ssian Je ly Ru : ws on the 7c east side, where they built a synago g 2 5ueat 4Admi ry [ranleBo ou l e ulervardi and TTr r acy Avenuean d lookedto the Je Jewiwsh ish EEd duuc caztionalal InstInisti-

It was Henry Ford's Model T, the $950 “tin lizzie,” that revolutionized the

McClure flats, one of the city’s worst slums, lay on the south edge of the businessdistrict. Two blocks north, The Star's tower and smokestack loomed.

automobile industry in 1908. After Ford introduced the moving assembly line in 1914, the base price of a Model T tumbled to less than $300 in the 1920s, a price within reach of ordinary Americans Motor travel was so common in Kansas City by the mid-1910s that the Po lice Department had a motorcycle squad to catch speeders, and a real estate developer named J.C. Nichols was building his first artistically designed

tute to help them find jobs \s

tics ¢

th

© ciiftyy ’s minoritients struggledt o get a foothold, the Americ ; an Illustrat-

ing Co. of Kansas City published a book that ex plored thecity’s ent side, Published abo ut 1912 , 0 cS

gasoline service stations.

moreaffRe lu-

Pen and Sunlight Sk etche% s of Greater

BOULEVARDS AND BATHTUBS

Kansas City featured the ci ty’s business enterpri ses” and “beautiful dences and hotels.” resiits long train sheds and its broad plaza to th pen UnionStation with a to the south — by; that the beer hall > bs oe i¢ old

station

Un ton

Se are intee= s, the cheap hotels ind the flimsy shacksuilt thatas | a :guar:

Depot would not move out efi |

America’s Most P rogressive

at

hy

ishe: d id tarnishe

= eottoms and sully the new

Metropolis,” the be 0k declaarreedd,. had 55i,000 telephones K Kansas 221 churches, 7 2 public Schoo parks, 0 miles of ls, 2,109 acre ba oulevards and 2 s of 60 mil €s of “up -to-daattee” Kansas Cit y was the great center of the S¢ o uthwestern

170

The 1910s: City on a Crusade

Markf etp ” ofn e th e: rail

Dressed for motoring: Their car is a Halladay, their dealer Bergers.

on gn ai mp ca ir the ok to and s ar rc to mo w ne the o int d pe ep st Assuffragists St n io Un at y wa ch ar the in ck clo oot 6-f , big the ng hu the road, workmen micul y Cit as ns Ka 4, 191 of fall t tha ck cli to an beg tion. As the minute hand ldwor a it n ve gi had h ic wh , nt me ve Mo ful uti Bea nated 20 years ofits City class system of parks and boulevards. Lin m, ha ll Gi r, ye Me — e id pr of ce ur so The graceful roadways were a nfou ng li bb bu s it h wit eo, Pas the all, wood, Armour, and thejewel of them ds ar ev ul bo de wi y’s Cit as ns Ka . es ad nn tains, its sunken gardens andits colo

e rac Ter h rt No , ley Val nn Pe e, op Sw — connected to its magnificent parks the d me or sf an tr d ha e iv Dr es at Co ey and West Terrace, where scenic Kers t. ar of rk wo a to in fs uf bl st we gy ag cr d an steep

J emaiamarineincess,

Warmweather drew baseball fans to the Parade, a park at [Sth Street and the Paseo,

IXh e lat the of nt me ve mo ful uti Bea ty Ci the ed in jo ty Kansas Ci t y, gl eu lac rep to s wa a de ei Th , way g bi a n yi ur Cent on bo a es ac sp ir -a en op ng si ea pl y all tic the aes hansettings with

ues val ty per pro e th and le op pe the of ng ei -b ll we d an tothe health e wi by d! te ec nn co s rk pa ge ar ofl em st sy y’s ofresidents. Kansas Cit d ve ei nc co s wa s— rk pa od ho or hb ig ne r le al sm th boulevards — wi

A gameof ring-around-the-

Hardesty avenues in acti at Gea a John and

Kansas

172 73

City,

T"hhee 1910s: Ciity on a C rusade

a

above.

The west bluffs bef ore...

+and after construction of West Terrace Park, Limestone Stairs, walls and pavilions replaced shacks and weeds,

au Its s, ade dec xt ne e th h ug ro th ed nd pa in the early 1890s and ex by ed ck ba s wa He r. sle Kes ge or Ge ect thor was landscape archit the in e un rt fo his de ma o wh r, ye Me Parks Board Chairman August lawyer of e is rt pe ex e th by , ss ne si bu ng ni fi re d an metal smelting

ll hi ck Ro m ia ll Wi of t or pp su g in it ni re un e th Delbert Haff and by

samentan ton FOSS

rds of cheap

unscreened and rebuzzed about, and seepage

ws were »s

cap t

lodging houses, paying

eck, iron bed. One whitewashed

yugh they had no placeto 61 houses with no running water. the street, pail in hand, andget their is

“ty

SO

hard to come by in the North End that the Helping ice water fountain’ outside its building at 408 Main

9,000 people drank there, lining up 30 and 40 deep , the

hance

at the fountain.” The ice — 600 to 800 poun ds of

ed rth

t

days

by the young people's societies of K ansas City

few places to bathe that the Hel ping t four-nozzled “street show er bath” to fireplugs on End had so

the

shower was moved from plug to plug and

ood, adding “much to th e comfort and happiern with cleanliness and hou sing was part of the new

wh ich maineMa ined

that environment sha ped an individu al’s

Woorrhhooood dss

lilikeke Hick's Hollow and Belvidere ne ar Indepentreets were unpaved and sidewalks few. Restricted in nearly 8,000 of the City’s 22 < . ; jBowery . MY 'S 23 ,5 Afri a; 66 Ai , between Tr ric:can-Am i an Amer eric a ic anss

iP: e o}fa a citity relief effort, An early exampl

the Belvidere Neighborhood House, which bore signs advertising “Social

Welfare” and “Everybody Welcome.”

rsey Coates, Ke as ch su rs de un fo y cit to me h 10 Its stately mansions, . Once

‘i had metamorphosed into cheap rooming housesé where calii co curtaiins

as room dividers.

eas

aT Rooms.” “Unfurnished Rooms.” *Rooms for Rent.” Signs hung ce

everywhere.


just barel ‘rolltop de. chatr And small chaty

ia n Alan Haviggw writes WI histor 1 , Kansas City had 81 movie theaters | 1912,

werage

Because

weekly attendance of 449,064, almost tw 2 ice the » popuylUaltAinoOrN

“Everyae

vn

a ticket cost only a nickel, movies were accessible to members of

the workingclass, and many theaters opened in their neighborhoods

b a ‘ t

The New Palace Theatre stood on East 15th Street and the Torino Theatre East Pitth Street, in the Italian district. “Grocers, butchers and saloon pers

owned theaters,”

Havig writes, as did William D. Scoville, a sales the TJ. Pendergast Wholesale Liquor Co., who ran one on the sec-

P,

Efforts

rrauied ocd

ypium dens

yminent — that for births and ys, weddings and artes...And othsms began to sell Halloween, St.

* Day, Thanksgiv-

an act of Congress in

set up a projection room and

igainst films such as “Chinatown at Midnight,”

were becoming

ing «nd Father's Day, Mother's Day was already well established by

nd floor of a building on East 12th Street

t ) censor Movies Were nothing new In Kansas City, the Board of Pul lic Welf are

in my old cherry / a swivel-spring was room for a vISHLON..,

Hall

with its depiction of

ithe

and gang warfare It denounced the gu nslinging “James Boys

in Missouri” and “The White Slave Tr affic,” which showed country girl s being sold into prostitution

And then the board proposed a censorship law. 1914

The city adopted it in Long lines formed to see Mack Sennett’s 1918 movie “Mickey” at the Doric

Be it ordained,”

ordinance No 7398 read, “that no person, firm or c orporation shall exhil ‘tin a public o

r private place in Kans as C ity, Missouri, any Stationary « rT m e ving pict ure which shall be lew d, lasci vious, indecent cently suggestive show , indeing indecent exposu re of the human pers (ray Ing marita on, or porl unfaithfulness, or an y exhibition of brutali ty,” P, Kansas City bann ec 113 movies and c others. In 1910 the c ut 170 ity regulated danc e halls: nN 1914 it regulated skating

Even Kansas City’ s wettest block” came In for ref movement gaine orm as the temper d steam At Nint ance h Stree’ tand Sta t 23 of the 24 buil e Line, whe re at dings were saloon one time s, now the r e were only Bawadyhy MU

1 3 saloons, sting. Police o rdered ou c. losed the ~~ t the ce leectr rooms and forb ic pianos,” i a d e t h e S a le of beer. Win USo INEm c SSe iS t all shot to piecesS, e and hal : ,” Onelan SES, , LOO, , felt thi he *

dladyY ¢compl

aaiined ii n 1913.

oe

Theater, 908 Walnut St.

NN

T ] Special Eagle Wee

‘g)} Arthur Pryor’sF

ic iilluminated fountain, i electric with its i land” ” with i le fairy , a “veritab Can em indoor pool, scenic railroad and Loop-the-Loop. In 1911, cies 10 aa admission, the park attracted 1 million people, or more ee ae AmusementPark,? with its gallery of distorted mirrors and line, not imported carousel, stood on the Independence Avenue streetcarline,

and bathhouse two-story its with Park, Fairmount ae Stilwell’s

pals.eae a AL ad

Gayaes

AT Woven ORE as Kans City will use

The toy store at Christmastime 1915 was replete with

- on the

e photo

ind the land displays

fh

for he ng

ol mf : 1 a ee sidered an fd War ma War

the

ae M toh hen:

I :

and

a

:

Vial

. a am

cient

‘ Uh

ve amming

: Grea

above, andeeees

MU

Was to

Hall

outed

ae Citians turned out in —

‘orce for opening ceremonies

ae

model s. After ae setae World War I, returnas a ing units disem:

Oct. 30, 1914.

eG

a

q ie 4

178

pr

The 1910s: City on a Crusade

i

:

aan

and parad

tion nee sooneree

ee anes Theclock that hung at the

entrance to the north waiting room becamea landmark within a landmark. Railroads advertised the

oS oe

out at Fort Riley, Kan. ;

move to the new station,

above.

ae

Kansas City

179

179

IN

A

DOUGHBOY

n 1917, Walter G. Shaw of Bonner §, etattzd

ee ee pene dpatthes A TosCoatTamtite rter

eae

eee PT stretcher

bearers, which placed them TT ew eran Md with little to defend themselves. Le tters to his berate ly fro

m France recount his Po Sue oi e ater

War I and his death amid shelling shor tly before the end of the war:

> Tottenness

eball playey

> fall of three-

it is caused bythefiring of guns. I can hear the cee Me ena morning... You can

in June when

Sects of te war on this cauitry: There

iZe SW cel Ing

c

July 4, 1918: “Dear Mama, ween enolwc delousing yesterday.

awful lousy.”

ReOenw] pay-

day....1 shall expect you to be able to play my violin Breea ed

Tara

back.”

Sept. 28, 1918:

“Moncher ami Pay we a eos eaeeoeee TDRod " ae bad quitefor-

in the Gilles .... We

Ce ca

these reich

“Hello Girls Hit the Gospel

savvy American

ns for 5,000 draftees sprang up in Kansas

ticed maneuvers in Swope Park. Kansas 1

valley,

1910:

Kansas

Demandin

,

v4 resklent Lo uis Wager an d hundreds Hf others went to war

in Europe.

aiming ©. make the world sa : fe fo r< l¢ emoc sais Wager stands at attention, Scan gas mask shang A round tid

y laundry

tossed bundle

5 ngs Laundry, 1

l

d

kn

ked

el] o n Paris and men died i n the Somme Ri workers walked off th eir jobs hti-} t-hour y, thae

the

t Walker Laundry truck Whreen a Silv I er I un olicemer

Cross nurses in France, and Star to drive an ambulance, vasnt enough to stop the l abor strife that

$5

arm. Striker Grace Allen

ey smashed windows J setting the bundles afire in front of

ce lath St Strikers hre W stones at st reetcars and 1, ©e ning Over Cliff Drive.

Wagonl was » altaicch

xed at 17th and Cherry stret

smith to the pavement, brea king « iffered } Tuises from a blackjack. William We a\

kerI

J :

rude

1 nonstriking lau nc Iry wag; NM gugaua rdr,d wa S shot a nd killed. Ruin, Riot and Vand ism... Shall un scrupulous Unionism domi YOUR city and scatter afi de

I USINESS OWners D

avail

City on a ¢ rusade

ath

son, Walter

about 20 years to OTT Popa eee Eee no chance of me eeeOc Baee linist because these years are just when Te hyeeomoe

Nov. 26, 1917:

Ss decade, on April 6, 1917, t he United States

marked the

a aeeel aeee BLL Dee Blea

— Yorloving

Je

STRIFE AT HOME, ABRO AD

es ee oe

resto ae)a

erts, with more than a week o f revival

Me

1 destruc t ple: it whe and wh 'on counte en re red ‘dina la nex A ne Wspaper advertisement, though tolittl my

“Dear Ma,

“I took $5,000 BOa surance out in behalf ofyou. Iam worth more dead

growth and getset. So

thanalive, maybe. I

just returnedfrom the JSront and I know any-

body stands a chance of

being injured.”

February 1918:

“DearMa, “There is a phonograph playing be-

hind me — a record (of) aviolin and piano. Sure makes mehomesickfor a minute.” May 9, 1918: “Dear Ma,

bel Red havewritten to you sooner Tim ees

feel like it. My eyes were too weak. am in mol hospital. I got gassed with mustard gas. sy mask was all right but I hadto take it off.as ed rain was falling andit was so dark aR Re Ae eee a ree eR cd : Tey PeTa RTO Le Lc i ea two days.

June 29, 1918: “Dear Ma, “Af I get out I don’t think I can sleep unless I bear a couple of airplanes overbead and expect a bombat any minute....We are beginning to play a

;

going to send some money for

Fseas every pening; I nswer:

i

1 was

Aug, 3, 1918: “Dearsister, OL Rone Belalatere You must practice scales....1 am

are n@young men

and gavetheir

WORDS

Sew concerts....My wind is very sbort on account CLTa

June 18, 1917: “Dear Ma, “It rains every day. I guess

ointed his fiz

Sang song

’s

a

I will just be an ordinary orchestra musi-

forae

Nov. 6, 1918: Aata el WROD m a Bice eoom ce day but no luck. Saw Miss Brownthe

otber day. She badgotten your letter; said there was quite abit of Frenchinit.Asked ber if there were many mistakes. She said only one, a word misspelled... The papers say that it will take two years to demobilize the army but perbaps Ne ELet eee ee eee Le went first.” SOM aeae aoa

January 1919: “Mr. John C. Shaw, Dear Sir:

“Your son, Walter G. Shaw, waskilled by a shell

on Oct. 2, 1918. The 18th Infantry was holding the line at a town called Charpentry in the Argonne.

PIMC oe ee ee Le

sition. One of these shells killed your boy. He is buried at Charpentry....” — Chaplain King, 18th Infantry

eae

Mth sot

er

rs

i

A

NOBEL

WINNER'S

H° son had just graduated from hig h school

and seemed a prime candidate to besent to

the war in Europe. So in spring 1917 an Oak Park. Ill.. doctor

hoping to delay that event — wrote

his brother in Kansas City about a job for the youth,

he The

brbro otthe her, asssm smat r, onceaa clcla as < eof Qa KansSA:

City Star executive, succeeded.

That’s

way, still a teen-ager, came to

He spent six

Nanna? a months

as

aca

ing’ esis aera

MIX WAR,

and

ART AND DANOING.

The Camp Communliy Service Gave

Viret Party for Soldiers. Outside a woman walked along the we thet st ret et‘a—l slee ed am eu iit sidewalk through p ae

Leavenworth fox trotted and one-stepped

a cub reporter for

outs

Arkansax- Gnd Oklahoma—Sunday Monday fair, rising temperature. sen

of soldiers from*Camp Funston and Fort

uae

The Star, covering thepolice, Seneral Hospital and Union StaGenet Sata E tion, interviewing VIPs and lowlifes and practicing what he Bit later called “the best rules I ever learnedfor the business of writ-

oo

Inside in the Fine Arts Institute on the sixth floor of the Y. W. C._A. Building, 1020 McGee Street, a merry crowd

how Ernest Heming-

ae es

FiR 5S 7

with girls from the Fine Arts School

while « sober faced young man pounded out the latest Jazz music as he watched the moving figures. In a corner a pri-

Hemingway in : ete months after ing

a

The Star.

style. “Use short sentences,” the stylesheet admonished reporters andeditors. “Use

short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be

en pac” town Oct. 15, 1917, and

rocka a midtown boarding house at 3733

vate {un the signal corps was discussing Whistler with a black haired girl who

heart ily agree d with him. priva te had been @. metrherwh theanThe t ne a Chicago before. war was declared. a Three men

from

Funston we

.

dering arm in arm along the wall lookIng at the exhibition of paintings by

Kansas City artists.

5

i

C KX

Was as Chest

The piano player

'ee wiies

a

sae

l t i | , =A ne e hil s ofhi e hom he oft th sou Warwick Blvd., a block e ye — r; re ra d Be om wan o wh man the — way ing Hem er Tyl e, uncl ! yf ce ea (a , 4K A wee S y r n e H , nd ie fr old his h oug thr job the him d gle Gist ; e ( Haskell of The Star. Within a

Movietheaters, restaurants, breweries and saloons closed as KansasCity’s 26,000 union cardholders joined the laundry wo rkers in sympathy, though meat packers held a war contract and said th ey would stay on the job. In the midst of it all, James M. Ford, fa ctory inspector for the Board of Public Welfare, went into the city’s laun dries to investigate conditions, He came back wi th alist of suggestions: Drinking fo untains were needed, and

seats wherethe working women could sit. All the while, strikers paraded thr ough the streets, carrying a U.S. f lag to show their loyalty to the governm ent. When the strike finally e nded in April 1918, there were no clear victors,

On Novy.11, 1918, th by spring 1919 the

Highland, where he patiee

slabs in a pit and sold them A : 25

cents, His sauce WAS Said 's be so hot it made firs t-time

Customers gasp,

By the late-1920s jazz e ra 50 more local barbecue joints pj. valed Perr y's. Even a couple of New York restaurants served

“Kansas City-style barbecue”

suit jackets and slimmer cuts

grew popular. Oxfords began

to replace laceup boots For women, the elaborate and complicated undergarments, skirts and overskirts of the 19th century gave way to the shirtwaist blouse. Worn tucked in, it created a businesslike, clean look for women, In 1914 it became the fashion to wear it pulled

out of theskirt, a fashion that

prepared the way

for the

dropped-waist look of the 1920s flapper.

EDU¢ ATION eacting to needs of an inReon diverse, indus-

trial America, public school systems expanded and tried bold ideas, Kansas City was no exception, A push for “openair” classrooms in the late 1910s required children at Me-

Coy School to wear special coats, hoods and boots at their desks.

The windows were

openedand the heat cranked

ENTERTAINMENT

off to promote “fresh ain, rest,

cleanliness and sunshine?

Daily showers at McCoy and

other open-air schools suppos-

edly helped children resist common diseases such 1917 district lethargic, indiff

in every insta wide-awake, na

quired typhoid cultures for the stated purpose of starting

|

4, 1909, an admired, 81 year-old philanthropist fetled

by what his physician called a stroke. Schoolchildren viewed his body lying in state at the public library. A towering col umn of flowers near the cas bore the inseription ket “Kansas City Mourns,” and eu

logies recalled the million especially his aire's legacy

1896 gift of Swope Park to the

city

But soon his name would be associated with the most sensational murder case in local

history to date. Swope’s passing was one in a series of

deaths and dreaded illnesses that struck the Independence mansion where Swope, alifelong bachelor, lived with his extended family The assigned executor of his will, J. Moss Hunton, convulsed and died two days be-

fore Swope. Two months later Swope’s nephew succumbed during an outbreak of typhoid fever that made nine others sick. All of them had two things

in common, They lived in the Swope mansion and were treated by Swope’s doctor, Bennett Clark Hyde.

Dr. Hyde: handsome, chatty and, many said, arrogant; presi

a laboratory. Authorities who exhumed Swope’s b« xly found traces of “some convulsive and paralyzing poison.” On May16,

1910, a jury found the doctor

guilty, Frances Hyde stood by her husband's claims of innocence. She funded a costly, crack defense team that won an appeal from the Missouri Supreme Court. Two retrials resulted in hung juries. Rumors swirled that the Hydes hadpaidoff jurors. A fourth trial was called offafter Hyde’s lawyers pointed out that thestate could not try him morethan three times. “For the seven years his case was in the courts, (Hyde's) name had been on the tongues of Kansas Citians Swope more than that of any other man,” wrote A.B, MacDonaldof The Kansas City Star. \n 1929 Frances’ mother never trusted he tracked down Hyde runHyde, andas thetragedies hit, other family members grew ning a small practice in Lexsuspicious, They wondered ington, Mo, Still loquacious but what was in the “digestive cap- divorced, Hyde told the re-

sule” Hyde gave Swope moments before his death. And

how did the Hydes manage to

avoid the typhoid strain that wasclaiming everyone else in

dent of the Jackson County Medical Society, Most impor —

tant, he had eloped with Swope'’s niece Frances would receive a slice

off in the 1910s, From 1912 to

1916 the number of commer-

Y By the end of decade, 41

percent of American houses

had electricity

V In 1914, Montgomery

Ward opened a large mail order store at Belmont Boulevard and St. John Avenue, just

in timefor the inauguration

of parcel post, which carried thelatest fashions to Kansas City’s hinterlands

VY

golden years of the Socialist Party of America, when Eugene Debs polled 900,000 votes for president and when Kate Richards O'Hare spoke up for the minimum wage and campaigned for a seat in Congress from the 2nd Dis-

trict of Kansas

KANSASCITY POPULATION 1860-1920 Each bar represents a 10-year census count 300

porter: “I won only in the

250

else” Hyde died in 1934. In 1960 the wrecking ball claimed Swope’s red-brick mansion at 406 S. Pleasant St. The story,

200

courts, I lost in everything

however, lingers. In 1994

The 1910s were the

(in thousands) +

150 100

Stephen G. Christianson wrote

soon

case stood as “a mon-

the power of money nal justice system.”

1920

the opening several yee date er, Perry eventually Maver to a streetoar barn at 19th ke

mythomas EL Swope died Oct

1910

1916 ;

1900

1514 E. 19th St. first appeared

ace

TRENDS

1890

g their fathers wore, Paddin cameout of the shoulders of

though some

qe

AGE

1880

er t s a f w e r g d l r o w e h t s 1910s, ane in the young men shed the stiff, se ov erstarched shirts like tho

the South , and s e s u o h g n i k e i p e h jobs at t ‘ uw o)f e m f o s t u c t : s e th e cheap se u o k h c a l b n d i p u n ten wou as s n a K , y r r e P y r n e H holds, ” , e u c e b r a b t o r e h t a City’s “f ast v s ’ n o i g e r e h t f o e s u e d ma d n a s e e r t y r o k c i h f o y l supp tomatoes to help bring the old n i a m e h t o t m o t s u c c i n h t e stream Perry's “barbecued meats” at

in the city director Yin

1870

e ot v o l s t I s e w o prthe city i r e m A n a c i r f A to e u barbec om r f s l i a r e h t e d eans who ro thousands took

MURDER OF THE

1860

BARBECUE

I uege su

swer

came

from

mander

Col

of the 140th:

|

Albert

“I am

ut Captain Holt died

Holt’s legs were shattered in fighting in Argonne Forest, and he died, Linxwiler

i hospital at Neufchateau, leaving (rs. Holt and six children

sas Citians threw their nickels and nto a building fund for a great “Vic-

Monument”

to remember the dead With substantial help from wealthy citizens, Kansas City raised more than $2 million in

10 days

The list of dead was long: 441 Kansas Citians killed, including a woman, Red Cross nurse Loretto Hollenback of 2627 Chestnut St Kansas City women had gone all-out for

the war. They had dispensed chocolate bars and cigarettes at the Red Cross can-

teen in Union Station, and they had driven supply cars and nursed the wounded in Fra nce. Nurse Louise Yale came home with a medal and said she never had been afraid. On July3, 1919, Missouri became the 11t h state to ratify the women’s suf-

rage g¢ aam me endmeny t to theYU US. Co: nstiit i on. The vote rolled of tuutti f in the Missoun

General Assembly canceled bec ause of the

Sanitary Dustmop, which was advertised, like the

Atits combined real estate office and streetcar depot, the Strang Land Co. laid plans to lure citydwellers to the Johnson County countryside, above and right. Meanwhile, the J.C. Nichols Co. had the sameintentfor the south-

without a hitch, though a c e lebration that day was death ofthe staunch suffragist An na Howard Shaw

whho o had vi‘s siittee d Missouri Many times, Su san B, Anthony had died in 1906

aa?

going through an Opera -

tor.

Downtown Kansnassas CiCitytyrerettaajilers were Carr ying the newOil of Br ightne: SS

186

The 1910s; City on a Crusade

:

saver.”

ern reaches of Kansas City, below.

District

On Strang Line

sier kitchen cabinet,

The Show Ride Oxt of Kansze City

eet sees ageror

oe

ee

28% Discount

n ro nae esbr e te ts ve s ine te, 10 nen is; suir sem | ng, ldi ey In the Shukert Bui real estate company mbovt thie district. ~ ark ofice Sumdey of Btreng line ace, 701 Walnut a)

.

Kansas City’s Touring In-

She too, served: Kansas Citiar

formation Bureau had printed the fourth edition

Farrow was oneofthe relat women to wear her country’ in World War I, just as she ¥ the few female lawyers in tl

|

|

con all lots and acre tracts:

every ot oe co oe Sr

Tngotee at ‘Overiasnd-P BL, week dare. STRANG LAND CO., 701 Walnut St Home Phone 6680 Main,

t

| c an ge id br , e v r u s c ou er ng da ry ve “e g n i w o ofits Automobile Route Book, sh

. es at St ed it Un n er st We d n a l ra creek” in the Cent

For years she was not adm Kansas City Bar because 0}

e th of or ct re di h, yt Sm . LJ at th ty Gi Traffic was heavy enough in Kansas e l u o dB oo nw Li al ts ee tr ys wa eon th Safety Council, was experimenting wi the

s s o r dc ul wo rs ca 00 ,0 50 , 21 19 y b at th d vard and the Paseo. He projecte

MODERN AMERIC A DAWNS

Nowhere were the Si gns of 4 new America more evident that summer 1919 than in Kansas Ci of ty, wh ere the Home a nd the Bell telephone compa Mes announced the comin 8 installation o f automatic telephones. would have a di al so cu They sstomer“TsS could call wii thout

Overland

tersection every day.

Brookthe ting truc cons was ols Nich J.C. oe . decade drew to a close, t n e m p o l e v e d a d il bu to ot sp a r fo d n u o r a g in ok lo d n a er nt Ce g n i p p o h S side called the CouCountry Club Plaza. ran up the new Ward Parkway, and the Strang

GREATER PRIDE IN YOUR CITY WILT, BE RIDE O8 WALK THROUOM THE DEACTH

Country Club District

aevejopeent "| AtheFemarhabl eb e renidene ° ine y an ever Before "Ts erieasTorroamSETS te BILDBet

C] ShPereraie i eetrae teal eeeCe fa] “Sti wi ine i Fate eee

fi]

.

;

J.C. NICHOLS—8 0 Commerce Balding

sy bu s a w ty un Co n so hn Jo e er wh e, id ce sineran lear into the Kansas counys

- oilingits miles of ditt roads.

oo

"Kansas City 187

tion on Oct. 30. After two days of celebra-

tions the first train departs Novy. 1, shortly after midnight ¥Y Hollywood, Calif., becomes the center

of motion picture production whenfilm-

maker Cecil B. DeMille establishes his studio there and others follow.

¥ ThePanama Canal officially opens.

1915 Y The passenger liner Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine; 128 of the dead

T. J. Pendergast, liquor distributor

Minnie Williams, caterer

AndrewShirk, roofing

contractor

J.C. Nichols, real estate developer

Thelikenesses of business men and business women were sketched byartists from various newspapers and printed in Kansas Cityin Caricature, published in 1912.

1910

are Americans

‘

Y William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Star, dies on April 13 at age 74. He

leaves everythingto his daughter, Laura Nelson Kirkwood. In running the news-

¥ The Armour and Swift meat-packing in-

papershe defers to her father’s handenue.

picked editors and, increasingly, to her

Y ThomasJ. Pendergast succeeds his

terests and the Burlington Railroad on

Vv The American Girl Guides

brother as Ist Ward alderman.

Dec. 28 open a Missouri River bridge with

the next year the name

V US. population passes 100 million.

ae

Y Congress passes the Mann Act, prohibit-

roads for wheeled vehicles, streetcars,

Scouts.

Y TheVictorTalking Machine Co.intro-

Standing guard onthe streetcars, 1918

ing the interstate or foreign transport of

trains and pedestrians.To make way for

ducestheVictrola.

girls or women for immoral purposes. By

river traffic, it has an innovativelift span. The bridge will become known as the Ar-

draft. Suffragists are arrested for demon1916 ¥ The average price of a new car is | strating in front of the White House. slightly more than $600, but Ford’s Model | ¥ Russian monarchyis abolished by rev-

to a civic obsession that leads to con-

T sells for $360.There are now more than —

struction of the Liberty Memorial.

1915 nearly every state has outlawed brothels andsolicitation of sex. V Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt visits KansasCity.

¥ The Boy Scouts of America is founded. Camp Fire Girls founded. V The newly founded National Associa-

tion for the Advancement of Colored Peo-

ple begins publishing its magazine, The Crisis.

1911

mour-Swift-Burlington, orASB Bridge.

V A new Livestock ExchangeBuilding is

3.5 million cars on the road.

completed at 16th and Genessee streets. Ninestories tall, it is one ofthe city’s

Y MargaretSanger, Fania Mindell

largest office structures.

¥ In New York City theTriangle Shirtwaist

Co. fire claims thelives of 146 garment

workers. Eighty thousand outraged people march down Fifth Avenueto attend the fu

-

neral.

husband, Irwin Kirkwood.

}

ae

CityJournalhad called for a monument to honorarea soldiers. The idea growsin-

¥ Kansas Citystreetcar workers go on strike. The National Guard is called to protect passengers after several streetcars

are dynamited.

Y Bolsheviks take over the Russian government.

1919 fundraising drive for the Lib-

ends Nov. 5. It gathers

ig more than the $2 million

112

¥ The meat-packing-railroad group that

finished theArmour-SwiftBurlington

Bridge incorporates North Kansas City at its northern end.

V The ocean liner Titanic sinks in t

he

North Atlantic, killing 1,500 persons, Y Voters in Kansas, a

ll of them male, ap-

Prove suffrage for women.

¥ The Ford Motor Co. opens a Kansas

Gity assembly plant on Winchester Av.

THE AGE OF PLAY A) FAIRYLANDS 3 Then

ty

it

came to

beauty,

CRYSTAL PO

Mary B. McGavran was a Kansas City

iir and treating skin blemishes in 1904. when there were only five beauty parlors in the

sit

r herself when she traveled to New

1e with one of the new Frederic pernes. Invented only a fewyears before, the manent wave used borax paste andelectrically heated curlers

style hair.

McGavran set the machine upin her second-floor

shop at 1114 MainSt. andstarted charging $2 a curl. Within two ears she was running a salonin Harzfelds department store on Petticoat Lane and by 1923 had openeda shop onthe brandtry Club Plaza.

By then Kansas Preceding page: Pedestrians and . passengers at Na12th no and

unc tn

1926. ol es the rule.

City had 26 beautyparlors. In 1924 the city directorylisted 140parlors, and in 1926it listed 223 — an astounding 750 percentincrease in ‘ust th ee just three year s. In the 1920s beauty became big business. McG SF sal cS ons5 epii tomize McGavr avrian and her izecd the new ; con-

sumer society that took hold in the 1920s. As the U.S.

€conomyshifted from the industrial base of the 19th century to the complex, corporate structure of the 20th century, America experienced what the editors of American

ul es shif hift teed fro fi m ” restr Decaint, ades thrif callFr. “rev olut man ion” intow andrmmorals.” Vals nfo t aand Pa sobr iety ardner “co ity, consumerism and individual gratification.” es

Ino Kane sas City City peo peop le danced , os ple in all-night marathons, cruised the SubwayClub at 18th and Vine streets and dipped, dived, dropped and climbed on “the highest, fastest, longest, most thr illing ride in the world”— the Skyrocke ' t roller coaster at the

_/

§

a 2

f

/

4 4

a

:

_

es Avenue.

,

ee ee wan

kin,” Peet Brothers Co. ofKansas City, Kan., eeray aae

‘torsmo e oth appeared in a CremeOil advertisen zine ofJune 28, oS.

;

4

tion: July 1926 brought crowds to the Crystal

Pool

—

‘

Amer icans learned ous n

and wen :t

debut of the

including the

mouon pictures

moved into the modern era ecame b g n i s i t r e v d a s 0 2 In the 19 1new

numbers and the

culture

!

“new

own living, the new

talkie”

a prok ssion,

woman”

)

gh

re starte dl going} to colle vve

L

ccaltlioon ol. ggll|oorriifliI i

and the ih

|

Le

in

tended hi As teen-agers at

pas

_ we a | :H| KK Thi te : | | .

‘ shaba icul Age of Play, said others As facls came aue L | ‘ < tune in to Uh 1 ol and g e r u t a i n i m y a l p , s e l ‘i to do cro, ssword puzz vata is s r a o : Rf e c e r } h p a | r g h o p t n i o f W o h n o o i i the rad oliferat r y p a new techn log : :

The

d youth spawne

seer

ey

—

te

ee

—

ome

The Roaring ‘20s, some called it

s

.

chor

01 In reECOr

An and earning

ner

“corporate man” looked around for new cd finitions of

7

manhood Many men turned to sports, which saw an ¢ xplosion in poj pularity

with

heroes such as Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, George Muehlebac h of the Street and Muehlebach brewery built a 17,000-seat baseball staclium at 22nd

the of Brief Bunny r slugge d cheere Citians Kansas where , Avenue Brooklyn minor league Blues and pitcher

“Bullet Joe"

Rogan of the Negro Leagues

Monarchs

Although segregation, poverty and blight still marred Kansas City, the

La

1920s were a time of great prosperity

In the earl‘

mou r Hille

electric sht electric As incomes rose and the middle class grew, Kansas Cithins I bought

| ¢ transform ansf ing --time cattle cattle farm, fe above, into the brand-newsubdivision of Arihe : J.C. Nichols Co, was ing a< one-time looking west where 67th Terrace (left) and Linden Street intersect (right) with Edgevale Road.

refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and, of course, more and

more automobiles, which spurred road building and new inventions such as the Minor Illuminated Highway Safety Signal, which flashed the word Danger” as motorists approacheda crossing over the Blue River. HOME, SWEET HOME

With the ease of automobile transportation, Kansas City’s middle class started to move south, just as wealthier residents had been doing for years, On East 59th Street and East 61st Terrace, the Earl C. Hallar real estate company was building $50-a-month bungalows to meet the demand. That's

all it took, the ads said — $50 a month and a “small initial payment” —for

ELT r N E N A é OM R

Ridge S

the average Kansas Citian to own a home.

In the Indian Village subdivision at 85th Street and Wornall Road, $20 a month could do the job, Developer EJ, Sweeney promised “A City of Happiness...PAVED WITH GOLD.” One didn’t need to be “we. althy in pocketbook,” only “wealthyin soul,” J.C, Nichols, developer of Mission Hills and the prestigious Sunset Hill near the Kansas City Country Club (today's Loose Park), also turned his al tention to the expanding middle class,

In 1922 he filed a plat for a new subdivision south of 65th Stree t.

curving Edgevale Road. The bungalows a nd twoestorie 8 in ArmourHills, N

ichols said, had “the same charac teristics of beauty and distinction” that prevailed in th “In efficiency and livability, these h ouses take first rank,”

said the J.C, Nichols Co. It advertised bungalowsfor $8,500 and two-stories for as low as bernieefiigen apty-bnhteoe

194 The 1920s: Thoroughly Modern ee

mo

s er ow fl r o f e ac sp t n a d n u b a ups’ croquet court and . s e t i s e m o h t h g u o b d a h s e i l i m a f 0 30 n a h t e r o m 4 2 9 1 r e m m u s By

e re th n o y a d y r e v e ng ti ar st n o i t c u r t s n o c h t i w . ly Ju t a h ‘T a l l i V r bo Ar re ac 11. e h t d e t a c i d e d s l o h c i N s e s u o or four h pergola was ,

at 6th

Terra

-and Main Street. The

. I n h o J e g d u J s a g n - that eveni Ai

Armour

Hills, hecalledit, There, on the former grazing land of Kirkland Armour's He reford he r d , Nichols built moderately priced houses al ong Oak, Main, Brook side and the

e nearby but pricier Country Club Dist rict,

Open Today!

n: ow gr e th or le pi nd sa ’ ts to 4 le tt li e th r fo s rd ya g bi ne fi e ar e r e $9,500, “Th

Despite winter's chill, cred to see flagpole si f

maeres

sie

seine wertgate

Main Streets . In the 1 om aeaevenae degrees,

d n a d o o t s , r e n w homeo

A ot for nothing were the

NEW

SOUND

of

ge N 20s called the Jazz A synco. faking a cuc from the

[pp MAIS UL AS BeHo nnt? lox Trot ns i

and pations of ragtime e th as t i g in ac pl re eventually

a

jazz also was heavi passion from s ue bl by ed nc ue fl in ly char s a w zz Ja h. ut So the rural acterized by relaxed musical emphasized phrasing that

BOOMING ith secondary education fast becoming therule, not the exception, high school enrollment soared in Kansas City from about 7,000 students in 1919 to 19,000 in 1930. The

school district passed $10 million in bonds to erect buildings, but its high-minded mission wasn't free of controversy. Consider the school board's 1922 negotiations with the

C.V. Armour packing family for 15 acres of farmland southwest of 65th Street and Wornall Road — future site of Southwest High School. Builder J.C. Nichols served on the board. Looking to develop Armour Hills, he struck a side deal with Armour. Nichols paid $3,000 per acre for surrounding land, while the district paid $5,000 per acre for the high school

SCHOOLS site

The school helped make Nichols’ housing development a huge success. But a Missouri Senate report questioned the “favoritism, extravagance and

waste” of the district's building

program. Three new high schools — Southwest, East and Paseo — opened in the 1920s. One goal wasto help the children of im-

middle of the '20s, and his alliance with gangster Johnny

Lazia created a freewheeling

black and white played one-

nighters in towns small and large, adjusting their music to

the dancers’ tastes. The most

atmosphere in which police looked the other way at gam bling, prostitution and liquor. At the height of Prohibition nightclubs flourished in Kansas City, and jazz madethe

good times seem to go even

better. Big bands of 10 to 15 members, such as Walter Page's Blue Devils or Bennie Moten’s

Kansas City Orchestra, made

regular rounds of Oklahoma

City, Omaha, Little Rock, Dallas, the Dakotas, Kansas City and smaller towns. As the decade closed, the crash of the nation’s economy made it tough for most Midwesterners to afford dance tickets or nights on the town An exception was the wideopen townin the center of it all — Kansas City. Here, musicians couldstill find work. The golden age of Kansas City jazz was about to open

migrants and farmers become

productive city dwellers, Kansas City saw mixed results, At decade's end researcher Thomas Ditmars polled stu-

dents and found that most

were middle-class; many of the city’s poorer children “whe

should be able to profit

from high school a

i

stayed out to work for

families.

age

PROHIBITION

indoor ami

ter, the Pla-Mor

tracted 4,100 swin

ers and sightseers

opened — Noy.

neath the wood thousands ofspr:

vided dancers a.

give.

Pre in Kansas City. Here is

an excerpt from The Kansas

City TimesofJan. 5, 1922: “Seven women, all members of the WCTU, had a most

beautiful day at police headquarters.And why not? Were not gallon after gallon of home-made whisky poured in“The stuff was the accumulation of two weeks campaigning against bootleggers by membersof the police department....Amid the groans

of the multitude, which had gathered outside the jail door, the women held bottle after bottle upside down and seemingly gloated in the musical gurgle of home-made whisky trickling forever outof sight”

Launched by

tent crowds fe Its demise in

was laid to $ and a grow people to stay

television.

DINING EBT

AT

rohibition played a visible

to a sewer, andstill after still smashed beyond redemption?

ern

polkas or jazz

dergast consolidated his con trol of local politics by the

a is ov pr im d e u l a v d an rhythm d in this ecotion. It was 5} by records, nomic boom dium, radio, by the new ed performand by old srOuUps ances by mt known In the M y musicians as the Territ estras both — bands at

For pupils at schools in Nichols neighborhoods, field dayat the Country DaySchool was an annual ever girls were racing in thefirst field day in 1921.

bands were the most versatile; they could spin Out ragtime or fox trots or

Considered risque by many jazz found a home in the MidWest's Capital of good times. Kansas City. Thomas J. Pen

l nation s recre ational musica

al

successful

wedish immigrants filled

the kitchen of Emery, Bird,

Thayer's Tea Room, making

luscious apple pies and baked chicken in mushroom sauce

Former busgirl Helen M Stoltz worked there from 1918 to 1922. She reminisced 70 years later for a Kansas City Museum oral history project “| think I weighed 98

pounds when I started (at age 13) and I must have weighed 160 when I left. We could always have whatever we wanted, They made their own ice

cream. Caramel nut was my

favorite... “['m telling you, their prime

roast of beef — that went

over

great

with

the

lawyers....And pear and

cheese salad — | love it to

thisday.They made it

oe

Kansas City police show off — a still they have decommissioned.

x

—_q

ae ee

SE er eee

Oy ied

MODERN OFFICES Ade glad

ee

GONE

t was a do-gooder’s dream come true A

— GARAGE —

for

,

AWRY

Loreena nt that would eliminate politi cal patronage and place Kansas City in the hands of a nonpartisan team of Mana gers

At least,

that’s

what political scientists thought they had created in 1925. Tha t

year

Kansas

Citians

voted by a 4-1 ratio to

toss out their old 32-

‘ ‘

3)

|

member

body

with a nine-member.

—

o wh s, ol ch Ni To t. en sc de n ca ri Af of le op pe as ll we as Jews and Catholics

eedr de t, dou ve mo s nt de si re y th al we as e at or ri te de l Hil had seen Quality strictions were a wayto ensurethat propertyretained its value.

In fact, company recordsindicate that Nichols developed Armour Hills — ty er d op ar pr gu fe sa yto wa a p as hi — rs ne ow d an e us nd d la s cte it tri dres an values in the nearbyandcostlier properties along Ward Parkway and Sunset

Drive. “Hadthis landfallen into the possession of disinterested owners or hadit been developed without restrictions,” the records say, the “stability and character” of the Country Club District — and Kansas City — would have“suffered.” ‘GREAT MIGRATION’

As Nichols was building ArmourHills for the white middle class, Kansas City’s black community was growing as well. The years surrounding World War I were those of the “Great Migration,”

when many Southem blacks moved north tofill factory jobs in places like ra and Detroit, where the Ford Motor Co. was offering jo bs at $5 a y

«

dy for 50,000 Negroes: Detroit Finds Work for Black Emig rants from

the South,” read a headline in The Kansas City Time s of April 6, 1918. - oe did not say how many bl ack migrants moved to Kansas

y, but the black community was growin g fast enoughthat, in 1919, a. A. Franklin started The Kansas City Call, giving Kansas City four new spapers. There also was onein Kansas City, Kan U.S. census figures show that the ay

s black population increased from

Near the hub »f the black business dis. trict, the n Cowest corner of 20th and Vine thrived m 1929,

\

a

McElroy

;

f

council

rhe council, of which

the

|

and replace it

nonpartisan

i

legislative

mayor was only

one member and held no veto, would namea

city manager. That per-

son was meant to be an expert who would

hire and fire city employees based on their performance Honest government would follow. After all, the lifeblood of machine politics was patronage, the power to award jobs to

friends. Interestingly, the change was supported by Thomas J. Pendergast, leading Democrat and ultraskilled political machine operator. The Kansas City Star was surprised. The Pendergast organization, it

said, had been“largely preoccupied by political spoils.” By the end of 1925,The

Star and the reformers wouldfind out why. :

Pendergast, who said he

as easy to get along “withni 32,” maneuvered his han

datesinto five of the nine

in the ostensibly nonpart

City Hall and fire station Fifth and Main streets, 1924.

tion. With that majority, Pendergast named as city managerhis staunch ally Henry FE McElroy,a real estate executive

and former county politician. The patron-

DNESDAY—20 PAGES

bah cach

CHARTER WINS 4 TO |

5} S\Compleic Returns Show 37363 Voted for and KATY Against City Manager Plan for The Public Service Institute, founded I Kansas City. philanthropist William Volker and the;

age never stopped.

masterminded the city manag-pepe.

fs

;

ved a

rote

kr

Sepeamenennereeentene tT

MAJORITY26,484 Se 2S f]tcemttssrer corpo Rete

ow.

jee ES ;

ae

sought more places to live,

Rue

K

k

it

I

Ha{ ll in

>

:

irn Englis!

(

Kansa

2. 19 1924 ngs.

|

yearr s

off

e ththe

r tury ceen

il

from edtoa

th hee Klan held its national in se ri a id am a! ye n sa me Thhatat sa

a new

law

severely < urtailed im

s a s n a K In . ls va ri ar st te la ’s on ti » na ricanize i r e m A n a n a r n io Un e c n a r e p m e T 1's Christian nt we s er th m« n ia al It , ek we a e ic 227 Broadway. Tw

l ra ve se ed id ra ts en ag n io it ib oh pr l inti! federa

rt po re s me Ti e Th t, tha er Aft 6. 192 ly ear e th in ighborhood

d te ec sp su ey th e us ca be er nt ce e th to g in {talian mothers stopped go

nt me rn ve go l ra de fe e th for er nt ce e ag on pi es an g in WCTU “of be ol tr n pa ia al It ed an or pl im , ger Big W. C. . Mrs or, ect dir ter cen e th r Omny alfte sread the word that the WCTU was only an advocate of prohibidid the Italian womenstart going back 1 an enforcer

Bo in St. J oseph, new sma n Wa}

ter Cronkite spent most of his childhood in a middle-clas s Neigh borhood off Swope Parkway in the 1920s. Here he recalls two local

news events that occurred when h ( was about 6

“(Our neighborhood was) blacp

ened by a raid that uncovered one

residence

I with fascina-

spite the troubles, the 1920s were a time of remarkable growth in

tion as the rev-

enuers smashed

The number of building permits registered a 65 percent increase from million

In 1923 alone, the city issued 5,831 building permits, which included ' 2,056 hous es, 299 apartment buildings and 102 duplexes, Factories, warehouses, public garages, churches and schools went up, as did two dental

colleges, two movie houses, two hotels, a hospital (Lakeside at 29th Street

and Flora Avenue) and a ballpark, Muehlebach Field (eventually Municipal Stadium)

In the 1920s, Kansas City’s modern skyline started to take shap e.

Up went the 16-story Professional Building at 1103 Grand Ave., the 22-story Kansas City Athletic Club at 11th and Baltimore streets and the President Hotel at 12th Street and Baltimore. The Sout hwestern Bell Telephone Co.

Building, already standing 14 stories tall at 11th and Oak streets, added another 14 st

ories in 1929, Plans also were a nnounced for the Kansas City Power & Light Building (com pleted in 1931) In the 1920s

‘ major bootleg opera. tion. The house was only a cou-

ple of doors Srom ours, and my mother watched with horror and

GOING UP...

1915 to 1923, and values skyrocketedas well, to $24.3 million from $10.6

ee

'

as

el

i

imi

he i

n — e

4

:

1

rope

hundreds of botCronkite

tles in our neighbor’s

The

driveway, —

spilled

whiskey ran down the gutter

front of our house, and the hei aroma was enough to make dogs giddy... “Our hill overlooked, a half-a

blocks away, Electric Park.

night after closing it burned spectacular fire. The Ferris wh

seemed to turn as the

climbed up its sides. The caught fire on the two tracks of the Greyhoun roller coaster, and

raced up and down with t of the cars that once , tortuous circuit... :

“For a child the scene

rible as it was spellbin

left me with a lifelong.

never check in to a

without counting the

exit.”

— From A Repo

Walter Cronkite, 1996

“Katz pays the tax.” “Everything for less.” Michael and Isaac Katz used those slogans and various images ofa cat to boosttheir drugstores into a multistate operation that lasted for decades. These patrons lined up at the Katz store at 12th and McGee streets in the

early 1920s.

Growth of a Mighty City.”

In 1924, Westport Junior High School opened. In 1925, Southwest High

In 1926, East High and theoriginal Paseo High School, which crowned the is that ll f“a veo ati ent res rep ud pro a , nue Ave ra Flo and eet Str h 48t at hillside

modern and substantial in a school building.”

.. AND COMING DOWN

. wn do re to so al it r, ve we ho t, il bu ty Ci As Kansas 21 19 by ho w r, te en ch Ze st ne Er r no ig ns No one knew that better than Mo ul Pa d an r te Pe ts in Sa at e ic rv se of s ar ye was widely known for his many e Ge Mc d an h nt Ni t ’a ch ur ch an rm Ge he Catholic Church, familiarly called “t

streets. th wi ch ur ch k ic br d re e th at ed or st pa d ha r For 48 years Father Zechente

s wa h ic wh , ch ur ch e Th . ds re ep de d an s ue its colorful windows ofrich bl

of s ar ye by s os gl rk da a to rn wo re we ws built in 1868, was so old that its pe

THE DISNEY

MAGIC

BEGINS

IN

jee

Saints Peter and Paul C hurch at Ninth and McGee streets, dw arfed by the Fed

eral Reserve Building going up on the

same block

used as fille d an me ho ty Ci as ns Ka s hi f o ge ra ga e th in r de ma . i Im i n March 5 924 f f e i r b s i h t n i s l l cae i k s il s n e h dt an ad he re fo s hi es ch Walt Disney displayed h h js at cr eys sn Di es am fr e es th in In to wn . e a s r e t a e h t ketches a Wrycom c i v o m n a m w e aireen N y mp e Bu ), e ozy r flo h da t ere sid con was ngs cki at the sto her led rol who n oma s 5... etticoat Lane (@ e on P l a s r o f s d o o g t u o b a t men

ok sho s ner sio mis com ce poli of set new a 1921 uary Febr In cs. topi also ere ntw rtme Depa ce up the — _and turmoil in the Poli S ; ; jobs.

department, demoting many police officials and ending politically created “chair-warming”

ralt Disney's career got off W to a bumpy start in Kansas City, where the Illinois

at the Kansas City Film Ad Co., making cartoon commercials that spunat local theaters. Bor-

called them “Newman LaughO-Grams,’ which ran with feature films.

an artist for The Kansas City Star, but the newspaper reject’ ed him. Helater lost hisjob ata

family’s garage at 3028 Bellefontaine Ave. Here, he produced his own animated

$15,000 from local investors. He put a half-dozen animators ina small office at 1127 E. 31st

native spent much of his youth. At age 19 he tried to become

commercial art studio

In 1920, Disney found work

“YOU

rowing a company camera, Disney concocted a studio in his

shorts. Disney offered these

to the Newman Theater and

AIN’T

HEARD

M iegoing was a wellestab1¥ Llished amusement in Kansas City by the 1920s; seventy-six movie houses were listed in the city direc-

Disney soon formed LaughO-Gram Films, bankrolled by

Katherine and Richard ¢ Disney in late 19225 “the company is

broke....l am ¢

St. Distribution problems arose,

and, according to biographers

YET,

NOTHIN

the r, ve we ho t, tha r te Af e. le bi ju en ld go s r’ following Zechente

STARTING TODAY OREATEST Snow CYER

ng down li mb tu me ca , it re fo be y or ct re d an like the parish school

GIVENIN KANSAS CITY

ic or st hi re we ly on t No . wn do g in Kansas City had a propensity for tear The lt. bui s wa y cit the h ic wh on up nd structures destroyed, but also the la

tory But for much of the decade pa-

trons had to read the actors lips or wait for the occasional caption to

in gg di n ga be y cit e th en wh r, Wa l vi Gi e th to st mo al ck ba d te da n io destruct r ve Ri n ou ss Mi e th of h ut so se ro at streets out of the steep bluffs th ™. STAOR

—— Douglas Fairbanks’ grandiose

look released in 1923 —

and it Coule take physical es

r te Pe ts in Sa s, ar ye y rl ea e th in s et re st its ed ad gr d an ed el nn tu ty ci e th As et fe 14 , nk ba ay cl a op at d Jeft perche

ATTRACT!

one

en be d ha ch ur Ch ic ol th Ca ul Pa d an

irsta en od wo of s ht ig fl b im cl to rs ne io sh ri pa g in rc fo , et re St e Ge above Mc

egos 4

!

Pie Harold Lloyd's “Safety Last’ in

to reach the entrance.

s f f u l b r ve ri p e e t s s it n w o d g n i r a e t s a w l il st y t i C s a s n a K , 5 2 9 1 iylate as d an Gr of ot fo e th ar ne ct ri st di ial ia nt ce si re e once fashionabl

“ame year. Butexcept for orches-

Hobo Hill —

a ee and watch ten to this” The “talkie” process . Kansas Citians had to

Christmas

until

"The night, That 1927. eve Singer? Starring Al Jolson,

Jazz opened at the Globe Theater at lath

andWalnut streets

phon

; Called Vita-

Permitted Jolson “to perform

the first audible scenes ever incorpoFated into a feature-length motion

picture’ The Kansas Eley Sida ce,

,

’

.

ERE LED

oe “SARL aE ; THE KO th

The Royal Theater on M

Lloyd's silent film “The

THE

HIGH

LIBERTY

IDEALS: MEMORIAL iS Buster

n the wake of World War I, America’s biggest venture on the world stage

Kansas Citians poured their idealism and

their money

was meant to

into the Liberty Memorial. It

be a monument not only to

those who died in the war but also to the principles of liberty and freedom The site

Swope Par! Long, des

Baas

WAR MEMORIAL

> chosen in 1920 Rejecting

Pat tr

00 distant, lumberman R.A er J.C. Nichols and other businessmen

orp

who led

the effort settled upon

the area south of Union

Station and began ac

quiring land. Someday they hoped, thearea also could house anarts center.

The winning design selected in a competition among local and

outside architects, was

by New Yorker H. Van Buren Magonigle. The

200-foot shaft would, in the architect's

words, “represent an altar high raised in the sky, with its flame of inspiration ever burning.” The money — more than $2 million —

in a day of salutes, Allied commanders and Vice President Calvin Coolidge in November 1921 reviewed an American Legion parade on Grand Avenue, below, and dedicated the site for the memorial Opposite Union Station, above.

Newspapers crusaded during the 1919 fund-raising drive for the Liberty Memo-

dedication of the site and groundbreaking

100,000 people looked on. After much wrangling with Magonigle over the budget, by spring 1923, leaders of the Liberty Memorial Association and the city approved his plans. Construction s wa e on st er rn co e Th 4. 192 ly ear in n ga be laid in November. Coolidge returned by train Nov. 11, 1926, Armistice Day. Now president, he formally dedicated the memorial. Landscap-

week of block-by-block solicitation. The next great public event of the effort was

built on the hillside south of Union Station. Cannons fired salutes, white-robed

young women and the Allied commanders

took laurel wreaths to the altar, a band

played, and ritual fire Was lighted. More than

1920s: 7Thoroughly Modern

OCT.27-NOV. 1

rial Illustrations above and beloware from The Kansas City Star.

rary altar and rostrum

‘TThhee

ALLIED CHARITIES

had been raised a year after the war ended in a citywide fund drive that climaxed in a

in November 1921. In an elaborate spectacle that coincided with the national convention here of the American Legion, five prominent wartime Allied commanders — among them Gen. John J. Pershing and French Marshal Ferdinand Foch — joined Vice President Calvin Coolidge on a tempo-

204

RED CROSS

ing was finished later. The last work, the

frieze on the huge

north wall, was dedicated in 1935. The memorial was closed in 1994 to

and 3.200 gallons

@

3,20

gallons of ania water a minute

into the Missouri River

until the Old Town bluffs melted. away

THE SOUTHWARD MARCH Despite its river origins, Kansas City always looked so ith, where the city

had room to stretch

In the 1920s the city’s river wards continued to lose population, while

Hotel

wards to the south grew al astounding rates. The Civic Research Institute, using voting records and registrations, compileda table of statistics

RESIDENT STUDIO

AF

Mer

The 5th Ward, which included Old Town, aroundthe Gity Market, lost 4,016residents between 1920 and 1930, a decline of 24.2 percent. The4th Ward, which stretched south of 39th Street, gained 32,495 residents, a 127.5 percent increase.

HydePark, Rockhill and the Country Club District withits suburban shopping center — the Country Club Plaza — marked Kansas City’s southern

march to the suburbs.

By1923 the Mill Creek Building — thefirst on the Plaza — was taking

tenants, Mary B. McGavran’s beauty parlor among them. In January 1924, Wolferman’s market movedintoits newPlaza store with the Spanish mission tiles and graceful tower at 47th and Wyandotte streets. Said to be five times the size of the downtown Wolferman’s at 1108-1110 Walnut St., the newstore featured a “home cookery,” where women mixed

WDAF’s studio at the President Hotel.

adio spread across the country

gare mind-boggling speed in the early 1920s, and Kansas City was

along for the ride. In the wake of

World War I, which spurred growth of the technology, individuals and then corporations began to figure ways to make money from broadcasting. Listen-

rc of Kansas City’s most enduring

symbols, “The Scout, was created by

Boston sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Franciso

ers tuned in first with crystal sets and then with vacuum

in 1915. Civic leaders expressed interest in buying it for Kansas City, and it was displayed here on its way backeast.That generated enough enthusiasm to complete a

tube models. Early broadcasters quickly realized that a way to sell radios was to create programs for them to receive. In Kansas City a furniture

Advertisement, 4

Aug. 15, 1922

dealer and a radio supplier combined tobegin the city’s first commercial station, WOQ, in Spring 1922. Weeks sen WPE went on the air wi tligious j

from, the RLDS dy WS Chur © chso and poetr

readings sponsored by The Kansas

City Journal-Post,

ee

aes his - letters live to. Kansas City ry ¢ A By ee - 500n WDAF ’s

206

$15,000 fund-raising drive to acquire the

work in 1917, In the 1920s vandals struck time and again; the effort wasn’t hard beThe Coon-Sanders Nighthawks Orches tra.

powerful signal — unfetter ed by

later regulations — brought nationwide acclaim to Carlton Co on and Joe Sanders’ band, the Ni ghthawks Orchestra. Also Survivi ng is WHB begun by the Sween ey trade school near Union Statio n. Its first major broadcast ca me Aug. 15 Speeches by Mayor Frank Crom-

The 1920s; Thorou ghly Modern

well, banker James M station owner E.J.

wiched the Swee formance of various tions.To make sure p radios knew about ‘ installed radios 4

cause the statue rested at ground level,

above.In the mid-1930s a pedestal was in-

stalled to elevate the statue to try to hampervandals; in the 1960s it was placed on

its present, tall limestone pedestal.

cakes oneat a time, just “as it would be donein the home.” That spring J.C. Nichols added his own Tower Building and continued to draw downtown businesses. On May 12, 1924, the Robinson Shoe Co., 1016-1018 Main, openeda suburban branch on the Plaza. Owne r custo mers, ” wome n for conve nient very be will “The new store downprobl ems parki ng and conge stion Street said. Robin son Joseph M. childr en their take to mothe rs for diffic ult town had madeit increasingly “than said, Robin son kiddie s,” the to go to us “for shopping. It was easier 47th, W. 114 at floor main the to additi on In for them always to come to us.”

and slides piles , sand with playr oom a Robinson leased the basement for merry-go-rounds. devel opmen t. subur ban for model a was Plaza Club The new Country in must —a matio ns gasoli ne access ible and It offered plentiful parking

ingred iimpor tant other that offere d the new age ofthe automobile. It also

massmarket first nation ’s the of One store. chain ent of suburbia — the ild-

Bu le ng ia Tr w e n s a’ az Pl e th in s a w — y r e c o r g y l g g i W ly gg Pi a — “stores

g n i t o m o r p , ad re ts en em is rt ve ad ” the f, el Sh g in il Sm a m o r f it an ti Se as y l g g i P 19 d a h ty Ci s a s n a K , 23 19 y B . g n i p p o h s y r e c o r g in t a sia concep

. e u n e v A st oo Tr d e l e v a r t h c u m e th n o ur fo g in ud cl in s, ly Wigg 'y N O I L L I M A OF G N I M A E DR

rt pe pa ws ne t n e i s s a w r ve ne re tu fu dh J 20sfaith in Kansas City’s

of ty Ci , ok bo r ei th in e ot wr er wl Fo B. d . es C. Haskell Jr. and Richar

aco} +e eee

1920 wood, Laura’s widower, about 30

¥ Prohibition of liquor becomes

newspaper employees win the bidding to purchase the paper for $11

part of the U.S, Constitution, the Fighteenth Amendment on Jan. 16.

million

WY The 19th amendment is ratified,

¥ OnNov. 11, Armistice Day, the Liberty Memorial is dedicated by

giving women the right to vote.

The League of Women Voters is

President Coolidge

founded

Y In Russia, Bolsheviks stamp out insurrectionists andfirm uptheir hold on the country

Y Feeling menaced by Reds, authorities in

the UnitedStatesarrest thousands of communists, anarchists and other radicals.

Lindbergh buzzes Kansas City’s new airfield months after his famed transatlantic flight.

“Voyage of Understanding” speaking tour

1921

across western states. He never returns to

Y Thesite of the Liberty Memorial is dedi-

cated byVice ?resident Calvin Coolidge

Washington from the trip,an attempt to right his administration as word of scandal

Springs, N.Y., where he has gone to sell

Thomas J. Pendergast to run for a post on

The prosperous 1920s had brought Gen. John J. Pershing to town to dedicate the site of the Liberty Memorial and Charles Lindbergh, “Lucky Lindy”

the three-memberbody that governs Jack-

son County, the administrative court. He

himself, to dedicate the Downtown Airport

wins.

boss polities in city government. (It didn’t.)

In 1928 the city was host of the Republican National Convention that nominated Herbert Hoover for president. A new kind of journalist stood on the platform at Convention Hall that summer, He was Graham McNamee, a

1922 Y Harry S.Truman, a downtown haber-

Y By midyear, four radio stationsare ee ating in Kansas City.

Bf

Y World powers meetin Washington

agree to curb naval constructionand outlaw poison gas.

Villa Locarno, the Villa Serena and the Rivier a gave the old Cowtown the look of Central Park

If Kansas City had overbuilt its homes and apartments, it was w ith an op-

timism that looked to the future‘ ‘city of a mi llion.” But then, of course, the bottom fell out. O n Oct. 29, 1929, the stock m arket crashed, plunging the United States in to the Great [ Jepression,

208

1924 Y The Kansas City Monarchs win the

nystock is made available to more em-

first Negro Leagues WorldSeries.

help them payfor their shares.

'Y New York composer George Gershwin writes “Rhapsodyin Blue”

V Pendergast moves the headquarters of his Jackson Democratic Club — thereal

1925 Y A movementto create a radically small-

ployees, and dividends are increased to

seat of power in Kansas City — from Eighth and Walnutstreets to the nondescript second-floor office at 1908 Main St.

er Kansas City Council,a weak mayor and

aprofessional city manager succeeds.

_ However,itis quickly co-opted by Penderpast. 30electsenough allies tothe new

1928 Y Attheir national convention June 12 through June 15 in Kansas City, Republi-

cans nominate Herbert Hoover for president and Sen. Charles Curtis of Kansas for

November.

1929

_the endofthe Prospect streetcar line, Y Muchlebach Field is openedat.

Street and Brooklyn Avenue by

brewer George Muehlebach.

The first retail building opens in

ichols’ latest shopping devel ountry Club Plaza,

ae

President Warren G. Harding

The 1920s; Thoroughly Modern

someof his Thoroughbred horses. Compa-

vice president. The ticket will beat Al Smith of NewYork and the Democrats in

broadcaster,” who reported the ins-and-outs to thousands oflisteners nationwide, He diel it over the radio, inc ludinglocal station WDAF.

By 1929 a stately row of high-rise apartments was taking shape across Brush Creek from the Country Club Plaza, The Casa Lo ma, the Biarritz, the

¥ Irwin Kirkwood, publisher of The Star,

co Aug, 2.

dasher on the verge offailure, is chosen by

In June 1925, Kansas City adopted a charter that many hoped would end

cate the Municipal AirTerminal.

than 100,000 people look on.

Motor Co. had expanded in 1924, and the Chevrolet Motor Co, had arrived in the Leeds district in 1929, expecting to turn out 500 Chevys a day.

What a decade it had been

his travels in promotion of aviation bring him to Kansas City, where he helps dedi-

dies of a heart attack Aug 29 in Saratoga

South and the vichwest.

wear industry showed an employment gain of almost 500 percent. The Ford

comes an international hero.On Aug. 17

begins to leak. Harding dies in San Francis-

sPitt of that to al equ ost alm was n tio duc pro By 1925 bureh. The old Kansas City Nut and Bolt Co. (reorganized as Sheffield Steel) had grown to almost 20 times its original size, and the women’s ready-tofact

NewYork to Paris. Immediately he be-

andseveral Allic’ war leaders, as more

¥ TheKuKlux ‘\Jan re-emergesin the

the

1927 ¥ In May, Charles Lindbergh completes thefirst solo nonstop flight from

Y Chicago gangsters kill seven rivals in

the St.Valentine’s Day massacre.

JOBS AND JAZZ; CRIME AND CORRUPTION

heck, Rahe Russell set out to bet30). The jobless typist put on a suit and 08 Main St.,

all the while rehearsing his

> Jackson Democratic Club knew that with the stroke of a red pencil. And with

ught a huge favor: Maybe one of those

tor Co. plant?

Sl ans

city bustled long

re

Main St. Right:

Pendergast with ward boss

Casimir Welch. it read

nployed pacing outside Ford’s gates off ster Avenue. They played cards in the grass

ind waited for a name to be called.

I

shook

gast stood up — 5-foot-9, 240 pounds, He Russell's hand, jutted his head for ward, studied

the stranger and listened for two minute S. He asked about Russell’s family

From his roll-t »p desk P. endergast scribbled a m emo to a Ford manager na med Mr. Morris. “Ple ase oblige,”

*m going to help you get this job,” he grunt ed, “but you have to From nowon, it's you keep it r baby He . made srno othheer de mands, Russell stepp ed away stunned It has r lever been ea sy to explain Thom as J, Pe ndergast. later, sell tried: Seven decades “I don’t think he was the bad ma n Many people liev be Pender CT gRaest

212

ds oOgooder or t hu 2”?? Hero of the ne

1930s: The Tr wn t he it Tom Rule d

ico! Nn ofF th e greedy??

) SIM Pie

bout

public

that accepted machine rule through most of the 1930s

that bustled, if in nefarious ways, while others brooded through hard times. It’sa tale told from opposing angles de pending onyour race,

This

class and party affiliation

story offers a different truth — that Pendergast , for better or for worse, reflectedd the town he ruled TRIP BACK IN TIME You've just me ved to Tom’s town It's 1934

At ungalow near the Countr y Club Plaza costs $1,950 a lu : xurious home with four bedrooms pl us “m aid’s room” goes for $1 1,000. Either way, it’s hard to gripe about lo c al taxes — about $100 an

nuallyfor the typic al homeowner, Taxbills in Milwauke e and Cincinnati are nearly double. Kansas City is unlike anyw here you've been since t ie t s' tock market collapse five years ago. Amid pocke ts of despair you find a flurry of construction: °The 29-story City Hall, The Jackson County Courthouse. Municipa l Audinum. Downtown Airpo rt, General Hospital a nd the zoo are expandin g. 214

1930s: The Town that Tom Ruled

Despite being illegal, gambling went 08 in Kansas City with the fol

of almost everyone. In 1938,

Post photographer Jack Wally, opr concealed camera, proved as m these photographs. Above: horse?or bettors at Baltimore Recreation i

basementof the Dixon Hotel at 12th Street and Baltimore Avenue. left: the blackjack table.

e th ed ll ca m a r g o r p nd bo on li il 0m All are funded by a $4 y « d ke ic -p nd ha s i h d an st ga er nd a colossal effort blessed by Pe n a y ro El Mc F. y nr He r e g a n a M officials. Most visible is City t ry nt ou “C s. ll bi e th th wi d an -h admits playing sleight-of o c it. calls o ti ra 1 4a : by n a l rP ea -Y 10 e th passed y y The . ch c u m j b o ct je t ‘ ob t n’ do i itizens ic one t rm a ha il Ph ty Ci as ns Ka e h T . 34 in 19 o, to t, ui fr ar be s d e e d c pi ro th a e i — ty Ci as ns Ka of ty si er iv : e Un h T . on as se t rs fi s it d e e h s s just fini haa the ng li il lf fu g, in nn ru d n a p u is issouri-Kansas Cit y — University of M

Kansas City

215

30SS

ledicated to nonpal A ;

Y

na report

Ss

of many

38 percent of owners will return

with t !

will

tion

2949

j

Work

I

|

will be

m1 $498 million

1's effects.

About

one survey shows. But re ies are twice as high, and a greater percentage eli lief.”

on welfare a half-century later

nark Card

etal frames

m1

ice th

¢

Citians

ofi those

r a W il iv ¢ e h e t c n i e s m i t t s dip for the fir

543

,

f Kansas

is

sands

te

twice to take 10 percent pay cuts avoid-

of midtown apartments have stood for years. If not for

public

projects many contracted with Pendergast’s concrete company — ition would be nearly nonexistent. tally of housing starts for 1934 5 no new duplexes, no apartment buildings and only 109 new houses Indigents take streetcars to the East Side and walk from door to door for

meals. Nobody in these middle-class homes is prospering, but many will

help those discreet enough to use the back door

The bodies of more than 100 transients will be found this year in the hobo jungle by the train tracks. This will force the city to expand its potter's field

near the Municipal Farm. The corpses will be wrapped in newspaper and placed in graves dug by inmates,

AT YOUR SERVICE

After a day ofstartling violence, crowds gathered outside a

ae ete

polling place at 5824 Swope Parkway where a sheriff's deputy, a

_ hardware store owner and an enforcer for the political machine

ao

:

The Ransas City Times.

| MACHINE.BY 58,000 2 re :

Something odd happens your first dayhere.

Be eS ea sas (THE Aforning KANSAS CITY STAR)

EARLAG QTL MARGE Un_REDDENOAT = TAGE ~

A man calling himself a prec inct leade t knocks on yo u r door, He asks whether you

need help getting utilities sta tted , says he'll take care of it. And before 7 p.m., gas is flowing into the stove and you can tune i n “MaryPickford and Company” on WDAF radio, The stranger asks whether yo u've got enough coal fo r the winter. Though he probably won't as k your party affili lation, he may mention his ow giance to the Jackson Demo n allecratic Club. He's a Pendergast man. T he city this. The man urges you t o call him wh

front? Call him. Tax dispu te, garbage Pickup, a s on in jail? Just call If you're poor, you might

see him again at Chri stmas. arrive with food, heati ng fuel, even bicycles for the kids. 1 the gifts will say they co me from “A Friend.” Tom Pendergast.

All this will begin to m erge into a picture of Kansas City ing butjazzy, wild with col : — 4 mural hahaun unttor, re} flecting the su rreal Painting s just emergi ng

216

1930s: The Town that Tom R uled

SE

600 4.

FOUR SLAIN AT PO

‘A Dept Shel! Bhat te Death be Fgh Wh Goommee st EDA Swope Partowns, New Vating Pass,

KILLS AN ASSAILANT —

you'll keep electing Penderi 1934, you li most resii dents5 in ‘re e like ou'r East. hun d sen bes pro ral fede er aft even — s year e mor few a e a c aa

2 jail. to dreds of his election workers ge Jud nty Cou , man t gas der Pen a t por sup ly bab pro ll you' er emb Nov This the eps swe man Tru te. Sena U.S. the for bid first his in , man Tru S. Harry

A primary : _ i 1934

a

in Jackson County with

learn

137,000 votes — 128,000 more than

that tens of thousands of these votes could be tracedne to

f oea registered, some long dead. The machine springs convicts every for cents 25 vagrants pays it and vote, they long so cay, n election ae

When Bennie Moten’s bandtook theFairyland Park stage in 1931, a young William — later Count — Basie stood in the front row, second from left, ansas§

City’s

brand

of

jazz reached

own

Among

swinging

and vocalist Jimmy Rushing.

Whee Moten died in —

some fancy, some merely dives — lined 12th Street and clustered at 18th and Vine. Big dance halls like El Torreon at 41st Street and Gillham Plaza, and the Pla-Mor at Main Street and Linwood Boulevard, and

pavilions

Barons of Rhythm, which

included several of the

Moten bandsmen and

gig at the Reno Club at —

12th and Cherry streets.

like

While there, Basie

the notice of big

record producers,

ber and other famed bandleaders stopped on tours

Before the bandleft Kansas City, however, a young Charlie Park-

er frequented the Reno Clubtolisten to the band = _show

larly to his idol, saxophonist Lester Young. The —

off on his own career — and also eventually to New ‘ork.

oe

eepd As the ’30s closed, the collapse of machine rule vale ended much of the benevolent official attitude pe Hilarie

bling, prostitution and liquor violations represented

by

3 es ; ight-club scene. occa jazz would live on, but increasingly it lived on out side Kansas City. In an sou e e o p Cit a y l Kan in sas 1930s nightlife

a e chestr a, t0 Chicago and th €n to New York, the co untry’s and jazz mecc a, where it remaine d. The enced the swi n§

1930s: The Town that T om Ruled

‘

1935, Basie formed the

Fairyland Park attracted crowds with big bands and other acts Duke Ellington, Cab Cab loway, Glen Gray, Jan Gar-

218

pianist

William “Count” Basie

its artistic

and popular peak in the 19308. Nightclubs —

outdoor

them:

Music of Benny Goodman and others.

sa t t m e aba ndo n, mun ici of pal atmosphere

ae , st Avenue, abo

e jammed atclubs like the Harlem Nit‘r oo

Spinning Wheelat 12th Street and T

container bearing a cat plaque held tips for “kitty.”

wusicians — the

A ir ap pNn pmn kidn eg pi ng

ASE.

the deaths of

ABDUCTIONS

OF

SS Se 2 oe e e t

nd th West

|

W Wwe

y

lr

kw

xara

ire

S t

\

ele

$

€

«

party

¢

f

s

emise

the poor all t

per

el

e

>

565 506050

}1c

is

sic

t

He s

landed

R in

;

}

om Kept up his brother's tradit |

ic

:

94

At

Afnican-Americans {

GOI

had been infiltrated by the Ku KluxKlar Trering

DS

un

TO

rit

.

e st

¢

In the Prohibition years a GOP speakeasies

t

s

were

th

I

Vvears

W

for

aut

ear

at

in business

TO |

elrma in

c

x

S

times and nevergot a conviction. Brutality charges fle seaie ver Hoo ert Herb t iden Pres an blic Repu r unde h cras ic nom eco The the deal:

The

ocal black

e

was

22

to 70 percent Democrat

c

S

OU

perce

C

32

s Time he k l o f an wom a s," crat Demo the ed join “Pll tell you one reason I Beip can that g gan the joined | sir, Yes “They'll do something for you.

you needit.”

ue Boss Tom shrugged his round Ae , an ic bh pu Re re we he If . r e w o p d n party's newfou e b d l u o w e n i h c a m s hi d n a “leader,” not a boss,

. e Iked, he'd be labeled 3

‘KC HAS THE SYSTEM’

o © e c n i s d e s s a p d a h s r a e y ve Fi . t s a g r e d n e P o t d e g n o l e By1930 the city b charter, The move

ty ci e h t e t n w e r o t s r e t o v d e d a u s r e p s r e m r o f e r d e lege-br s e t a m s a n o s t a e s f o y t i r o j a m a n e m t s a g r e d n

e P g n i v i g , d e r i f k c a b t n me e g a n a m ty ci s a y o r l E c M g n i r i h r o f y a w e h t g n i d e council and pav b e th in p u d e r u t e t e r c n o c t s a g r e d n e P . l l a H Graft was obvious at City y a w h g i h a e k a m o t s y a irport runw a w e n e h t ed ll fi h g of Brush Creek. Enou

PMI ON

STATI ON

n the parking lot of Union Station, allies of bank robber Frank Nash tried to free him from thegrasp oflaw enforcem a

thorhics on June 17, 1933.The outcome wasgrisly. ee Nash had escaped from the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth and been recaptured in Hot Springs, Ark. Law enforcement ¢ thoities brought himby train to Kansas City. Arriving at Uni z 5.

tion June 17, they hustled Nash to a car for the drive to ee ie

worth, Nash's allies, who somehowlearned ofthe ie. other ideas. In the station parking lot, three armed m - z proached the car containing Nash and theofficers. A fetteen

222

1930s; The Townthat Tom Ruled

, e c n e r w a L o t h c t e r t s that could

MASSA C Rw

agent — holding a shotgun with which he was unfamiliar — according to recently discovered evidence. In the hail of p

and machine gunbullets, a federal agent, two Kansas City © tives and an Oklahomapolice chief died So did Nash. Al

Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was among the 8 ho od am lu ne m d sters, bu

t that has never been proved. ‘A Floyd sideki¢

ay Was executed for the cr ime. J. Edgar Hoover,

«

Sapa S. Bureau of Investigtion, used the federal

} to enter the investigation and also to push for more

andrespectfor his agency — eventually to become the F

s u o i r a v f o s r e t i r w l ia or it ed h it all, wit

Rathi & eee

Lining upf

ee ee |

ee Thanksgiving mealat a political club, 1932.

he $40 million bond program that shaped Kansas City’s skyline provided

jobs whenthe city needed them in the

Great Depression. But as the 1930s ended — with City Hall, Municipal Auditorium and other public projects finished, and with political boss ThomasJ. Pendergast headed for prison — the local economy languished. Annual housing starts fell below 300 in 1939 and 1940, lower even than the dismal numbers for 1935 and 1936. Only five

duplexes were built citywide in the last half of the decade, and nonearose in 1940. As manufacturing rebounded in most of

the United States, “there was a definite lag in the local recovery, researchers forthe Federal Reserve later found. Kansas City

once-vibrant lumber industry was pun throughout the 1930s, posting in

sales of coffins but hardly anything

old-fashioned economy — rootedin railroads, meatpacking plants and flour mills

— was incapable of keeping pace in an cra of giant manufacturers.

“The high hopes for industrial growth had reached a peak in the 1920s and sunk back to a widespread sense of defeatism in the 1930s,” wrote Henry C Haskell Jr. and Richard B. Fowler in City ofthe Future.“Many Kansas City businessmen had cometo accept the arguments which said industries would always be concentrated in established in-

dustrial areas.” Victims of the Depression could get help from atleast three organizations:

@ The Pendergast machine. People

lined up daily at 1908 MainSt. to speak

_ with the boss himself. Ladies first, Pen_ dergast instructed.

Helping Hand Institute. Funded by

Pendergast, this group aided an estimat-

¢d 40,000 homeless menyearly.

City Union Mission. In

trees.

A city that had been

2

1934 the

TRUMAN

fetesignet AR

THE

l E

TRIAL

he Kansas City political machine had just the person

Q

MONAHE

lorida native John Jordon O'Neil

t Ay s me Ja : 34 19 in te na Se . US e th to nd se to in mind t Bu s. on ti ec nn co cal iti pol t en ll ce ex th wi er wy la ward, a ic at cr mo De e th re fo be hs nt mo e re th ly on y, Ma by carly at he th rs de si in to r ea cl it ng ki ma s wa d ar tw Ay ry prma

F; r., or “Buck, joined the Kansas

City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1938, playing first base. He en. joyed an all-star career as a p ayer and manager of the Manamalc f

to run

ethat it needed quickly to float someone che ne aomaa past Missouri politicians, Thomas J Pendergast’s Kansas ity organization went to work zip a aa avid horse-racing fan, was in Louisville for Kentucky Derby weekend while his allies in Kansas City were dropping the name of Harry s Truman, presicing judge of the Jackson County Administrative Court. Pendergast had handpicked him to run for countyoffice a dozen years earlier when Truman and a partner were nearing failure in their downtown haberdashery. Now,at

shan became the eeAfrican-Ameri-

can to hold a coaching position in major league baseball. ‘At 18th and Vine, you couldn't

toss a baseball without biting a

pitt os _ ae : — a

tune Witpou.

two of the best inventions known to man,

unenthusiastically remarked only that he was a nice man.

speaking engagement for a mecting with him and Aylward at a Sedalia hotel. They presented the idea of running for the Senate, and Truman was astounded; only re-

cently the organization had passed him over to make a__ race for Congress.

Yet he agreed to run, and within days Pendergast had

made it clear to all that Truman was nowhis man. “We will put forth our best efforts in his behalf’ Pen-

dergast was quoted as saying, and those words spoke vol ames. Although Truman had a fine record as a countyof-

Truman with Pendergast

; His greate: st show of power, and worst abuse of i t , revealed itself in the Police Department. Por six decades the department had be en overseen by commissioners ap-

ia by the governor. That changed in 19 32, when the state Supreme

ourt decided thatthecity s Jer its ow: a “homerule.” 7 EN Sen SNe ud md Pendergast rule.

Police officers who were Republican or Shannon Rabbits were repl aced

by Pendergast Goats, scores of them with criminal records Gambling, pros. * 5 z ; ‘ p

utution and organized crime flourished under racketee Jo r hnny Lazia, an-

other Pendergast man.

Flashing an easy smile, Lazia cut a neat figure in a pi nstriped suit. But his

“bere we played our

Portion of gambling receipts — a “lug” — to provide police protection.

“Everything went, no holds barred,” said jazz promoter John Tumino in

eee a HosaN D,

go upstairs and tables downstairs...Every place had a slot machine....The

wipe “ —— _

Ninth St. catering to businessmen. At least one upscale brothel had a grand

Goin’ to Kansas City, Nathan W. Pearson Jr’s oral history of local jazz. “Bin-

cording to David McCullough in Truma hard, keep your mouth shut and answer you

er owners of black baseball teams ..met on Feb. 20, 1920, toorgar

jazz, one published account suggests patrons could also watch sex acts with animals.

JSirst, Rube Foster didn’t archs owner J.L.Wil is

Someclub owners painted their windows halfway up, so only adults couldsee inside. Police shooed off boys standing on tiptoes.

the U.S. Senate. Pendergast’s parting wor

efforts. But Kansas City officials declined the help. Rather, they created a

Precursor to President Pranklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal: The city handed

shovels to 3,442 persons in late 1931 and put them on sewer projects, “Kansas City has the system,” raved William Alle n White of the The Empo-

nla Gazette in Kansas. “She voted bonds sothat (the unemployed) may be “How much better it all is than a demoralizing government dole!”

f 226 . 1930s: The Town that Tom Ruled

he ederal Works Prc ogress Administration to seek Pendergast's approval.

O'Neil

manufacturing receipts sank, while flour and petroleum indu stries held firm; even a depressed America needed bread and gasoline. _ Hoover set up a relief committee early in the Depression to subsidize local

iiaiie

in the fed

all ne " eded. Critics charged that the city required applicants

ficial, overseeing the upgrading of the county'sr the building ofits new skyscraper courthouse dergast’s backing that carried him to v gust Democratic primaryand again in Nove On Jan. 3, 1935,Truman was sworn in as a

Everyone knewthe rest of the country had plunged into an economic abyss. They knew howquickly Kansas and Oklahoma farms had turned to dust, the result of drought and bad tillage Practices, Their own city was hanging on byits fingernails. Railroad , real estate and

Powe neice

By the mid-1930s, Pp. endergast control l e d 6, 000 government jobs — double what City H

fingerprints wereall over the club scene, from which the machine tapped a

aea ieen

:

“It was right around “ae corner from 18th

ter and some ofthe oth-

the Negro National |

man) to own a clul National Leagu

clubsall had shake dancers....strippers, really.” Nude womenwaited tables at the Chesterfield Club, a restaurantat320 E.

pianoin the lobby. And while the Antlers Club built a reputation for fine

ENTER THE GRAND JURIES

a . after the bloody 1934 city elections, when four persons were shot

faction: disputes, did The Star take a hard look at how far some

id go to maintain power.

Times were fragile. Kansas Citians were scared.

Rad,

Was it better, really?

aloneWeeneo

bad Blues Stadium,

As late as 1932, The Kansas City Star saluted McElroy as someone “of undoutted ability and personal integrity.” It praised his building program for providing “the maximum amount of unemployment relief (although with unjustified partisanship).”

given jobs at useful and beautiful public improvements,

ing a

seba, player join in. Baseball anba d jazz,

the suggestion ofTruman for the Senate, Gov. Guy B. Park

A St. Louis powerbroker knew nothing about Truman. Back in Missouri, Pendergast’s nephew and heir apparent, Jim Pendergast, summoned Truman from a nearby

H

ions The Star had uncovered vote fraud “so corruptit was civilization.” 50 , voters tered regis 00 270,0 listed city The _either.

death July 10, 1934,

as he stepped out of his chauffer-

‘

driven car in front of —

‘or

population of 400,000. A funeral parlor with 17 voters. Other voters had addresses tied to

his fashionable

apartment near Ar- —

mour Boulevard and Gillham Road.

Althor

ries were advanced, tl death and the names

never were dete

faurice Milligan — a Roosevelt ap- | chal

ging Truman in his 1940 Senate

‘

EE to state control

SS pre bad with city the The Eastern media pummeled ” s r o b h g i e N g n i t s e r e t n I Its r fo wn to to me ca k or tw ne o di ra The NBC

se-

THE

ms lu od ho r fo ’ ot sp ot “h a ty Ci as ns Ka ed ries and tagg r e n n a b e h t r e d un ies ser u t es ri se t ar -p ur fo a n ra y rt be Li ne zi ga ma The upscale nu r s n a i f f u r | c ye -e ld wi of gs in aw dr ed ow sh It !” ty Ci as ns Ka er Ov er nd hu “T y t i n u m m o c t n e d a c e d y ll ning in the streets of ‘4 machine-ridden, politica

Ke City had been run by T homas J. Pendergast’s Democratic machine for seven ye ars before a calling itself the National Youth Movement dared to

mock the status quo, Neither “national” no r very youthful the crusade largely consisted of young professionals anh civic-minded women from the newer neighborhood s south of Brush Creek. The movement came to life in 1932, when Rabbi Samucl S. Mayerberg unleashed oneofthefirst public assaults on the machine in a speech to the Government

” s. er st ng ra ng ga d e an s ut it te st tu ro ti os pr s, st . pi whoseofficials coddle murderers, ra

so al y y it t i n u m m o ¢ c e h t e th r, r, ve ve we ho n, ra es ri (Just two months before that se

a l ee nt ge 2 s i as — n io at ion jat ci so As y ar ry br ra Li ib an coddled conventioneers of the Americ he “t r fo y it ec th d ke an th er tt le p -u ow ll fo a in group as any. Thelibrarians pleasantest memories.)

er open id “w ty Ci as ns Ka ed ll ca 38 19 n ri to ni Mo e nc ie The Christian Sc

his on st “a g in be r s fo nt de si re s edit ck ta at d an ” no e Re id than any place outs ma at wh in rt pa ok to on s so nt de si e re es Th .”. all t it ou nt ab ce la mp y co ingl pt ke rs te vo d . An de ca de he on oft ti ec n el ea t cl rs efi s th ed er ll ca st bu echin most ofthe Pendergast cronies on the City Council.

As courtroom spectators behind him

shielded their faces, Pendergast

to hear whathis sentence would b

nae

oe

END OF THE LINE

Such talk took guts. Some activists for nonpartisan reform

fielded’ ominous phone calls

and faced higher tax assess-

Pendergast’s personal collapse was of his own making.

ments and threats on their lives.

Theboss's devotion to racetrack betting cost him as much as $125,000 in

Mayerberg’s car was sprayed with gunfire; luckily, he had installed bulletproof glass,

a day. Pendergast reportedly even wired his basement for ticker tape to

learn the odds,

industry revenue onice after companies improperly raised their rates. Pen-

dergast ordered his minions in the statehouse — “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,”asit was called — to resolve the matter by returning 80 percentof the premiums to the companies and 20percent to rookedpolicyholders. The settlement pie included a $750,000 slice for Pendergast and the Missouri head ofinsurance, Stark reportedly overheard a drunk politician babbling about “the fix.” In

1937, Stark called for a federal probe after securing an OK fromPresident

Roosevelt,

Deliverance came on Good Friday 1939, Pendergast was arraigned on federal chargesoffailing to pay incometaxes on the insurance bribe.

“They persecuted Christ on Good Friday,” he said to the press. A month later Pendergast pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Merrill E. Otis, who sentenced him to 15 months in federal prison, Exposed and unprotected, his friends in City Hall tumbled one by one.

City Manager McElroy resigned, leaving long-forgotten Mayor Bryce Smith

to order an audit of the books. McElroy’s “country bookkeeping” proved to

be — of fund transfers and padded accounts that left the city mil-

i In 1940 4 public whose indignation had been muted for

a ‘reposlace its government, The “clean sweep” crusad e inc

as oi a

Rabbi Mayerberg

aking his point

Meeting in secret, the National

As his fever rose, a quick cash fix presented itself in the tangled settlement of a state insurance scandal. A legal ruling had put $10 million in insurance

Town that Tom Ruled

Study Club, a local women’s group. “You've turned your city over to a gang...of crooks and racketeers because you've been asleep,” said Mayerberg, head of the Temple B'nai Jehudah on East Linwood Boulevard. “The time has come for action.”

“North Side, SouthSide, All Around theTown.” Political Machin

MILLION HELD OUT

A FIRST FOR AREA LABOR

N

aA winnipeg

Pp

A

strike n w o d d t i s t s r i f he rd o F e h t t a d e l e v e l ever as s n a K n i d e r r u c c o . Motor Co nuc Winchester Ave City's

fant Local 294 of the l nited

s sponded by removing fuse

The Lindl

/

Lines wnacetng Lines Osher

he most primitive of passenger planes growled City, with Kansas over Transcontinental and Western Air Inc. manning the controls. “T&WA” chosethe centrally

ple, including Amelia Earhart,

located city for its headquarLindbergh

TWAtried to allay the fears

adviser

Charles

travel.

the fall of 1937 and threatened to move operations to

eee | at Fordplantsnationwide.

pai Airport was serving

travelers a year.

:

The galley $14 million

id masters”

5 made possible by the estates of pub-

lisher Williams “ockhill Nelson and

Mary McAfee Atkins.

YCommonprofessions: packing, wholesale and

struction,flour prodt

the picket line, fights erwiupelted-d —_

ers,pay back wages and scrap

become safer and faster, and — flevy four times higher, Munici-

senuine and intelli-

degrees: 6 percent

sand UAW supporters took to |

ordered to reinstate the striky

gentinteres'

have...sho»

a

YAdults over 25 with college

Omaha, Neb. He then reopened with nonunion or © blue-card workers. A thou-

in Local 294's favor. Ford was _

decade’s end planes had

ag course in Kansas City,

Nelson's Sienese(is) not unusual,” 1 in 1936.“Farmers

Male/femaleratio: 99 malesto *3 _ every 100 females

Sheffield neighborhood, in

Labor Relations Board ruled

ostesses.” In 1935, 2,000 . cn applied for the first

tramping | marble sta! Newsweek

ie-jeaned agrarians

399,746 Foreign-born: 6 percent Black: 10 percent

plant, which was in the

In May 1941 the National —

~,

“The sigh

critics joined in the

¥ 1930 Kansas City population:

the

ploded at the union headquarters down the street. |

i

» carried the cere-ionwide audience.

1930: WHO WE WE Roe

the company’s own “bluecard” union. Hostilities contin-

between them and guning “scabs,” and a bomb ex- |

praise — s¢

ring registered nurses as

The company’s pitch peo-

tried to depictflying as glamorous by courting movie stars as passengers. But flying was 1,500 times deadlier than train

ters in June 1931. Site-selection

}

cast the swing vote over Tulsa.

first protest by pledging not to fire workers who organized — solong as it was with

Ford closed

meeting” for which Pendergast himself posed. There sat the boss holding a

Even Easter

A. Syseerm

BANDLEADER | eath took Bennie Moten at the peak of his career. The 41-year-old bandleader and mentor to William “Count” Basie suffered a heart attack while undergoing a tonsillectomy on April 2, 1935, at W heatit Hospital. esa in Kansas City, M oten playing piano at age 4. He

1930s: The Town that Tom Ruled

formed his first orchestra at

21, working in the dance halls

at 18th and Vine streets and at

local amusement parks. In a he made one ofthe earli-

jazz recordings. Bands under Moten honed “a simpler, riskier, bluesier” form

of jazz relying heavily onriffs and improvisation,

MT

The artist Thomas Hart Benton understood as well as anyone. His 1936 mural in the Missouri Capitol included a Kansas City “business

Paris. NBC monies to

SHORTEST’: ROUTE COAST TO COAST

welded shut the five plant

ued. Henry

Georgetown University thesis

t the 1933 opening of the Nelson Gallery of Art and Atkins Museum, visitors viewed the painting, “Whistler's Mother, on loan from

3 15 At s. er rk Wo le bi mo to Au p.m. about | 400 workers re-

The company settled the

pa all apipet and above do busines es :— es,et to the favorable — eer ee bess Kier Riktoea

i

e inth th wi ng mi he sc be to

Star.

oeae

|i

y da at th nt me rt pa de s si chas and fired employees rumored

gates. A banner on the roof said “Lincoln freed the slaves. Ford brought them back.” Unlike some other carmakers, Henry Ford refused to bend his antiunion views. “Union organizations are the worst thing to hit the earth,” he told The

JUST THE WAY IT WAS

|:

had marched through the

borers still inside, workers

his big brother though 30 years had passed

“Businessmen who went aa oe 2 a me — oe aes

Foremen plant April 2 193 7. y n a p m o c n o i n u n o n at the

from power units, halting the assembly lines and sitting down. At 11 p.m., with 600 la-

He €sosoununde deddliklike e

——

HOM

ETOWN AIRLINE

ing, domestic servi

ces: 10 cents for le; $6 for a rotary

Cigarette, narroweyes trained on executives hunched over tables — builder J.C. Nichols and banker William T. Kemper among them. Twothinly clad women danced on a stage in the background.

The painting inflamed civic leaders, always sensitive about Kansas City’s image. One Chamber of Commerce official demanded the mural be “whitewashed.” Bentonsaid it was merelyan artist's impression, then demurred: “I told (Pendergast), ‘It can’t be complete without you,’ and he agreed.” The machine, after all, wasn’t seen by everyone asevil. Its Christmas giveaways drew12,000 children to Convention Hall for gifts, apples and entertainment. At one, carnival man Gladstone Harvey confessed: “I believe in machine government....You go to someof these reformers (for help) and

they wantto put youin jail.” Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Average Voter for years dismissed the corruption, be-

cause, as far as they were concerned, that’s just the way Kansas City was. A man of no less integrity than Walter Cronkite, then a reporter for KCMO

cast could he so work from him escort to officers police radio, once allowed

n newsma young the assumed Police slate. st Penderga the for phonyvotes Senate, U.S. the in man new st’s Penderga because , machine would back the

power. its boost to approval get KCMO helped Truman, was “Anhe say to him told and polls the to Cronkite The officers drove again. it do him made later They did. he thony Lombardo,” which

That's just the wayit was. City Kansas way the missed s resident After reformers took over, many

downThe e. magazin national one d was. “Folks feel kind of sad,” observe crowds. their lost clubs jazz The away. trucked were town slot machines

to r alette in changes the d bemoane 627 Local ns Musicia of member A u m r fo y r e t e m e c a w o n is ty ci ed at er op ’ ly an le ‘c r u O “ : e n i z a g a m Downbeat

t bu — it e v a h o t t h g u o e w s s e u g — g in th ne fi a is r e d r o d n a aw ~ sicians....L mighty low.”

a on rs pe w e n ’s ty Ci as ns Ka , ed ct pi Benton de e m o s d n a H : ng ti in pa ll we ck Ro n a Jater in a Norm . ws bo el e th e ov ab ed ff cu s ve ee sl ven;

1930 1 c a h c i M r e n t r a p n i a h c e r Y Katz drugso

after i e as le re en th d, pe ap dn Katz is ki $100,000 is paid in ransom

1931 Y Kansas City and Jackson County voters moder at d me ai n, Pla r ea -Y 10 e th e ov appr ating the effects of the Depression

through job-creating public works prof ects. The program will spawn a new City um Hall, a courthouse, Municipal Auditori

n or hy xortio

the projects is the paving of Brush Creck over LC.

Nichols’ objections.

Y The Kansas City Power & Light Building, the city’s first large modernist struc

ture, is completed at | 4th Street and Balti-

'

reclusive Kansas City worn who d

dow! town skyline

4 Che

o t s b m i l c i r u o s Mis 1 t n e m y o l p m 9 Une at 12 t m “ at ent oym mpl une US.

for an art museum. m. This This

48 percent. With

we was

folded teen

ouse H s a G ’ s l a n i d r a C s ui Lo St. 9 The

;

Gang”

a

itlion, the US government establishes millio’

the Nelson project, and the cast wing ‘ ¢

7:

the Reconstruction Finance Corp. to try to

the museum was named in her honor

{

World Series

stimulate banking and business

ahve

9 Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert

t ‘|

§t

ice for f presiden Hoover ef for t

r o t a i v a d e m a f f o n o s ¥ The 20-monthold Lindw o r r o M e n n A d n a h g r e Charles Lindb

om c e r h e t i t a m e e h l t t t e e s h w Ford. Unab

m Durocher, Pep. Dizzy Dea»n, Leo

per Martin and others — wins the basetrall

pany doves the plant in the fall

;

1935

1938

V “War of the Workds’ is broadcast nation-

¥ Social Security Act is votedinto law,

wide on Sunday, Oct. 40. The Orson Welles

radio drama. which features Martians kasd

ic in parts of the: ing on Earth. creates pan ao a oma country in Kansas City. radio station

e s u o h w e n r i e h t m o r f bergh is kidnaped

d dead. un fo r te la d an ey rs Je w e N l ra ru in

improvements at the airport and miles of

new roads The plan benefits ThomasJ Pendergast’s concrete company; one of

Of he

;

VY US: . Post Office Building,

1933

7 p.mn..is flooded with calis. Hundreds of “more o7 less frantic: inequiries? come to

abovc, opens

The Star's swachiboard.

at Pershing Road and Broadway,

He t en id es pr d te ra gu au in is t el ev os Ro Y immediately orders all banks closed and

VY Germany annexesAustria and_at Mu-

Y the University of Kansas City, brainchild

pushesa raft of social and economic meas

of business

ures through Congressin the “100 days”

land and building from William Volker,

special session. As the decade unfolds, the

opens as 4 sma!

rs and beneficiary of liberal arts institution.

Eventuallyit wit be renamed the Univers:

New Deal will bring protection tolabor

Y Kansas City

nich, wins sanction to take apart Czocho

Municipal Auditorium is

—

dedicated

Y Renowned Kansas Cityjazz band leader

¥ Pendergast

Bennie Moten dies of a heart attack while

seins ;

undergoing 4 tonsillectomyat Wheatley-

evasion and aee

Provident Hospital

the federal prison at Leavenworth.

Y Ginger Rogers, of In-

V Mary McEroy, daughter ofCity:

Henry F McElroy, is

dependence and Kansas City, and Fred Astaire

leased after $30,000 ransom is V Adolf Hitler becomes cha

Post dic in a plane crash inAlaska. Y Hucy Long, senator from Louisiana and

" tuned to Missouri from NewYork and

ed at Eighth Serect and Grand Avenue V NewYork World's Fair opens

¥ Nell Donnelly, a wealthy Kansas City

maketheir debut togeth-

national political leader,is assassinated.

dress manufacturer, is kidnapped and re-

many and soon is grante

er in the hit dance

landed a job at the Kansas Caty Art Insti tute, finishes his famed mural,“A Social His-

ter the all-white School of Journalism at

more Avenue. Por years it is the tallest

unions, huge public works projects and

ty of Missouri-Kansas City,

building in Missouri

wageand-hour laws

Y The EmpireState Building, which for

years will be the tallest in the world, is completed in NewYork

leased with no ransom paid

V The country’s most notorious gang kingpin, Al Capone of Chicago, is sen-

tenced to 11 years in prison.

1932 Y Kansas City’s Fi-

delity Bank and

Trust Co. replaces its old structure —

Y On Dec. 5, Prohibition

Rogers

is repealed Although it succeeded in re-

ducing consumption of alcohol and alco-

_ hobrelated diseases and deaths, Prohibi-

e, im cr d ze ni ga or of se ri e th ed el fu on ti w enforcementofficers and Y Four la

bank robber Frank Nash dic in a hail of

bullets June 17 outside Kansas City’s

Union Station. The “Union Station Mas-

as an attempt by Nash'sealslies n ga be e” cr Sa hie tim, The Nelson Gallery ofArt and Atkins

: a m i r p ed nd fu s, en op m u e s u M Primarily

the

SiS Of Publish William Rockin ne son and

his family. The gallery sits on the

on’8 byeeNelski ed Af pi cu oc ly er rm residenc fo At ns,a "Oak Hall. Mary Mc

1930s:Townthat Tom Ruled Be

Y Humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley

~=*

tory of the State of Missouri” detail above

movie “Flying Down to Rio”

kidnapp

ia

a

.

VY Newfederal courts building is compilet-

V Lucile Bludord of Kansas Cty tries © cr

the University of Missouri but is turned

down because she is black. Eventually the statc establishes a journalism department at traditionally black Lincoin University

PLEASE DO NOT USE

YOUR TELEPHONE dering ond for 30 minutes otter it

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Preceding page:

During the war,

The U.S. had beenat war for one i yCal yea r and a one1c

women voluntecred to attend dances

week, and Kansas

— on m many far fro ae rp 944

fro brand nd of bombin c m the> bra f g that left London in flames. Few places on earth stoodso far from the figh ting . But KansasCity8alreadyy boaboast o a steecd 7.5(900

with off-dutyGls,

dan - ce too}k place at 7 ae Bank p Kansas City, o Kny

Ree SereTE

55,000 civil ao

defens

3 to defend tl

air-

aid wardens, one for each block On this nig ht nine> stat light statees tookc part in the drill. It

started at 10 p.m No!body y wz was fo usee thethe phone. No N body was to smoke. A dozen midt

residents sat sat in i theisHa , wthorne Hotel's air-raid shelter on ieBaltima ore n Av e

oe at the floor and gnawing at fingernails, Mrs, Anc dr €=ww PPeettrreechi ko ge ave i e ith to an &-pound “bi “bzlackout baby” : at the Independaen ece sanitar WwW

ich” hay d cl"| oakedp24its wi"i ndows with thick. black ; Z x drapes

oe

:

4 A Th Atel belied all . : ; that way s happenin g here , for Ka nsas ¢ t mem rsA ed in serzap drivtages 5and waPe r bonds, ralioning an : d¢ ar At-c y lo wack s im:arou ound nd-the riy1

:

=

World W.War I I

236

shies,

tu: m ne e d the- Metro area jir ito an industrial beehi

1940s: War and Resurgence

‘ | a :

led at the mb se as re we r wa e th r fo ed ers produc mb bo m u i d e m 25 Be th of st Mo , Kan. ty Ci as ns Ka of ct ri st di x fa ir Fa e th in t an

North American

viation

pl

|

ve its residents

—

:

historian Fredrick pietstoser

Kansas ¢

ie

os

ak

Thepersistent determination of \

thing possibie to insure victory on all fronts,

in-

cluding the one z

home, saved their city from social disaster ( Jur patriotism i flour k ished even as our unity strained. Our pluck in main4 the home me front nt clashe clast d withI the pain of adjusting to a new economtainin gg the

ic order

BEFORE THE STORM

These were meant to be easier days, the 1940s. The decade arrived with a

nation at peace, its economy climbing out of the Depression. Locals cheered the University of Missouri football team to the 1940 Orange Bowl. Manyhisseda fallen political boss, Thomas J. Pendergast, then serving a 15-month sentence for tax evasion. Reformers such as incoming

Mayor John B. Gage and L.P. Cookingham, a city manager recruited from Saginaw, Mich., promised honest, efficient government. The population idled at just under 400,000. “Indifference” was the topic of the Rev. Edmund Kulp’s sermon at Grand Avenue Temple on New Year's Eve 1940. We must embrace causes beyond “building our wealth,” he urged above the shouts of drunks downtown. re premie local the for itself d readie away blocks four r Theate The Midland a caused It . morning the in 9 at 1940, 26, Jan. on Wind” the With of “Gone magnificent traffic jam. ternot but ed sadden was Citian Kansas typical the As for events far away, and d Englan with war ring trigge Poland, on blitz tified by Nazi Germany's sion aggres Japan’s sed discus ia academ e outsid France. Hardly anyone — a neutral stay to leaders their wanted against China. Most Americans

mantra destined to fade that summer.

forces n ia al It . ce an Fr , 40 19 y Ma n ir and, Germany took Denmark, Norway tin pr om fr nt we re he rs pe pa ws ne d attacked the British in North Africa. An nes li ad he er nn ba ng hi as fl to rs i a f f a d rl wo umn stories about

ing one-col atop the front pages.

ll ca , 40 19 , 29 g. Au ed ar bl s me Ti City “The Draft Bill Passes,” The Kansas w e f a y m r A e h T . er st gi re to nd 30

a 21 n e e w t e b ns ze ti ci e l a m l ing on al t el ev os Ro t en id es Pr , w o n ; ns gu e n i h c a m 8 8 4 ly on d se es ss po r ie rl ea weeks r. wa at s ie ll ra fo d n a ty fe sa ’s on was ordering a buildup for his nati

Next stop, boot : a camp: These Kansas ChAty and Jack acksson Count volunteers line up at Port Leavenworth in late November 1940 for their tinRectannyae life, Their scheduled yearlong training would barely end before the United St ates entered the war,

y. it un rt po op n a d le el sm s er ad Business le . ry st du in y v a e h ’s ty Ci s a s n a K t u o b a g a r b to e l b a n e e b r e v They had ne . o C r o t o M d r o F e th — s n o i t a d oper

e z i s m u i d e m f o g n i r e t t a m Save for a s d for o o t s n e h t h c i h w , 7A W T r e i r r a c e h t d n a . o C l e e t S d l e i “plant, Sheff

Beeen eam 248

Kansas City

239

1940s: War and Resurgence

oe

TE

;

Cit

i

ae

farm-machinery As

cod as a Civisions

The Ransas City Times,

JAPANESE: BOMBERS RAID ony U.S TTRBT piisean,

he implored Congress

“sleeping industrial giant.”

And soon its eyes

|

|

7

born ciuzens

mic

was less vulnerable to air attacks

»n

ts

Defense,

AD cll

OOO- hore 2800 Re th ed ll ca y v a Their job was to build what the N t de au ir M the r, te gh fi e rn bo rie rr ca r the Corsai power engine » used in S 0 rt 0 pa 0 0 00 9, , d a h e ne gi ch Ba en h , s c bomber and other warp’ lanes Ra builde ! o C er rn Tu ng Lo e th by hs nt mo The plant itself was erected in It m e r jo ma t rs fi e th be d ul wo y ne it Wh & t at Pr t, Ar of y er ll Ga on js e N e h t of d an s ad ro ne la ur fo w e n g in ir qu re e d i s h ployer on the suburban sout

o it ep t an pl e ns y, fe or de st e hi th f ie br s it In , ks ac tr y e l l o r t d e c n a n i f federally

Kansas City

oo

and to the nation for which they fight;

d an s an ci si mu ng li gg ru st s, nd ha homemakers and farm e in ch ma on si ci re -p gh hi en se d ha Fewer than 1 percent

ty

fo our servicemen

:

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The roof covered 3 n feet.

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called himself Booger Young rod:

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Couriers and seven staff physicians .tri pedaled giant cycles|

across th main fli oor, > wher li e Cc nuli mberICC Ul Support columns kept then

nal

= 3 «= fee

=

from getting lost

Threeshifts kept the plant hun

ming day and night. Even so, the U.S. military

demanded better production, swifter deliveries

engines and more workers. Pratt & Whitney and «

were forced to face what many considered a bitter truth

Theyhad to hire more women. And they had to hire more African-Ameri

cans.

The government made this clear to Pratt & Whitney in the spring of 1944 when its work force was roughly 40 percent female andi 6 percent black

Managers resisted, however, confiding in local business people th

plant could not successfully operate”ifit raised those levels much Defense officials fumed as the plant continued to fall below its production

and hiring schedules, Commanders complained that the factory was “seriously embarrassing the Navy’s aircraft program,” according to a War Man

power Commission memo. The top-secret flap triggered an inspection by

military brass, and Pratt & Whitneyreplaced its personne! director Within weeksa citizens committee of the War Manpower Commission set out to recruit thousands of war workers regardless of sex or color. Vans with loudspeakers moved through black neighborhoods, and newspaper

244

E

1940s: War and Resurgence

gence

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Kansas City)

245

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) . : a c i r e m A e t a r o p r o c of t s e r e led Pratt & Whitney and th i ss po | t h g t h g u o h t w e f s » s e t oritie:s opport7 uni | OyWw’evel

d Ol S e“

GEORGE BREEDLOVE Bath

n i m d n a n e m o w of ns io ll mi ide ble 10 years earlier

y v a N y m r A e th n o w ly te ma ti ul Pratt & Whitney

BE”

Nov. 15, 1942, North Africa

Flag for industrial ¢

celience

FRAZIER R. STAIR

Ure oe mnae 1944, Germany

BATTLES AT HOME This is a woman's war!”

“The Hidden Army,” a 20-minute film made by the U.S, govern war Into women more enticing at Aimed theaters. local at played and ment production (‘I'm an old maid;” states one character, “now I have an army of So said

10 million to lookafter’), thefilm’s most wrenching seconds depicted moth

ers and wivescrying over telegrams from thebattle front Thenarratorintoned: “There is no such thing as a slight falling off of pro duction, becausethere's no such thing as a slight death.” Facing such pressure to perform, women found themselves waging their

ownbattles to secure child care. The Kansas City school board tapped fed eral funds to operate eight nurseries and a dozen youth centers.

With each new crisis, volunteers teamed up to find a remedy. Concerned

about rancor toward Japanese-Americans, Asians living here received badges stating, “I amChinese,” or, “lama loyal Filipino,” which often elicit-

edpolite nods from downtown shoppers.

Heading the list of wartime crises, as far as the news media were con-

cerned, was everyone's obligation to ration,

; Coffee. Gasoline. A blizbeza Soap. Shoes. Beef, e rd of federaal l ra ratition stamps struck the Kansas City marketplace, co nfusing all in its wake. ; Sh Sheoppers t: ook out their frustrations on loc al grocers,s, who retalaliia : ted wi ads: Su“Sruree, it’s your groce t's fault — or is it? Your groce r started thiso ware — or did he? And he hasn't a Wor ry in the world — except wo n dering why he doesn't shut up his store and take a good job elsewhere that will pay him more money and let him sleep at night,”

Federal limits on leisur e wear ushered in the two-ppieccee swiew;msuiti , s aving

2244 6

194d 0s: Wv:ar and Resurge nce

To help pay thebills, the U.S, govern. ment issued war bonds, The marketing effort entailed posters, top, and visits by Hollywoodstars, Errol Flynn, above,

cameto townto sell bonds and other. wise promote patriotism, At one speech in Kansas City, Kan., he donned a captured German helmet. A chance to see the insideof a captured Japanese sub-

marine parked in the middle of Seventh

Street at Minnesota Avenue was the ii: ducement in downtown Kansas City, Kan.

of

ey

¢

With employm« price

ck signed to

mak

n

Landlords fumed, One

He

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Higl

10

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vac

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ney Russell Gabriel in a federal e it sp de e us ho the in ed in ma re ’ ff, stu ‘sterner

next

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the house

fre

VO!

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get his longtime tenant That would allow the land “proceeded to paint

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occupa

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THE KISSINGEST CROWD

Sterner stuff.;

1 it |} s ha an ) as Giit | c} ns ta ns Ka Amid all the stresses, ~—

a d an ps ta t or sh ee hr nk ho y or ct Drivers got used to sounding the vi mph 35 to wn do se ea to s er ed r sp to coax " “V r fo de co e rs Mo e on ng lo

thus preserving Ures

e to m o h e u n e v d A o o w n e K r e e h d i s t u Mrs. Eugene Simms knelt daily o r fo e l p a t s a , n e d r a G y r o t c i r V e h n s i e o t a m o t e h t d n a s e g a b b tend to the ca Kansas City

De

SW ARMING

wiTH SERVICEMEN AT

Ithough Kansas City lay an

and

sidewalks

As the wartime market tigh t

teemed with uniformedsoldiers, sailors and Marines

ened, employers serious about keeping workers set up bo w! ing teams, threw picnics and created “employee rela tions

Some were only passing through, some were on leave, and many were undergoing months oftechnical training.

offices rhe Kansas City Quarter. employing master Depot

Most were far from home Even before Pearl Harbor,

thousands of civilians in the war effort, cach year staged

the nation was gearing up to aid the Allies. Trainees from Fort Leavenworth and flocks

four Christmas events — a dance for white workers, an otherfor black workers and

of newdefense-plant workers already were wandering

through town, and six charitable organizations joined to

helped in part by volunteers from the local entertainment industry.

At Union Station as manyas two hundred passenger trains

a day came and went, taking

local men off to training and war and disgorging others,

sometimes for an hour’s lay-

1€ Depot al so offered On-site Spiritual SCTVI CES, Movies and Cash prizes to Workers why ) Offered “Ide as for Victory” ‘The Quarte rmast er Chorus per formed aro und the City anything to fi ll the days of « m: Ployees with loved ones Ov er.

b

f

a

|

armed services were training

here. Across Pershing Road, at the base of Signboard Hill, the Ser-

local women volunteers, As befitted the morals of the day, social arrangements were kept on the up-and-up. One

After the war a l ively econo. My and organize d labor com bined to make em ployee ben cfits — especiall y cradle-+to Stave” insurance plans —

commonplace

a“new and unique fo rm of en tertainment appeared in May

Despite giving away

November night in 1942 the

4

and-license holders on open

ing night, Drive-In Theatre was oneof the few film showcases

that struggled in the early

1940s. Wartime limits on fuel

50 theaters, and many of their most popular shows carried war themes. Hollywood moguls shared scripts with the U.S. Office of War Information

who

than

to promote the proper level of patriotism, courage and inter

national resolve

Top-drawer war films such as “Sergeant York” and “Mrs Miniver” enjoyed runs of sever:

al weeks in Kansas City Casablanca,” on the other hand, could muster only a brief stint at the RKO Or pheum in March 1943. The Star's movie critic tagged the

Aviation cadets drilled near Swinney Gymnasium at the Uni-

versity of Kansas City.

Hotere were encour-

aged to put up fruits and

vegetables and to stay within gro-

cery-purchase limits impo sed by ra tioning. Instituted nati onwide in December 1942, ra tioning conserved materials consi dered vital

to the war effort, Americans received ration book s conta

Stamps that allowed the holder to purchase items s uch as coffee.

By the end of the wa r, gasoline

Was being rationed a t Week for the average 2 gallons a driver, Doctors, “essential worke rs” and othrs for whom driv ing was a neCessity got to use more.

TEACHERS CAN MARRY! ae women finally could teach in Kansas City public schools, On

March 2, 1944, a school board facing record class sizes

Scrapped a policy against em-

Ploying married women as regular teachers. The old at _ gument held that the jobs

Should go cither to single women — less apt to get

aePregnant in the school year

‘Brokide -sUQuieIGHt,TLYPleaDAN GER OUS ” se, Murder

} Warwick «ci ycurry nANCEDARe last film “well made for those who like romance and adven ture handled by a good actor like Mr. (Humphrey) Bogart’ Star critic Phil Koury was less charitable when sizing up a spate of 1942 comedies and musicals playing off buffoon “These didn’t go ish Nazis. over so well,” he wrote that year, “because most of us had a sneaking feeling that the Nazis weren't funny, nor very stupid even if we thought inwardly they were pretty foolish (which) may take a litte time to prove

TROUBLED

— or to male heads of house-

holds.

“RIDE EM,

key

Kansas City Star touted about

|

Abkot A Cote

U.S. 40 called, simply, Drive-In Theatre

tending electronicstraining.

20, out of the building 11:30 p.m. and e

Rain or Clear 8) Pe toe

1942 at an establishment o n

consumption made a hike ora bus rideto the nearest movie house more sensible The movie pages of The

attended would be older

NIGHTLY

Johnson County commun ity Sprouting west of the Plaza The Newman downtown boasted “Vitalized ¢ ooling! Five miles cast of Kansas City

USO held a dance formen made clear that women

SIT IN YOUR eer

Twlee

homelike intimacy at the new Fairway Theater in the

seas

2

vice Men’s Club provided food and music and dancing with

SCREEN

OPENS TONITE

‘burn and n uch of it wound Up at theater box offices Movies, after all, weren't ra Hioned the way f ood Clothing and car tires we re Phirty-five cents coul d buy

A sing-along in August 1943 at the Service Men’s Cl ub near UnionStation.

Over, sometimes for a monthslong stay. By late 1943 an estimated 10,000 members of the

SILVER

Ba at World W ar {J plants Save Kansas Citia ns cash to

\

and provided

game rooms, snack bars and dormitory-style sleeping arrangements for thousands of wartime arrivals. Stage shows and food were laid out at the Kansas City Canteen, 1012 McGee St.,

t_ w Parrties f or the Ir Chi ldren

iN

home, the United Service Organizations club — the USO. It opened at 3200 Main St. in Oc-

1941

THE

Sor AMLUNN

give them a home awayfrom

tober

WORK

iT meaning Of “employ ment” expanded to activi ties far beyond the job itself

ocean and half a continent away from thefighting fronts

its streets

é

§

ith mothers working six day weeks at war plants, the term “latchkey children” surfaced in a 1942 issue of He

, C d l o r e H t n e d n e t n i r Supe

|

mentary School Journal Two

Jater local fears of in-

creased juvenile crime came Burglaries, car thefts and tru-

ancy zoomed in Kansas City, A

YOUTH

gang called the Clan broke win dows in the Country Club Dis trict, and “sex delinquencies” among girls quadrupled. Venereal disease soared By one scholarly account, “the perplexing problem of the

youthful girl and the service man was worse in Kansas City than in any other metropolis.

Kansas City

249

any household serious about rationing food Another homeownerwroteto The Star.

“Keeping my thermostat at 65 degrees (to conserve fuel) doesn’t make for

warm and comfy’ (but) it’s a great deal cozier than theditches occupied by those boys fighting for us.” It was this pining for victory that helped thecity survive, even soar, through 44 months of a global war whose outcome never was certain. It’s

whyNellie Vilm called her 1414 MainSt. store the Victory Antique Shoppe, years beforethe fighting ceased; it’s why 15 diners, pool halls and music shops adopted the name “Victory.” Most of the troops came home, victorious, in 1945, minus some 1,250

troops from Jackson County who died in action. On Aug. 14, 1945, the county's favorite son, President Harry S. Truman, announced Japan’s surren-

der on theradio.

Downtown was thestage for “the kissingest crowd Kansas City has eve r known.” Pillow feathers cascaded from the highest windows of the Hotel Muehlebach. June West, whosejob at the Army Quarte rmaster Depot requiredthat shesort personal effects of dead Gls, gladly plan te dher lips on a soldier she had never met. She and other war workers took the next day off. On Aug. 16, as stores and government of fices reopened, the Pratt & Whit-

neyplant laid off 17,000 andlater shut down for good . ManyJ of its workerer.s :

had learnedskills that would| and them in high -paying industrial jobs at wa r plants converted to peacetime use. TWA hired thousands to ove rha ul its planes, built and conditioned by warto handle ro utes overseas, Something else happenedAug. 16: 2,200 hom ebound men and wom e n of

250

1940s: War and Resurgence

The word all

sricans had awaited

camefrom President Harry $.Truman

at 6 p.m. Central time, Aug, 14, 1945, Japan hadsurrendered. The war was over. Crowds gathered promptly down-

town andpartiedinto the night, right.

on. u a t S n o i n U : ir e n b u l C s ’ n e vice M r e S e h t 1 y b d ! e ug l ro th b { u ¢ o e s r s a t p s e s c r wa e r o the armed fo o M Resident director E.R

cuts ld co n o d e k c a n s They

their moods sy lum t‘ hey'rre e g

he remarked

re ay Maybe : they re

to g n i o g e r ' e w if cdlerit 1g WOynN ae

de c i m o n o c e of ne o n a h t ay e aw f t i gh l ri r em e th h ot forget 0 1 C ! e w S e n k e s p c o o i r t n v g i n r u t e s ice : v r e s d Most of tIhe r turning n a l i a t e r The s b o j e r e w e r e h iCow t n t u B t a b unm o c s d r n a e m u s n pression o c f o d n a m e d p u t n e p e th

t e e m to e g n i b g n i r i h a tors went on

st errr

ration o t y t u d e h t m o r o f r d e p n d e p chai l e h — ll Bi I G e h t — : 4 4 9 1 f o t c A t n e m t s d u a j t a t n e m Thehe Se Servicemayan n’s s Re < l l o r n E . s n a r e vet o t s n o i t a c u d e e g e coll d n a e r a c l a c i d e m , s b o j e d vi ts n e d u t s ts ar l ra be li e m i ull-t f 0 53 m o r f d 5 e p m u j ty Ci the University of Kansas )

west. Segregation was so ingrainedin thesocial psyche, thecity’s 1947 master plan defined “the ideal neighborhood” as one that groups “residents of

like interests and characteristics.” Returning Gls ofall colors fathered babies who one day wouldbe tagged ‘boomers.” Dads carried their infant sons to Ruppert Stadium and sawthe minor-league Blues win the American Association baseball title in 1947, the same year former Kansas City Monarchs player Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the majors. As for Kansas City’s women, 37 percent still held jobs in 1950, up slightly

from 35 percent when the 1940s began. But the vast majority of moms fol-

lowed theadvice of magazines — not to mention their advertisers — and

stayed “beside the cradle,” as Good Housekeeping put it, “where America nowneeds you most.” Experts today argue that the Allies won World War II not by troop num-

bers, grit or cunning, but by superior equi pmentthat Rosie the Riveter and her civilian comrades cranked out. :

For many ofthe Rosies in Kansas City — Viola P. ark, who died in 1993 at age 90; Darlene Alexander, who died in 1994 at 69; Helen Kincaid, who died in 1995 at 83 — wartime work wasthe on! Yy employment cited, proudly, in their obituaries,

STRIP STEAK

ties

Cab Calloway Cleft) in court

Wis performing in Kansas City, singer and bandleader Cab Calloway often stayed with Lewis Payne,a black political leader. On Dee. 22, 1945, Calloway and Payne’s son checked out a dance con-

cert at the segregated Pla-Mor Ballroom,

FTE Pete

ty’s ci e h t d e s w o r b s e i l i m a f e t i mostly wh t u o . . , n w o y r e v r u o y f o h c n a R all m s “a r o ” e m o H y l i m a F l a e R , a s Colonial south, whereit’s safe.” y; it ec th in ay st to t bu ce oi ch le tt Black people looking for homes had li h ut so in g in ut ro sp ts en pm lo ve de they wererestricted from moving into g on al e in rl lo co e th , ss le he rt ve Ne . ty Kansas City andparts of Johnson Coun . ay fr o t n ga be — h ut so es it wh h, rt no ks ac bl — 7th Street a , ue en Av ct pe os Pr of t as de an th 27 of th ou ds As black families move new boundary began to form along Troost Avenue: blacks east, whites

i

en m e r e w 8 0 9 ¢ 6 4 9 1 in s t n e d u t s 0 O 20 t 1, ) n e m o w e r e in 1944 (410 w d n a g n u o y , s e g a g t r o ; m d e k c a b y ll a r e d e f d n a s n a o J s Eligible for veteran od fringes for “Gracious Cape C

§ steak became postwar

A forerunner of the Interstate Highway System, Southw est Trafficway— a limited-access, multilane freeway — was unde. r construction b 'y 1949. Supports were going upat Southwest Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue.

4

TELE VIS town

Lionel Hampton’s band was playing

there, and Hampton invited Calloway to listen, But the audience was restricted (0 white people, and the ticket-taker — off

duty policeman William E,Todd — refused Callowayadmittance, The two argued and — then fought, and the policeman slugged Calloway in the head with his revolver

price madearich lad of LO. Pride's owner — Jack Hoff man, 16 — and stood half a

loway, who needed several stitches.

After a trip to the hospital, Calloway

century as the record bidat the Royal

PHILCO WIDE ANGLE TELEVISION

The

Calloway was charged wi the peace, but a municipal the charges. The bandlea ‘ nothing.

local “meat man* Eddie Williams made the bid heard ‘round theindustry: “Thirty five dollars andfifty cents!” Per pound, that is — more than 10 times the going rate for a champion Hereford. Williams was president of the Williams Meat Co. and boosterof the American Royal. The steer he bought was T.O. Pride, 1946 Royal grand champ. The $44,375 auction

Toddlater said he hadn't recognized Ci Felix Payne Jr. woundup in ji made national news.

America’s favorite entree,

Besides encouraging other

7-1NCH

PICTURE (teeMn ea \/

n Sept. 29, 1949, the polities of the first half of the

20th century intersected the medium of the second half —

evision,lent Harry 8. Truman,

sl EelPev ial sion evi tel r la gu re e, lif an ic er Am in a er w ne a of r ge in Harb in the Kansas City area Oct. 16, 1949, n ga be ing P ay eJ er wh l, ya Ro an ic er Am e th om fr t as dc oa with a live br by d we ie rv te in re we y rb Da y rr Ha d an r) te Dillingham (cen WDAF's Randall Jessee.

and several Cabinet officers joined 3,000 dinersin singing the praises of Boyle, s ‘As it happened, The Kansa ast on si vi le te w e n 's ar City St

ady tion,WDAK wasnearly reng to begin regular rogrammi . ad broadcast

om een But for the

ly after 8 p.m. to show the president's speech live Thenext daythe newspaper guessed that 100,000 people had seen the broadcast, the

first in Kansas City.

youths to raise beef cattle, Williams’ purchase raised na tional attention for the so called Kansas City strip steak Hecalled it “thefinest meat that comes from the beef loin of the steer. It weighs a pound. It costs $3."

The Golden Ox Restaurant 1600 Genessee St, aged its Kansas City strips for three weeks in a box at 36 degrees As for the cuts from TO. Pride, Williams served them to 10 businessmen at a Hotel

Muehlebach

banquet

in

1947

The station then returned

to its test pattern for two weeks until regular broadcasts

began, t or sh in e ok br it er nn di e ‘Bon

Kansas City

1940s; War andResurgence

253

; orhem al ebr cer succcumbed to a ad suc , had FDR of m age ni io im ee rc ; Po ls loca e, rhag n ber rt sho a : 1945 12, l ri Ap Thursday, |coc! mo im Me te Co a ou my PS s hut e : an e l e a t a ay De r L r amine x E a t e c i n e T d n o e p r o E L L M e Dee its m Rc A N o P t o l b e m o T P i » vg t:i es a O as be c PROTd sO O S m o Y P : eu pay ndow pi DEAD. “PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IS ne

.

4

with Germany and Italy

d a Local phone lines jamme

ed on theoffice wi n

clares war on Japan and soon is at war

a

yas W That meant Vice President Truman in charge — almost an afterthought for Pivcieee ance yc Pate os Portia, »ir leader through 12 years De Core eyPraee ee ee “We teour pal,” a Te n Toney om ytd Kansas City w: vec tom ssabucanta oe Pa CRU ee (oa After the White House announced that

1940

1942

a b of e f a C e ac rr Te e th In . ad re RS eS cM ct sp NAN

Y Allicd

Meeker called off dancing for th and crooner Pinky Tomlin led thi c le Seg Moe g Ba d le ng pa -S ar St e “Th g in ng si in

bomber ¢

n Japan led by James H

Doolittl V “Casal

09 p.m. Truman took the oath! y hite House and kissed the Bible:

4 tale of wartime intrigue

and sacrif

larring Humphrey Bogart

andIngr

raman, opens in U.S. the-

aters.

STILL THE GREATEST COW-TOW!) IN AMERICA.

¥Y Reformers sweepinto power at City

W The k

és

of a news

er founded in 1854, ceases

publicati

on March 31

Hall, ending the Pen-

City Journal, descendant

1943

dergast machine's 15-

¥ Flood of war-plant workers into the

year domination of

metropolitan area forces the Kansas City schooldistrict to hire 51 extra elemen-

Kansas City government. JohnB, Gageis

i

the new mayor and L.P Cookingham the

i

)

4

ram

tary teachers

- i!

Y TheAllies invadeSicily and theItalian

mainland. The countrysurrenders in September, but Germantroops keepupre-

newcity manager.

coronary thrombosi s On Jan. 26. Vice Pr es.

ident Truman attends th e funerg ll in Kansas City

V Roosevelt dies on Ap ril 12 in Warm

Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey. Y Jackie Robinson joins the Br ooklyn

Dodgers, bec omingthe first bl ack player in majorleaguebaseball

Springs, Ga Truman in Washington, is Sworn in 4s president

Y German forces, squeeze dby Allies from the west and Russia fr om theeast begin to crumble. On May 7, w ith Hitler dead, Germany surrenders

Y US. bombers drop two atom ic bombs on Japanin early August. On Au g. 14, Japan’s surrender is announce by Pr d esi

dent Truman

r

Y Kansas City’s Charlie Parker and other

young musicians playing in NewYork

Y Truman, defying the confident predictions of majorpollsters, defeats Thomas

nightspots develop a newstyle ofjazz: be-

Dewey for president.

bop.

Parker

Y With Truman's backing, thestateofIs-

racl is proclaimed

Y Twelve months af-

sistance.

ter being imprisoned

Y “Oklahoma!” opens on Broadway.

¥Y Winston Churchill, visiting Fulton, Mo.,

its first black student

Richard Rodgers’ and Oscar Hammer-

at Truman’s invita-

Y Columbia records introduces the long-

stein’s work centeredonaplot, thus

tion, warns a world-

playing phonograph record, a 12-inch

changing the future of musical theater. It

wide audience that

disk that turns at 33 1/3 revolutions per

an “Iron Curtain” has

munute.

succeeds Neville

also introduces the song,“Everything’s Up to Datein KansasCity.”

descended across Eu-

Chamberlainas

Y Frank Sinatra, 27, has his first million-

rope. The Cold War

prime minister of

Selling record, “All or Nothing at All.”

betweenthe West

at Leavenworth,

4

HEY

Thomas J. Pendergast

KANSAS CITY'S ¥

ESEGATMUEI a {BACKGROUND

is released on parole. Y Winston Churchill

Cookingham

ts are lifted byaU.s

Cal machine, dies at Menorah Hospital of

i

1946

Great Britain.

and Communist

Y Germanyinvades Norway, Denmark, the Low Countries and, going aroundthe

countries is under

1944 Y TheAllies invadethe Normandyre-

Maginot Line, France.

Y Franklin p. Roosevelt, promising to

push the Germans east. By August, they

keep the U.S. out ofthe war despite se nd-

liberate Paris.

ing ships to Great Britain and reinstating the military draft, is elected to an unprecedented third term as president, His vice president was Henry Wallace of

Y Hallmark Cards unveils a new advertis-

ing slogan: “When You Care Enough to

|

Send the Very Best.”

Y Roosevelt is elected to a fourth term With a newvice president, Harry S.Tru-

lowa,

_ man ofIndependence.

1941

¥ On Dec. 7,Japanese bombers at

PearlHarbor, the U.S.

tack

naval base on

Promptlythe United States de.

The Kansas

‘kyards

_ Oct. 18, 1943,Thehen and uncertain fee

d

Otherwise would have wai

cowtown

1945

Pendergast, six years after being de-

das the boss of Kansas City’s politi:

1949 Y OnOct. 16, WDAFbegins regularteleChurchill

way.

gionof France on June6, D-Day, then

¥ TheUniversity of Kansas City admits

vision programming, thefirst in the Kansas Cityare

¥ KansasCity feels its first widespread polio strike; more than 150 casesare re-

1947 Y Kansas City makes the first of a series of annexations that will add more than 17 within territory its to miles square 250

years. Also, morethan $47 million in trafbond issues is approved for new and ficways; improving streets, bridges the airport; building community centers; and other things.

clecfree will which transistor, The Y

on dependence from instruments tronic at Bell invented is tubes, vacuum bulky

ported. Y Mao Tse-tung’s Chinese communist

forces proclaim the People’s Republicof

China ¥ Western Europeannations andthe U.S. form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, anallianceagainst theSoviet

Union, Y Planning begins for a centennial celebrating thefirst incorporation of the Town of Kansas, ancestor of Kansas City.

A

|| |

rea

, N E R D L I H C T U O G N I N CHUR S N O I S I V I D B U S O T N I G N SETTLI

r

er

:

:

7

%

le ng si a on d ge an ch y Cit as ns Ka in up ow gr to hat it meant

magical Tuesday April 12, 1955. Two events occurred hours apart Area physicians gathered in an auditorium at the University of Kansas

Me lical Center for a closed-circuit TV announcement from Ann Arbor

Mich. On the screen flickered the black-and-white imageof Jonas Salk. His

pre the s ter ngs you al loc 900 ed ppl cri had at eth urg sco a top lds wou k wor ViOuS SLX years

afternoon

Preceding page:

The top story concerned a ball game, which

Starlight Theatre

seems silly in retrospect. This, however, was unlike any other sporting event ever reported

in Swope Park. Here,

here. Hundreds of children flashing notes from their parents were excused from schools to

light June 25, 1951.

join the throngs that witnessed thelocal inauguration of major-league baseball

brought big-time productions to thousands cast members of “Desert Song” stand in the spot-

Opening day for the Kansas City Athletics — “one of the most momen-

tous events of thecity’s existence,”

The Star proclaimed

In many ways the 1950s in Kansas City mirrored the more than 100.000

children born here that decade: a time of high hopes and unforeseen

change

THE BIG TIME Thelast-place Philadelphia A’s had been sold in November 1954 to Arnold Johnson, a Chicago businessman who would turn minor-league 4 Kansas City into the westernmost metropolis in the major leagues. In 90 3 ees pee ta built e i y the dave days the city built an upper deck to Municipal Stadium and sellout crowds of 33,000.

readied itself for

On opening day former President Harry S. Truman laughed, reared back

and tossed the ceremonialfirst pitch. It was 10 years to the daya fter

. : TheAthletics’ slick-cover yearbook, aboveleft, featured the elephant had symbolized the A’s since early

}i

The new gamein townwas played at 22ndStreet and ay svenee }¢ to conta eked i ; adi ici 2 lec Se letant nally Muchlebach spectators for major-league

spider’ Spee

baseball.

the century. The franchise, then in

Philadelphia, once was derided as 4 ite creeat Kansas City

258

1950s: The BiglLeague

i it—~S

on

259

i

TOA BC o Y ansa Kon money a

got und

ganizatio

Hall Bi and Jane one-hou City? fos The 1 downt« picting

LoL ie x

8 Ba i 9 ae ee

aw a chance for celebration and self-promotion as began and jumped at it Business leaders raised the er months of planning , an array of public ev e

Che climax was in June , centennial of the 1850 on 1¢ Town of Kansas :

grecting card company b rought Robert Young in to town, At the Music Ha ll on June2 they did 2 ial radio broadeast,“The Dyna micStoryof es limark Playhouse on CBS = rning hundreds of thousand s of peoplelined ets for a parade of marc hing b ands andfloats detory and industry. On June 12 an even large r crowd jammed the streets to see a nighttime parade. At SwopePark, Starlight Theatre opened for a monthlong history

Pageant, “Thrills of a Century.”

The showfeatured a cast of hundreds, hugesets,a steam locomotive and an ox-drawn wagon that workedfine all but once. On July 7 an ox

team hitched to a 600-pound

cart bolted and charged across the stage as 300 performers

quickly cleared out of the way. Theonly injury was to one of their handlers. Thefinal financial reports showed the Centennial Association took in more than half a million dollars, almost $40,000 morethan it spent. Although considered a success, the centennial was not for long

y

’

:

Cel ried

Sporting a model of a Constellation airliner, the TWAfloat moves along Grand Avenue.Left: A souvenir plate.

the biggest thing on Kansas Citians’ minds. Barely three weeks after the celebration began, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, bringing the United States to the brink of what manyfeared might become World WarIII. “Events so overwhelming in their implications; The Star wrote at year’s end, “leaveour local anniversary almost forgotten.”

Having made headbands andfeathers

of the season. Theylost their fifth game 16-0 andtheirninth game 29-6

from construction paper, these chil-

d rl Wo & ws Ne U.S. for a” ric Ame in ife e“L lor exp to in ew fl le up co nch A Fre ieee

dren from the nearby Salvation Army

Report. i nawaveofF docile, docile. shining shining cars cars which which flowed along bumper [ to along Hc “A continuous

Fans came anyway, attendance topped > 1.3 million, ay: : : es, , ) and 1955 attendance the third-high-

nursery visited the Indian Village established by centennial planners in 1950

r ve ne t tha g in th me so d ce ti no we en Th d. un so or jar bumper without a nil impress us: There were no horns. (And) as for pedestrians. .. what

Franklin D. Roosevelt's death put Truman in charge ofa nation at w ar. : dint fire Weds PR As The A’s wonthat first gameagainst Detroit but stumbled through therest

us:

est in baseball.

at a vacantlot across 13th Street fects

failed to impress

for tykes.Ss. Kat; all, a2 swell year All in aul, Katz Drug :sold Davy Croccke , yea ; ‘ 7 ; boys and » for 5?59 cents. : thefall,ae cents By capsfor 98 cents and Crockett Cap Gunsfe girls would be tuning to KMMBBCC--TTV, CC epi 5 V, hannel 9 , to catch the first Wh> izzo the Clown. OE alee

They were ushMunicipal DODae Oa Auditori

peedestrians?” : 5 sl vane : sheen. a Presbyterian minister SimonizedStadium, beneathattheMunicipal Yet trouble the crowds far fromstirred Not

ham =e growing up in a city that outsiders found pleasant enough _Yery average, verytypical, very much like the c om

Posite of every big city

in the country,” Business Week said in 1953. Now, in the summer of the A’s, Coronet ma gazine listed “10 Lesson Kansas City Can Teach the Nation, ” F o r o ne, the city “shows ; wate re Stal solving traffic problems” with its $130 million plan for a ae ich .

to 2-year-old andintroduced open, was not yet the village, which ered into

Randall Owen Moore, a me ie

; |

t

e m o h e m o c e b d ha ea ar e Th d. ar Boulev on nt Be of ks oc bl 0 60 -3 00 33 e th g in

o oue s tribes dfar ncoem ani de d di

O spla y e

during the centennial celebration at the —

on nt be ts en ag te ta es al re by in to black newcomers. Some were W« y0ed

or “F t. ou g n i v o m le op pe e it wh e th e rv se so al t gh mi ey th so g” in st bu ck “blo

ae

dents si re e it wh of nd ba a d, te un da Un , ns io Sale” signs shot up like dandel

fe

s A’ e th t a d ve wa s er nn ba y da e h t on d n A . ss ge ur St v. Re e th de si be d oo st sale — Neither my\ home nor my} “Notfofor rsale ns read read:: “Not ir ownyardsig ‘ons

”

»

would span the Missouri River by way of the new Paseo B ie

z

ee fl e n om w fr o e m rs o h ne ow e it wh e ep it wh ke to p

thei of ge gua lan e th ke spo nts ide res all showed nearly

sus

tors. Manuel mimickedthezootsuiters of earlier years — collar turned up, jacket hanging loose, trousers cuffed. :

On weekend summernights, neighbors stretched on cots outside. They

talked or sang or snoreduntil the Catholic church bells pealed Sunday morning.

A mile east and 10 blocks south Mark Birnbaum pedaled his tricycle past brick houses on Virginia Avenue He was born in 1947, whentheU.S. birth rate hit a peak that would stand the rest ofthe century. His parents livedin a sixplex among other Jews who

attended Congregation Beth Shalom at 3400 the Paseo.

As the 1950s dawned, their neighborhood was cramped but secure, full of shopkeepers who waved at children waiting to cross the Paseo to get to allwhite Faxon School. Scores ofthese residents, including the Birnbaums, would be goneby the end ofthe 1950s. A half-mile away in the 2800 block ofOlive Street, Preston Washington in 1950 had everyreason tobelieve he’d someday attend Lincoln High School. That's where “Negro” children from the city and some suburbs got their

diplomas. Events of the coming years, however, would turn Preston into a

:

Mission Road ———_ _

7c

75th

new homes: census res commun priced ho

tensions.

br DIC ther, i S h nd c an “ 12 > s a W e e T r Manuel Aguir

75TH STREET AND

theinters

%

~~

Street forms Southern ho,ee

:outh of it is rural. The ‘ttle about this fast-g‘r o5s0t . i! about 1,000 mo have sprung up nord the we,r

fin the last two years v e

Fe

75th St.

i ecinenensciststtinen «

' tials

eet

4

ton Road memaaago

1960: Deve! pment has poured Across 75th Street. Shawnee Mi ssion East High Sch ool js two years old

Prairie Village population: 25,356 (99 percent white)

Income as a percent of KC median: 202%

Median school years completed: 13,8

37TH STREET AND BROOKLYN AVENUE, KANSASCITY 37th St.

'

Preston Washington in 1960 was saddened to

. 7 off one hear

two the twe r a rac teer ra ial sluurr as the ututt

| ssmate dies — a white cla gh tr< ack staZ r in action. t l Hi2 ntra Ceen

}yhis

act }bud: closest

tc hed a blacck watc

Preston said nothing, having learned that indeed s, er tt ma te ca li de be n ca s ip sh on ti la re d race an After 1960, 10, h rc Ma on ke ro st a of ed di n so hn As for the A’s, owner Jo e th ht ug bo ey nl Fi r ca s Os le ar Ch d me na er et rk the season a maveric k ma agues le g bi e th to s an ti Ci as ns Ka ed team that introduc ving — li t ec rf pe of ch ar se in ty ci a f o s onee daGey even the A’s — icon An ndd on

would drift away

x

Kansas City

;--

2

1950 e l e c y t i C s a s n a K ¥ Beginning in June,

o p r o c n i t s r i f s t i f o l brates the centennia a n a d n a s t n a e g a p ration with parades, tional radio broadcast.

n i s p o o r t n a e r o K h t r ¥ Soviet-backed No t n e d i s e r P . 5 2 e n u J vade South Korea on a f o t r a p s a s e c r o f . S . Truman sends U e u a y B . d n y t p s e r o t t r o f f e s United Nation ro eb s e n i h C e h t h c a e r s e c tumn U.N. for ing h s u p , t si s o r c a m r o t s e s e der, but Chin U.N. troops back.

f o d a e l e h s t e k y a t h t r a C c h M p ¥ Sen. Jose , s s e r g n o C n t t i r s o i f f n e u m m the antico l s i f t n s i i n u m m o d c n u o e f v claiming to ha

. t n e m t r a p e e D t a t e S g h n t i t tra o b n a o L i r s a n M i n g a e m b f f u g a Y Ewin K

s a w r e h t o m is h t a h t e s u r e h t Using e k a t o t n o i s s i m r e p t o g n a m o w ill, a ! m o r f e s e a s e a l n e e l e n r e sre G y b b o B d l o -ar. t p e S n o l o o h c S n o i S e d e m a D ae d i k g n i e b s a w e h , y t i l a e r n I . 3 5 9 28, 1 ed, “4 d l o r a e y t d , r o t c u d b a s ' d l i h c e h nt 34 r e h d n a , y d a e H e Brown , l l a H n i t s u A l r a C , n o i n a p m o c s i c x e p y h t l a e w s a w r e h t a f s ' y b b o B w e n k e s a e l n e e r G t r e b Cadillac dealer Ro d e d n a m e d y e h T . h g with Bobby, ri , m o s n a r 0 0 0 , 0 0 6 $ f o an unheard

Y Cease-fire talks begin in Korea. They will continue two years while fighting

continues,

Y Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. is

published. Y First installations of UNIVAC computer — at the U.S. Census Bureau in Philadel.

Phia — show it to be far more efficient

W The

crican League Approves moy

ing the ) adelphia Athletics to Kansas City; the } ansas City Blu es play their last

game

Y The |i reford statue is lifted to the top foot pylon on Quality Hill,

of its 90.

Y The nuclear submarine Nautilus is Jaunched

Y Briton Roger Bannister breaks thefour. minute mile

1955

e v o r d , p u d it e k c s i r p e p p The kidna

Y The Kansas City Athictics play their

, g n i s u o r a n c a g e b d n to St. Louis a

first home game April 12 in newly en-

o r p e t f a , 6 t d c e O t s e r r They were a

Y Starlight Theatre opensits first regular Y On July 13 floodwaters pourinto the Kansas River bottoms, Southwest Boulevard and other industrial areas.The flood spurs calls for protection measures that will lead to big reservoirs and otherriver alterations upstream in Kansas. ¥Y Mickey Mantle plays outfield for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association.

waythrough the Kansas City metre area,

. y t n u o n C o s k c a l J a r dropped off in ru

The couple was executed in the gas chamber before the year ended,

season June 25 with “Desert Song,”

4 northeast Lo-so uthwest CXpPress

d a e s i a r s a m w o s n a r e h T , media

1951

a m r a h s l p l e d s s n l a e , b s a e l l t t o h b e c h i h w ceuticals from his home.

plan for

y t i ec h t , d e s s a p s y a d e As nine tens e h t h g u o r h t d e w o l l o f y and countr nd

lice were tipped off. ‘Then they confessed to the shock ing truth: They had killed Bobby ina Johnson County field within hours of kidnapping him and then buried him in a flower bed behind Heady’s

n in o i t a n r o e s p r o e p e n o , a . s c e n i I r o rat

VY The Misco Bridge op ens 49 part of a

larged Municipal Stadium. The Blues move to Denver, and the Monarchs fold, Y In Montgomery, Ala., Rosa Parks refus-

es to give her bus seat to a white man. Y The two largest labor organizations,

St.Joseph home.

1952 Y Dwight D. Lisenhower defeats Adlai Stevenson for president,

Y blizabethif, only 25 years old, becomes queen of England upon her fa-

ther’s death. Her spectacular coronation takes place the next year,

Y The UnitedStates explodes its first hydrogen bomb Noy, | in the Pacific,

Y Ground is broken for what will become Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base on the Jackson-Cass County line.

rn

Greenlease, son of

GlyCadadeen

knap e sep

and television stations to National The

1957

the AFL and the CIO, merge.

Y Ending four years in which WDAF has e th in n io at st on si vi le te ly on e th en be d an 5, el nn ha ¢ , MO KC , ea ar ty Ci Kansas KMBC, Channel 9, go on theait. Y Korean fighting ends,

2 e th to ne tu rs he tc wa V °T 10 ¥ Nine of year-old hit comedy “I Love Lucy’forthe h, rt bi s y' ck Ri le tt Li t ou ab episode . es di in al St f se Jo er ad le ¥ Soviet

1954 ¥ The U.S. Supreme Court pre racial segregation in p

cn

aters Inc

VY He Roe Bartle, a Boy Scout executive

Y A tornado sweeps a 7 1-mile path

VY Thefirst U.S. Barth satellite, Explorer/,

and an accomplished speaker,is elected

south of Kansas City on May 20,killing 44

is launched into orbit from Cape

mayor,

persons,

Canaveral, Fla

Y TheSoviet Union launches the first manmade Earth satellite, Sputnik, on Oct

Y Domestic jet airline passenger service

1956 Y ATWASuper Constellation boundfor Kansas City collides with a United airlin: er 21,000 feet over the Grand Canyon on June 25, One hundred twenty-cight per sons dic, among them 24 Kansas Citians,

Y The Broadway Bridge opens Sept. 5, re placing the upper motortraffic deck of the Hannibal Bridge. The new span,

traf r rive for n ope to e hav t sn' doe which

fic, provides areliable link between

ort. Airp pal ici Mun the and wn downto

er Fed the ns sig r owe enh His ’ President

ighway Act, beginning work on

1953

ip minute, firefighters were aiming streams of water at a Conoco station's burnng gasoline and kerosenetanks on Southwest Boulevard at the state line, The next minute the tanks exploded, shooting a wall of flame across the street and engulfing the crews of men. i Fivefirefighters and a vol unteer helper died 18, 1959, catastrophe. ee sg ed

:

Highway System.

/'s first No. 1 hit, “Heart:

begins on the East Coast

4, creating anxiety among Americans and

the beginning of the space race ¥ Federal troops enforce court-ordered

integration of Central High School in Lit

tle Rock, Ark. Y Kansas City streetcars make their final are runs, Only buses and trolley buses in 1959 left, and trolley buses are gone Leonard Y “West SideStory,’ a musical by . y a w d a o r B n o s n e p o , n i e Bernst

1958 Y Workers strike TWA. the by d se cu ac , ar St ty Ci Y The Kansas

100 ng vi ha of nt me rt pa US. Justice De

s4 gn si a, di me l ca lo er ov much control

P radio AF WD er ov ng mi tu ee consent decr

1959 Y Hive firefighters and a warehouse dockman die when oil tanks explode and flames overwhelm them Aug. 18 along Southwest Boulevard

Y Only 20 trains a day — less than onetenth of wartime numbers — are cunning

through Union Station

Y Alaska and Hawaii are admitted to the Union seven months apart ¥ Soviet leader Nikita Khruschey makes a transcontinental tour of the United

States,

Y Pulgencio Batista is overthrown as dictator of Cuba and replaced by Fidel Cas tro.

Kansas City

279

i ve

j

N ; sen

easil

, S T H G I R G N I D N DEMA E F I L R E T T E B A F O G N I M A E R D

port the 1

rh

et ow fl ed ir ha g n o l d an s ot ri e c a r d ha ty Ci s a s n a K re fo be , 66 19 er n wint t Ai l a p i c i n u M of t ou vy Volker Fountain, MayorIlus Davis fley

children at port on a mission of high hope

e nu ve re in n io ll mi 50 $1 ed ov pr ap st City voters, by a 24-1 ratio, had ju rk Yo w e N to f of s a w r yo ma e th d an bonds for a new international airport, e th on ed nd la He s. er nd le l ia nt te p¢ d an to drum up interest among airlines e th o et in us mo li by de ro n he dt an ng di il Bu Am n Pa e th rooftopheliport of of es bl ta d he ot cl eit wh the ing fac ch pit s hi de ma he e er wh Hotel Biltmore, Bie Paces Buoyed by

civil rights successes nationwide, some Kansas Citians demonstrated fervently, in this instance to free Black Panther Huey Newton from prison. Hippies held love-ins; by the late ’60s the most popu-

the Wings Club

Kansas City expected to become the air capital of mid-America, Davis told the New York press that afternoon, The city’s new airport was “supersonic,” the

lar rendezvous was Volker

first in the country designed from the ground upto handle the jumbo 747s due

with retail stores. Metcalf

can supersonic transports then on the

Fountain. In 1961, Walnut Street downtown was packed

South opened in 1967 and joined other suburban shopGia tidhe in skahsoning costomers from downtown.

for delivery in 1969 and the huge Ameridrawing board. har

if

‘

So what if the new airport was way up north in Platte County? With ongoing freewayconstruction andtalk of a higha speed rail line, , paPasssseengers — expected 9% to reaceh 8 million by V19 776 — co ’ uldget from the airport to dow ;ntow Kansas City in just 15 minutes

z

TI 1 maMa yoryor s hook. haNe ndsalau l ar < ound and posed fora photogra d ph with thie e

powerful executives in attendancethat da y: Harold B. Mi

r, director of special affairs for Pan American World Airways: J ames E.n Rein nke, director of route developmentfor Eastern Airlines; HolmesSs Brown, a vice president for American Airlines; J. Edward Frankum, a vice pr esident for TWA; a

nd Maurice D.S, Johnson, executive vice pre sident of Fi rst National Bank of Kans as City. 282

1960s: Winds of Change

rtp sinsSa

val Airport, , for . the lor decadeles

ry gatewayfor ditline pag i nd from Kansas City, wa

of the most convenie nt al

country, It was als o one izardous -

ni: It lay in the middle o f

the metropolitan area, just ACrOSS the

Missouri River from d owntown, only minutes from hotels and offices Locked in by the river and nearby rail. road and industrial property, Munici-

pal in the 1960s covered the same

700 acres dedicated forit by Charles Lindbergh in 1927. Space was tight for takeoffs and landings “The only airport in the country with a terminal building longer than

its runway,’ onepilot joked to passengers as he landed, “Like you'relanding in a silo,” otherpilots said.

Indeed, the 7,000-foot north-south runway forced large airliners depart ing toward the south to climb steeply to avoid tall buildings atop the downtown bluffs. Landings could be equally tricky. As passenger traffic surged in the 1950s and 1960s and as jetliners took over in the 1960s, Municipal be-

cameclearly inadequate.

City officials examinea model of

Kansas City International Airport that was unveiled in August 1969 at the architects’ office in TenMain Center.

BoROA NCD

Nee Wy es

he solution to thelimitations of Mu-

int Co dMi th wi me ca t or rp Ai l pa ci ni 0-acre 00 5, a t, or rp Ai l na io at rn te In nt ne sed ha rc pu ty un Co te at Pl in nd la of tract since ed us d an s 50 19 e th in ty ci e by th

the In se ba ul ha er ov s it r fo A then by TW rs te vo , 66 19 of ys da ic heady econom llion mi 50 $1 ed ov pr ap ly ng overwhelmi inent nt Co dMi rn tu o t s nd bo e in revenu t. or rp ai r ge en ss pa in ma ’s into thecity mula d te oa fl s er ne gi en Architects and on the d le tt se y ll na fi t bu s titude of idea t a or rp ai e h t de ma at th basic concept design ” te ga ur yo o-t ve ri “D trendsetter:

AWAY

From curbside drop-off and check-in to the loading ramp, thecity boasted, “the

passenger's walking distance will be as little as 75 feet.” The downsideof that

convenience was that theairport was sit : wn do om fr s le mi 17 an th re mo d te ua town Renamed Kansas City International in a (ab y cit e th for ty ti en id re mo n gai to d bi though its designation and hence bage new th , ") CI "M ed in ma re s ket tic ge ga it y da To 2, 197 l fal in ed en op s wa t airpor nicihandles more than three times Mu pal’s annual passenger traffic

Kansas City

283

a) Where

th} ey

a dream Left: As

at Voll cerem al wa

pagar

1g Various events takin g place ountain was this weddin g in September 1969. The rit uribed as a combination o f

ndu and Polynesian Styles.

|heard Ma tiin n Luther }King larrt Jr.

King said that summer

del: iver his fannous

speech.

“Il have

while in Kansas City 1¢ ) civil rights activists entered segr ns greg egat ate; ed Pair: yland Park. lay on their ba ane acck kss nenea arr thethe ri rides and re usec to me VE Kan Z sas 1 Cin ity’s Br nWN i Tow a O t\ Vs. oBe o

2é

45 :

steered other

j J pub! lic schools dese gregated aft er the Supreme Court’s 1954

ard of Education of pekaka ruru Tope lilinng g,, but but they ey ququ icicklklyy rere segre : Dlockbusting, redlinin g and racially influenced

black

pepeopop lele

housing patterns to oneone si sidde e of Troost Avenue ind white peop; le to the

By 1966, Paseo High School } } te nearly all whi in 195cc 5, was 68.7 per

cent black

Urb an renewa wal and freeway constructic m tore into

displacing residents and fuc ling the fl ight to the

older neighborhoods

suburbs, Within months of

Davis trip to New York, Fort une magazine described downtown Kansas City < is “a dead spot” at the “heart and cros sroads of America

As the decade ended, and as Kansas City International Airport took shape

1 ‘ d and 1 plans were were |laid for a combine football baseball sports complex along

the new interstate east of town preliminary figures from the 1970 U.S. cen

sus sent shock waves through City Hall Kansas City had lost population, the figures said, a seeming impossibility

In February 1969, weaponsbristling,

the Black Panthers announced the founding of a Kansas City chapter headed byPete O’Neal, who is reading the statement.

Thefaces wereall male and all white — aportrait that did notraise an eyebrowin the winter of 1966. But by decade's end, as a sweepingtideof social changerolled across America, such portraits were becoming a point of contention.

By 1968 feminists were picketing the Miss Americacontest in AtlanticCity, NJ., and thenation’s youths were cheering the psychedelic “purple haze”

Appearing at the 1969 Robert F.

Kennedy Symposiumon Dissent were several icons ofthe left: Peace activist Benjamin Spock, sociologist Harry Edwards, leftist Tom Hayden and singer Pete Seeger.

of Jimi Hendrix. As ghetto violence worsened and U.S. involvement deepenedin Vietnam, burgeoning black power andanti-war movements challenged the American status quo.

The 1960s werea decadeoftransition so dramatic and wrenching, historian Charles D. Brower wrote, that some people “feared for the American wayoflife.” At Kansas City’s East High School teen-agers petitioned to wear peace

medallions to school and to be permitted to smoke outside the building. At

the University of Missouri-Kansas City students organized the Robert F.

: nned Ke y Memorial Sy| mposium on Dissent and joined the radic al Stud ents for a Democratic Society. On thecity’s East Side young African-Americans faormed a chapter ofthe Black Panthers, andto the we st Mexic an-Americans

joined the Brown Berets andstageda w. alkout at Argentin e High School. The 1960s were ripe with ferment and protest.

In 1963 busloads of Kansas Citian s rode to the March on Washingt on

284

1960s: Winds of Change

Kansas City

285

CHANGING BOUNDARIEs

Sn Zz

From 1959to 1969, Kansas City and other area z

Cities up unincorporated areas, Kansas Cit Y grew gobbledfrom 129 square miles to 316 squ a re

miles.

Note: Highways sho wn are ST OM 1969

City limits, 1959

City l imits, 1969 !959, Overlan d Park y ‘as un incorpor ated

MISSOURI

RIVER

T Of ot hee WRECK ING B A tL he \! ers an

build: usefi to pr came

Ca

Build! was

boom Hote!,

eno.)

Growing out From 1960 to 1970, the U.S,

Census Bureau found, the central city lost thousands of residents while the suburban

70 KANSAS

VER cla

E WYANI col

a

Y

Z

JOHNSON ¢ a COUNTY SHawnee .

Merriam

ring gained thousands.

Kansas —

Cota

Population loss

4

boundary, {

909-1947

ead

Population gain

y landscape was scoured in the both byprivate property o wnby urban renewal projects. Old

many thought, had outlived any and sometimes posed a dange r Many of downtown’s structur es

bling down,

point: The Railway Exchange

Seventh and Walnut streets, It in one of the 19th century

pcning in 1888 as the Midland +) left. The hostelry was big

0 Compete directly with the es-

tablis!. . Coates House forthe business of cattlens n, businessmen andpoliticians;

four prcsidents stayed there. It featured a

swimming pool, steam baths, a mirrored

bar anda fifth-floor dining room. In

1908 the hotel closed and the building

converted to the Midland Office Building, and thenin 1917 to the Railway Exchange Building, top right. Railroads and contractors had offices there. One survivor of the change was the grand staircase of marble and wrought iron, bottom left, In January 1966 the structure was razed by a group of investors called the Grand-Walnut Development Co, Like scores of similar dem-

olitions aroundthecity, the site became a

WYAN

A

seemed apparent that somethingterribly important was happening to Kansas City.

Leawood

JOHNSON COUNTY

CASS COUNTY

considering a series of annexations that hadincreasedthe city’s land ba se in

. 9 square miles to 316 square mile. Ss. Fina the 1960s from 12 l tabulations

would showa slight increase in the popu lation (from 475,539 in 1960 to 507,087 in 1970). But the truth was that insi de Kansas City’s old 1940s

boundaries — before the city began the binge of annexa tions that spread it across three counties — the population h ad in deed declined, Almost 100,000 fewer white people lived within the old boundaries in 1970 than did in 1960; the black population had increased by only 20,000

“Census Salt in Wounds,” one newspaper headline said. “rieSs of anguish are being heard... as the trend to the su burbs continues,” Although manycities had lost populati on (St. Louiis was d : 128,000) andofficials challenge d the way t he ¢ ensus ea oe ucted, it

286 1960s: Winds of Change

surface parking lot. It remained that at century’s end.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

d ge er em t tha ty ci he mt ro df ge an ch tly vas s wa 66 19 of y The Kansas Cit

n Pla y Cit ent fid con a ys da y ad he se tho In . II War triumphant from World er. pap on wn do ms ea dr s it put d an ure fut e th to in ked Commission had loo for rk wo nd ou gr the d lai rs nne pla ,” ty Ci sas In the 1947 “Master Plan for Kan aa the city ofthe 1960s.

’ ion rat bil hab "re g in ed ne s od ho or hb ig ne in They drew maps and colored the cnyé in ds en tr nt me ll ro en d tte plo ey Th or “continued protection.” o gr Ne d an e it wh e “th for ns ter pat te ara schools, making sure to denote sep ic

Ss.

ey in oa Br to eet Str k Oa om fr ct, tri Dis ae the Central Business

e o ed ed ne dly har it t tha important sO a are an s, eet str h 15t to th Fif and : s ion uat val ed ss se as te vo the of t en rc pe 18 for d te un co ac The district

e e in. ep se to g in nn gi be was y ad re al e in cl de gh ou th y, Cit Kansas the 45 19 to 35 19 om fr at th ed not an master pl

hardly expressing alarm, the

a

Kansas City

287

s r e n n a . l p | at th t tha » e r u g i f & , n o i t s t a i alu of v t n d e e c s r s e p e s s 6 a t s o l ‘ore had siness.” yu | l i a t e r l o n o i t a z i l a r t n e c e d ome s of e v i t a c i d n i be y a tail m “ t h g u o th b:anks, reta

, s l e t o h t n a t r o p m i c h e t i m w m d a i r b l l i t s 7 4 9 1 n i 7 ween t e b 3ut downtown t e e r t S th i L n o r e y a h T rd, i B , y r e . m s E g n i d l i u e b c i f ce n i s oreseandof . . sta , n o i t u t i t as City Ins

s n a K s a a lf se it d e s i t r e Grand and Walnut adv “largest the as itself billed l e t o H w e i v k r a P: e h t 1863.” At 10th and the Paseo,

: ) t i G s a s n a K r e t a e r G Negro Hotel in

h g u o h t t s e w e h t r o t s a e e h | m o r f y r t n e y r a m i r p e h t s a w 0 4 t a h t In 1947. U.S. s y a w h g i h s s e r p x e { “ t u o b a : g n i k I ( e r e y w d a e Kansas City’s planners alr r fo y s a e it g n i k a m d n a c ti g n at i tr n e k c i u , q a n e w r o a t n w o would loop the d bs jo n w o t n w o d r ei th to t e g to le peop n u r t o n s y a w h g i h s . s e e: xpr t a h d t e d n e m m o c e t r n e m n r e v o The federal g

through businesscenters, but the 194

ay w s s e r p x e n a d e w o h s n a l p master

a st : t ea cu y wa . gh hi e th h rt no e th On cutting straight up Campbell Street

wesl

d l O al in ig or e h t om fr n w o t n w o d ed at ol is at th an pl a , et re St h xt Si g on al

h ut so e th To re fo be s ar d ye re nd Town, platted around theCity Market a hu

rt pa op at e ng ha rc te in ic nt ga gi g a in ud cl , in fs uf the loop cut into the west bl ofold Quality Hill be d ul wo re the , rse cou of d, An . es ss pa er ov and s nel tun Planners spokeof right-of-way acquisition and much demolition By November 1953 historic landmarks on the north side were crumbling before the push of bulldozers clearing a swath for the Sixth Street express way. In a time when Americans cheered freeway construction as a sign of

progress, morethan 125 buildings came tumbling down with barely a hint of regret: the former Lyric Theater at 622 Main St.; the red-brick Washington public school, Kansas City’s first, at Independence Avenue and Cherry Street; andthe faro hall at No. 3 Missouri Ave., owned by the gambler Bob Potee, who hadfitted the place with mirrors, carpets and a glittering bar As the 1960s dawned, Kansas officials touted the new Interstate 35, which was dedicated on a rainy October morning in 1959. An official caravan that grew from 13 autos to morethan 100 set out from Kansas City, Kan., stop ping at towns anddedicating plaques along the 55-mile route — at Merriam, Lenexa, Olathe and finally Ottawa, wherethe four-lane hi ghway ended abruptly ona hill outside town By 1962 a gaping hole had emergedat Truman Road and Walnut Street, ; ere an eart ; wh hmover was digging the 20 -foot deep cut for the C;rosstow n Freeway

“Big holeto be filled with traffic,’ ‘@ he adline announced in May 1963. The highway department called it a depressed hi ghway, but ne Wspaperme n dubbed it the concrete canyon, a 140-footwide swath from CaR me p bell to buildin takeall would that Pennsylvania streets 88 and bluffs in its path, It was part of the new Interstate Highw a y System, which some calle d | “the

Breatest construction project in t he history of man,”

By October 1963 families living in dingy apartme Mts atop Quality Hill were vacating to make room for th

e Quality Hill int erchan ge of1-35, In a third-floor walk-up at 719 W, 13th St. a reporter found Mary Bishop, the mother of four children, packing up. “I found a place today,vs ” she said ' though shi

© didn't know how | ong she

288

In late 1962, Interstate 70 was being completedat the 4-year-old BlueRidge Shopping Center. Oncefinished toSt. Louis, the newhighway cut hours and frustration offthe time it had taken to cross thestate on U.S. 40, which inter-

sects the interstate project diagonally in this photograph.

By July 1968 theentire form of the

freeway loop was obvious, awaiting on ly completion of the portion along the West bluffs and Truman Road.

would be able to afford it.

The rent was 500 a mx nth, when she had only

$100 a month to live on

reet to t St i m m u S om fr ks oc bl 12 e th ss ro ac t ep As the new highway sw on SuSun ndk ries gt in nn ton Pe ed Pe at er ed op rat d ha o wh o in rr Pa p li Baltimore Avenue, Phil store r he ot an g in en op ed er id ns co s, ar ye it G00 W. 13th St. for 10 g to be in go e ar le op pe e th l al if re he up ‘But | don’t know about staying mi yved oul,

By

he said

D eC’ amber

1965, : Interstate

as to Colby, (0 stretched clear across Kans were wailing for completic on of the

y t n u o C n o s n h o J in s er iv dr 8 ind by 196 ty Ci s a s n a K n w o t n w o d to nk final Interstate 35 li h t u o S e h t r n o fo i t i s i u q y c a a w f o ight r n a g e b e at st e h t , r a e y e m a That s cut d ul wo h ic wh , e) iv Dr s in tk Wa R. ace r B s ' y a d o t ( y a w e e r F Midtown e, ut ro e Th 71, S. U. th wi wn to wn lo dl k n i l to s d o o h r o b h g i e n e d i S t s a E through Kansas City

289

SS

E

THE

ye

fre

TOR:

OWN E RS

w h chn wwoum la d cbehaceaught Up ii n Contro Sii versyfor years, w as select ed over an as the Country Club Fr e eway which would havecut across the m all in front of the Nelson- At kins Mu

of t u O g n i v o M t O N s i m a e t Phis 6c ey nl Fi , O s e l r a h C ’ y t i C s a s n Ka t a h T . e c n a d n e t t a f o s s e l d r a g e said, “r t sa k e e w y l n o , 1 6 9 1 y r a u n a J in was y t i s C a s n a K e h t t h g u o b d a h e h r te d l o n r A f o e t a t s e e h t m o r f s c i t e Athl Johnson, For the next seven years Finley looked for someplace to move the team and complained continually n o i t n e m o t t o n e c — n a d n e t t a t u o ab Kansas Cityofficials, the widthof the seats at Municipal Stadium, the terms of his lease, the dimensions of Yankee Stadium and so on and so

seum of Art and then aligned with the old st reetcar right of w ay in Brookside. The ast Side ide rroouuttee wawz s shorter and less expensive , planners said, but crities charged that it was selected | ecause “theafflue nt people of the Country Club district didn't wan t all those gasoline fumes a nd noise.” If the figures were co rrec t, district engineer W.H. Dill sa id in 1968, the South Midtown Freew ay would displace about 10,000 pe ople, most of the: black.

PROTESTS AND FREEDOM SONGS

It was in summer 1963 that Rich ard Robinson decided he wanted to sit down and have a cup of co ffee at

the Peerless Cafe, 3115 Prospect Ave. Robinson, a black man who owned the ne arby Ivy League Barber Shop,

on,

He was 42 when he blewinto town, a selfimade millionaire insur ance man whose dream was to own a baseball team, Finley planned to move his family here once his son graduated from high school, he said. If he couldn’t make it financially

walked into the cafe with his bre ther Char les about 9 o'clock on a Thursday

morning. They were refused service. At noon the brothers returned with nine friends. When they were refused again, Robinson and his friends refused to leave. “It really makes you dislike the UnitedStates, especially when you've been inthe service,” Robinson told a reporter the next day. “You go in the

with the A’s, he would tum the team

service maybeto fight for someone like that. You come back. and he won't

‘back to the people of the city, he said, He was a font of ideas: fireworks

serve you.” “A lot of my customers have said, ‘If youlet them come inhere, we'll go someplace else,” the owner explained. “I'll lose all of my white customers.”

after A’s home runs; flashygold and

green uniforms; orange baseballs; and sheep grazing behindthe right

field wall. But Finley turned out to _ be aone-man wrecking crew for the

~ A’sinKansas City.

By August 1961, onlyfive months

into the A’s first season, he hadfired

his general manager and was survey-

_ ing the potential for baseball in Dal

las. As the years went by, he also

=

Arrested on a chargeofdisturbing the

made overtures to Louisville, Ky.,

r

course, Oakland, Calif, where even-

One of Finley’s manystunts was to buy a mule, Charlie O., and make it the team mascot. It was keptat Benjamin Stables.

Seattle, Milwaukee, Adanta and, of

tually he moved the team.

When negotiations with Kansas City for a new stadium lease broke

ley was into his seventh field manager and the team was finishing 10th for the third time. Twice it had finished ninth, once eighth and once

peace after he andsix others attempted

Many Kansas Citians were happy 0

see him go; one cracked that Oak-

___ The Ra ns as City Ti me beget c eoe

to integrate the Parkway Bowling Club on Prospect Avenue, Howard Nelsonis carried out by police. Nelson was chairmanof the Kansas City chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.

That morning the Peerless Cafe closed for good. That same month, at a nearby garage at 3024 Prospect Ave., Isaac Gardner was chatting on the sidewalk with four other black men while he waited for a repairman to finish work onhis car. It was about 4:15 that afternoon whena policeman pulled up in acruiser andaskedthe menfor identification. Gardner, a science and math teacher at Lincoln High School, showedthe officer his Missouri State Teachers Association card andthen voiced what a newspaper article described as “a mild protest” when theofficer began to search him. Gardner was arrested, taken to the Sheffield police station and booked ona loitering charge. It was that August that David Allen Carr and acollege friend, James Ear! Carter Jr., climbed into a car after a meeting ofthe local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality — CORE — and droveto segregated Fairyland Park

land hadall the luck of Hiroshima.

at 75th Street and Prospect Avenue.

chise for Kansas City,andin 1969the

arrested, dom songs and rode a few rides beforepolice arrived. They were carried to police wagons and put in jail for the night. the time, “this at said Kelley Claren ce Chief Police “For the record,” se preven ting Dea have could who patrol men 12 demonstration tied up this. throug h Roa m can CORE what see not while on patrol....I do

The league promised a newfran-_ hen

Morning KANSAS

cee

freesang they persons , white four includi ng others, by14 joined There,

and an1961 in NAACP the by one Certainly two earlier demonstrations, . rk pa e th t sa ng hi dt ge an ch t other in 1962, had no

By summer 1963, however, the civil rights movement was making great

BR it teste

Kansas City

291

strides. A week after the CC IRE Sce i h, e ‘ e p s ’ m a e r D A e v a H l I “ s i h d e er ‘

cil

‘

broadened

he

the

196

}

amuuseme nent par ks. Sf taverns,

ind a month

n u o C y t i C s a s n a K late r the

# nclude i o t ; e c n a ordin s n o i t a d » i n m ; o c ac

publi

1960

vli de . r J y i l e d t J g n i K r e h t u L n i t r a M r 4 >monstrauo

. g ng 1 min swum

;

|

commerc ial §2 lf courses, and Is, 5 pools,

} ) iS schoc mal business, technical and vocatic »d c e l l a c p u r o r g a m o , r f t n e m e t a t s a d i a s ion act in hip ors tat “This is dic

ich

med

1

t l€

the y o r s t s e d d il o W law

Free-

const union 1

;

Par Fai k ryl and y t r e p o r p r i e h t l o r t n o c d n a e g a n night of businessmen to ma wners assoOe “rn e

dom of Choice, which argued

S " Ta‘ n r e v : t) Ci s a s n a K e h t d g an petitioned: for a ressttrraaiinniinng order,

é D g n i r p s e h t n o e u s s i e h put edda drdrivivee that pu adde heea ciation spearh 0 0 0 , 5 to 0 0 0 4, ankk Martr in said that Fr k er cl f ie ch d r a o b . on ti s ec at C el a e e 4 th atA

nt of ce er e ( rc pe 80 at th d an — um nd re fe re re e th fe r fo d re te is eg dr ha rs te vo new e e S o them “were Negroes , yp| ocrisy” < “h ke li | s rd s d r wo : with On April 7 1964, after a campaign filled 000 , 9 8 n a h t e r o m of t | ou . re s 7 te 614 vo by passed re measu the ice,” “prejud ce,” ee sate | th prejudi ice cast. That May, when Fairyland Park opened for the season, “re allowed to enter

mco y all eci esp , ty Ci sas Kan in l wel g in go be to a relations seemed n ba ur e er wh s, ele Ang Los d an t roi Det , and vel Cle ., N.J pared with Newark, an d ha d ha ty Ci sas Kan s. 60 19 dmi the s in ne li ad he ng ki ma s wa e enc jol : “unusually peaceful breakdown ofracial segregation” nad World WarII, Davis told the city’s new human-relations director. Kansas City, the eyo! said, “is western enough to befairly flexibleinits attitude toward people. However, Brice R. Watkins, a founder of the political organization Freedom Inc. and oneof thecity’s first two black city councilmen, pointed to ongoing problems: “Unemployment inthe Negro areais three times greater than in any other part of thecity,” he said in May 1966. Someschools were

EDUCATION

¥ Kansas “ity’s population; 473,445

Foreign born: 3% Black: |

¥ Largest religious denomina.

tions: Baptist, Methodist, Catholic

Presbyt

V Adults

grees: ¢

u

over 25 with college de.

acial shifting in the mid 1960s caused the Kansas City School District to fracture.As white families mo ved

ciples of sanitation, a yocational course forjanitors. The physics teacher wound up at

schools, the share of mino rity

AS anxieties mounted, the school board hired a consult-

or placed childrenin priva te

Pupils in thedistrict balloone d

'

past 40 percent.

schools were packed: allwhite schools were underused. As a result, 1,200 black children in 1965 took part in the Group Transport Plan,

V Average life expectancy: 69 years

¥ Common professions: Sales,

teaching, construction, trucking, aviation worker, autoworker.

riding buses from their own

neighborhood schools to others, mostly white About 30 percent of the teachers were black, though they tended to be in all-black schools. Soon the district would replace a physics in-

¥ Prices: 59 cents for giant box of

Tide detergent; $2.25 for boy’s

dress shirt; $38 for Sunbeam Mixmaster; $1,998 for two-door Comet; median family incomeis

$6,137.

YV Popular TV shows: “Bonanza” (Saturday, WDAE Channel 4);“The Untouchables” (Thursday, KMBC,

In addition to demanding an end to racial an d sexual dis-

crimination and to thedraft, college youths demo nstrated for more freedom on campus. These freshmen women at

the University of Missouri-Kansas City in November 1969 staged briefsit-in at the school’s only dormitory to pr otest

When “people begin to feel nobody cares,” Watkins said, “they're going to

with someone teaching “prin-

amt, Robert Havighurst, to report on “Problems of Integration in the Kansas City Public

Schools,” His 1965 report not

¢d a slowdown in black births and predicted: ~The Negro enrollment ... may or may not reach 50 percent in the next 10 years, but it will hardly go beyond that figure, unless white families leave in large numbers: In fact, black enrollment reached 50 percent in just five years, and in 10yearsit exceeded 60 percent

WORK AE Ae

(Sunday, KCMO, Channel 5)

“inferior” and living conditions “horrible.”

structor at Paseo High School

curfew rules.

Channel 9);“The Ed Sullivan Show”

A DOWNTOWN CHRISTMAS |

inner-city

all-white Southwest High.

assengerjets redefined travPs especially for 10,000 local employees of Trans World Airlines. Their families were entitled tofree flights anywhere in the system, and on jets they could see the worldin half the time.

The son of a Kansas Citypilot flewto Madrid just for a haircut.

City’s hometown airline, however, were numbered. After

ends in London, Rome or Cairo. At local schools, teachers recognized“airline kids” by their accounts of summer vacations. The glory days of Kansas

seized the company from indus-

Others enjoyed three-day week-

NewYork financiers in 1960

trialist Howard Hughes — his erratic style plunging the airline into debt — TWA's power center shifted cast. In the mid-60s

hundreds

of administrative

workers were sent to New York: reservation jobs moved to

St. Louis. Often hampered by strikes, the local employment

by 1985 had shrunk to 7,000, most of whom worked at the overhaul base.

rise up and burn and destroy.”

The Call newspaper looked on thepositiveside, publishing in 1967 a special supplement that promoted “equal opportunity employers” such as Hall-

THE

BEATLES

"60S COOL

mark Cards Inc., Tension Envelope Co. and Continental Baking Co., which recently had signed an agreement to increaseits black work force.

Progress had been significant at places such as General Motors, The Call

said. In 1946 the Kansas City GM plant had employedonly 165 African-

Americans — or 0.036 percent of the work force. By 1967 the percentage of black workers had risen to 8 percent. And no longer were their jobs restricted to “porters, janitors, paint-booth cleaners an d strip- tank men.” “Today, in the 1960s,” The Call said, the doors a re wide Open to young Negroes who stay in school and leama tradeorskill.” The Bendix Corp. reported that it was rec ruiting blac k college graduates to work in its Kansas City plant at startin 8 salar ies of up to $700 a month. But there was a big problem

Downtown merchants had ae greenery andother decorations years at Christmastime; the effec

became gaudier as suburban shop” i for competed forcusdistricts ing

ars began the decade

tomers. This was the scene in the

sporting fins, but by 1968

designers were providing a slecker look. Oldsmobile called this Delta 88 one of its

Once the black graduates came to Kansas City to work , they struggled to

find a suitable placeto live. One young engineer complained to his supervi-

ser that his neighborhood an d apartment at Flora Avenue and 30th Street were so substandard he

tw

was afraid for his wife's sa fety.

:

1960s: Winds of Change

nFi , 64 19 , 17 . pt Se n o0 0; t0 , m e h t Citians. But he intrigued bringing the Beatles to town. The

Dy remember ay gave ‘thousands of babyvpoomers a nightto playa hem sawt 00 20,0 t Abou . h c a b e i h c u M l e t o H e h t Fab Four gave a press conference, aT which Finleypaid the Beatles $150,000. 31-minute concert at Municipal

'

hiles”

ee Oe Seo RE T

d e n r u t t s i n m u l o c r a t ty ‘ansas Ci or, t n e m s hi d n a f f u G c M e o Editor J

in y e k e r e w , l h e M e i n r E r o t i d E Sports

isiu q c a s ’ y t i ec h t r o f t r o p p u s g n buildi ndin a s e s i h c n a r f e u g a e l r o j a m tions of n a m u r T e h t t c u r t s n o c o t n g i a the camp is th f o s t p r e c x E x e l p m Sports Co ter f d a e r a e p p a h c i h w , n m u l o c f f u G Mc ide s n i d e r e f f o le rt Ba e o R H. f o h t a e the d ed o o w r o y a m e h t w o h n n o o i t a m r info o t t n u H r a m a L r e n w o s n a x Dallas Te ty move the football team to Kansas Ci an e d a m d an nt Hu ed ll ca le rt Ba *_

appointment to meet tu ith bim in Dallas. The meeting went well and Bartle invited Hunt to Kansas City, but Hunt

declined, saying be was afraid some-

one would learn the purpose of bis trip and be was not ready to fulty cut bis football ties in Dal-

las. Bartle swept this objec-

tion aside by outlining a plan that would assure

Hunt completesecrecy. “Hunt purchased

a coach class ticket to Kansas City under an assumed name....He checked in (at the Hotel Muehlebach) under an assumed name and made one phone call. “A short timelater beleft through the 12th Street exit.A blue limousine pulled up. In the back seat was a big man(Bartle) smoking acigar...At this point only Bartle and bis chaufeur, Carroll Dean Lassiter, were aware of Hunt's presence in Kansas City. “Bartle and Hunt toured Municipal Stadium.When Bartle felt compelled to

introduce Hunt to anyone be reverted

to what be called an old southern custom and referred to (Hunt) as Mr Lamar... “All mail that was sent to Hunt was taken from City Hall and mailedelsewhere...” “Hunt made additional trips to

Kansas City and was accompanied by bis general manager, Jack Steadman.

Bartle continued to introduce Hunt as

Mr Lamar, He introduced Steadman as Jack X, who be said was in the city doing investigative work. ; “Bartle’s introduction of Steadman

was so convincing...word spread that

be was with the FBI or the Internal Revenue Service, Bartle relished the deception.”

— The Kansas City Star, May 12,1974

l l a b t o o f 4 e r e w ns es Dallas Texa n i y a l p o t e c a l p team looking for a dia t S l a p i c i n u M s ’ y t i 1963, and Kansas C ume t h g i r e h t t a e l b a um was avail ber of m e m r e t r a h c 4 s a The franchise w ball t o o F n a c i r e m A the eight-team d n a r a r e a y h t r u o f s t League, in only i nal o i t a N o t 1 n i s u o c r o ranked as a po e u g a e l e h t e k i L . s m a e Football League t

f o d l i h c n i a r b e h t e r itself, the Texans we d n a e n u t r o f l oi n a o t Lamar Hunt, heir

t s i d o h t e M n r e h t u o S at r e former play

University ampich e th n wo am te e th In Dallas yet it , 62 19 in ue ag le w ne e th of onship L had NF e Th y. nc mo ng gi ha was hemorr

wCo e th , as ll Da in or it et mp placed a co gh ou en g bi ’t sn wa wn to e th d an boys, g in st te , nd ou ar ed ok lo nt Hu for both. So a nt la At d an s an le Or w Ne in rs the wate ter la e (H ty Ci as ns Ka on ng li tt se re fo be s y’ it ec th y b d se es pr im en be d ha he said support of sports in the late 1950s, to rs he ot br s hi th wi re he ew fl e h when watch the New York Yankees play the Athletics). Mayor H. Roe Bartle led a civiceffort in which Hunt was promised that 25,000 seasontickets would besold by May22, 1963. Bydeadlinethetotal was barelyhalf that; Hunt moved the team anyway. Hunt was talked out of keeping the nickname, which would have madethe team the Kansas City Texans. He then discarded suggestions such as Mules, Royals, Stars and Steers and landed on

Chiefs, calling the nameclassy andlocal-

ly important because Indians had once

As thei wal

Seas

to!

a 1 \

‘Oy

AMERIC.

BUY Go

SEASON 1 ac Viti”

Lamar Hunt had to holdapress conference to denythat the Chiefs were leaving town.

ll

We Le Cid} | The five

pee

ten M plac the (

Chiefs began the 1965 se ason rd in Kansas City anybody wh oO ) sce a game coul d buy a tic ket

ket sales had fallen from 15 000 han 10,000 for 1965 1er of the New York Jets, S onny

pushed the American Football move its franchises in Ka nsas denver to bigger markets m and the town went to work Chiefs won seven games, lo st ied two, Winning began to dra w

) Municipal Stadium. Averageat

climbed back over 21,000,

hile, several players werereie front office was shaken up and iter Kansas City Sports Commis-

sion s formed to help push ticket sales for 1966. The Chiefs took the name applied popularly to the howling fans in the north stands — the Wolfpack — andof-

& RNS

a season ticket

Full house: 43,885 jammed Municipal Stadium on Oct. 2, 1966 - the Chiefs’first

fered membership to anyone who bought It worked

lived in the Kansas City area. The name also honored Bartle, who was called

“Chief” because of his work with a Boy Scout organization, the Tribe of Mic-OSay.

Happy as Kansas City was to get another professional sports franchise, ticket sales lagged. In their first year, the Chiefs had a losing record and finished third in the AFL West and averaged 21,500 attendance. Although their record improved slightly in 1964, aver-

age attendanceslid to about 18,000 a

game.

Almost 22,000 season tickets were sold, average attendance for theseven home games was about 37,000 and there were two sellout crowds. It didn’t hurt that the 1966 team won 11 games, the

AFL championship and appeared in thefirst Super Bowl in January 1967. The Chiefs’ early glory

years were under way. By the 1969 season, when the Chiefs were mak-

ing their way toward Super Bowl IV, sellouts of 51,000 a game were

routine andthe Chiefs had becomethehottest ticket in town. 4 The Jets’ Werblin, meanwhile, had long since withdrawn his idea.

=

, “Qieg

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a

F

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at

F

7

; en

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sellout — to see themplay the BuffaloBills. The Chiefs lost 29-14.

‘

;

A f i

Among the team's early players was former University of Kansas star Curtis McClinton.

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1g time historian Sherry Lamb Sci herry Lamb

ver wrote,

the black press

t ta es y l a l e g r n i s ty a reluc e Ci r c s n a e i s s r “ n t e n w e e g t t Ka a a t s e ity real t tr, i n “respectable” neighborhoods to }black people in “respectable” people in And.

of

snes

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:

Big

s e a s C e e — e o 9 1 s t in il , s bu l l n r i u H o e m r A s h s a e n c o u e i s s i v i d inc a Sg. b i 1 a e r a n o d a t e z n e i e u n q o s s i a t w a l u p o k p i b , ty ee ny wes = ci 27th Street and east of Troost Avenue.

woe eT tc AL A decade of issues

th:

2

icy

5

e a a s i b y db e t n a w sometimes laos Be t a e S r a e e 6 1 t n e d i s e r p r o f g n i n g i a p m a C . t n e m n r e v o g n est i t s n a n c a e p ; a St n o i n U o t n i s r e t r o p p u s d e k r e t f Nixon pac a r a e e h y T . e v o b a n, io at St yn i ated, Robert Kennedy wz assassin his brother, f John F Kennedy, ly, Was ee U.S by ed ani omp acc 4, 196 visited the city on June 16,

N OT A-2 es e n y a W s a w d e t i s i v y d e n n e K s e ac l p e h t g n o m A . g n i l l o B e t o e n d l u o w e h t a h gt n i c n u o n n a r e t f a n o o S . t f e wl o l e b , t r u o C Miner rd Bi y d a L , e f i w s i h d n a n o ohns J . B n o d n y L , t n e d i s e r p r o run again f vTr s s e B d n na a m u r T S. y r r a t H n e d i Johnson, visited former Pres i i Independence. in e hom heir man att

As late as 1946 and 1947

s t a ot w li t r El t e b n l e A d i s e e r d i t S s a ,” E et re h St t blacks could not cross 27 m a h t o G x o n F i n v o e i K t y a b t r e s l s a i r d o t quoted as recalling in a recent doc d l u o c u o y t u b e, er s th e r o t s e h t t i s “You could walk downProspect and vi not go down sidestreets ?

u p o p k c a l b e h t ( ty s Ci a s n a K eto l p o e p k c a l b e r o t m h g u o r b k r o w r a w s A e v i l eto c a l p g a n i d n , i ) f 3 4 9 1 d i m o t 0 4 9 1 m o r t f n e c r e p 5 d 2 e s a e r lation inc x e s a w m e l b o r p s i h T . e t o r w er m r i h c S , m e h t r o e f l b i s s o p m i t becamealmos e r n a b r u d n n a o i t c u r t s n o c y a ew e r nf e h w s 0 6 9 1 d n a s 0 5 9 1 e h acerbated in t e l p o e p g n i c a l p s i d , s d o o rh o b h g i e n k c a l b o t n i t u c l a w ne

Where were they to go? u s u h c i h w , d l u o c y e h t he »re w d e v o m s e m o h r e t t e b Black families seeking d e l h c i h w , s d o o h r o b h g i e n e n g whit i r e d r o b o t n i o w t r o ally meant a block

t h g i l f e t i h w d n a to racial tensions —

w o h s l l e t m a h t o G » y t Ci d e t a g e r g e S e h t g n i t c tru s n o C “ , n o i t a t r e s s i d s n i i g n In h i s u o h d e t a g e r g se d e g a r u o c n e n o u a r t s i min i c A g n i s u o H l a w o l g s t n i i l e n the Feder n a h c d n e a l »5 to black peop

e g a g t r m g n i y n ght u o b o h w e l p o e Kansas City by de p e hit W O t s t n e m y a p n reduced dow

d n a s n a o l t s e r e t n i s b r u b u s e h t 000 n , 6 2 n a h t e r o m new homes i d nsure i A H F e h t , d i a s am h t o G , 9 4 9 1 o t 4 3 m a f k c a l From 19 b r o f e wer h c i h w f o t n e c r e 1 p y l n o , a e r a y t i C s a tor s e m o h f o s d n a s homes in the Kans u o th f o s n e t d e t c u r t s n o s c r e d l i u b e t a le v p i o r e p p e k c l a i l h b W r . o s f e es ili m o h w e n 5 1 n a h t f fewer t l i u b y e h t , i s r e e t m A i n n a a b c r i u r f b A u d n a ) 8 4 9 1 whit e s n i ( d e w a l t s We re ou t n a n e v o c g n i k ictive e r e t s s e e s r o h s t a , s 0 n 0 e Ev e 1950s and 19

h t 1 1 s n i a g l a i c o s d n a l a c i t i l o p cans made

Kansas City

297

ansas City’s worst rioting came In April 1968 in the wake of the assasst

n ,i ft le top . Jr ng Ki er th Lu in rt Ma of on nati ok to s he rc ma ul ef ac Pe . nn Te s, hi mp Me

The Kansas City Times

RIOTING IN CITY TAKES FIVELIVES

e er wh t, lef , n. Ka , ty Ci as ns Ka in e ac pl fu schools werelet out the day of King’s

ct, tri Dis ol ho Sc ty Ci as ns Ka e neral. Th

ou tr d an n, io ss se in s ol ho sc pt however, ke

n ga be ts en ud st ol ho sc gh Hi . ed ow ll ble fo de Si st Ea e th on 9 l a protest march Apri s, vi Da s Tlu r yo Ma s; er that picked upfollow ul ef ac pe 4 to s er tt ma g in br to d ie tr t, righ Road an um Tr , rk Pa de ra Pa t a conclusion and , ed en st li rs he rc ma e Th and the Paseo.

to 70 te ta rs te In on st we then headed

es ch ee sp r te Af . ll Ha ty Ci d n a wn downto ed Br ce li po d an wn ro th there, a bottle was v ew gr ce en ol vi om nd Ra tear gas, above. ok lo to in d de en sc de d an on re wo y da the city » njohtfall.Afo : Sry , r ing, rioting and burning by nigh

a an , ce en ol vi e th lt ha to curfewfailed

five nights the inner city was 4 wat ea

ed gro ot lo ea id ts ou t sa er st gi re sh ca A ing of rn mo e th e, Av ct pe os Pr 00 21 at cery April 10, 1968.

Kansas City

298

1960s: Winds of Change

299

bree SiN G

gained except the moving of a ghet-

In the turmoil after (©

tion of Martin Luthe:

Pieces priests and rabbis joined in calling for fair housing, and by

whenconfrontations ! marchers and Kansa.

Bruce R.Watkins was before the City

looting, burning and or Ilus Davis saw an That was passage by the Civil Rights Act of contained strong fair-!

by d te ia it in e nc na di or an 1966

Council. After a year of debate,

Kansas City’s fair housing ordinance

ly Ju in y sl ou im an un ed ov pr ap s wa

1967.It banned real estate agents or

lenders from discriminating by race, creed or national origin. Opponents protested that the measure denied individual rights and gathered enough signatures to force the measure to a referendum. The election was scheduled forApril 30, 1968. Despite endorsements of the ordinance by business,labor and

religious associations, backers feared

defeat. Only four years earlier, foes of the public accommodations ordinance had come within 1,600 votes ofdefeating it. Fate steppedin, though, and the ordinance made it onto the books.

new homes were funneled into formerly white neighborhoods in southeast Kansas City, generally east of Troost Avenue and north of Gregory Boule-

vard. From 1950 to 1970, 92,425 white persons moved outofthis area and

61,933 black persons moved in. “White families that might havetolerated or even welcomed integrated neighborhoods neverhad that choice,” Charles Hammer, then a reporter for The Kansas City Star, wrote in 1971. Faced with declining property values

and a perception that minority neighborhoods had highercrime rates, panic selling set in as white family after white family movedrath er than face the

prospect ofliving as the only whites in an all-black neighborhood.

The dramatic story of Kansas City’s rapidly changing neighborhoods is

had spiraled into sey:

ssassina-

ig Jn os

» black »olice

Ats of

May‘nity, °s of hich » lan-

guage. In early April, days aft:

‘istur-

own ordinance — and erendum on it — and re. a new ordinance using

re ref‘ with deral

bances, Davis moved tc

city’s

language. What’s more,!' _ tained an emergency clause pois:

recent disturbances anc not subject to referendum

=to the

aking it

Council member G. Lawrence

“CITY WITHIN A CITY’

Blankinship summed up the coun-

cil’s aim, saying: “With the turn of

events and thesituation now, the climate is no good to hold an elec”

tion:

Despite the turbulent times, Kansas City by decade’s end was in the midst

of a building boom. Many newbuildings went into areas cleared by urban

renewal. The Federal Office Building opened at 601 E. 12th St. in 1965, and the Missouri State Office Building at 615 E. 13th St. in 1968. A blocklong Greyhound Bus Terminal went up between Holmes and Charlotte streets, and the skyscraping TenMain Center went upat the northwest corner of 10th Street and Main. At 1307 Holmes St., a rehabilitated St. Mary’s Episcopal Church was saved from the wrecking ball, and at the former University of Kansas City (which

becamepart of the University of Missouri system in 1963) the new Miller Nichols Library held promise for the future.

InterCity Kansas renamed 1967 (in airport l internationa new So did the construcunder still was which l), Internationa t Mid-Continen from national comsports new a was way under Also tion as the decade drew to a close.

none. to second be to promised which plex,

that ae urban unique “a was Adding to hopes for the future

= of outcropping limestone the atop building was Hallmark Cards StaUnion at arrivals greeted had llboards Hill, where for years a forest ofbi

e us dxe mi s hi ed il ve un ll Ha J. ld na Do t en id es On Jan. 4, 1967, Hallmark Pr

tion.

s wa is Th . ts ni tu en tm ar ap d an el hot a s, ice off d an s op sh odern Kipp de-

rt be Ro r ge na Ma y it -C then at wh , ng ni an pl n ba ur peed , work, shop and

ve li ld cou le op pe e er wh .” ci a in th wi y cit “a cebed as

, cle Cir KC l, Hil rk ma ll Ha , wn To l Hal : ed er id ns co re we s me na ny Ma . lay & Pp

Circle, Crowndale and Gateway.

e a e o 2 ter Cen n ow Cr s wa , rse oe selected, of couthe next decade. ~ would lead Kansas City into

Union t ie vi So e th r, te la s k e e w o island. Tw U.S. e th r te af es il ss mi e h t s withdraw

dto rean a b u C e d a v n i to r e v e n ws vo

move U.S. missiles from Turkey.

m o c c a ic bl pu ld -o ar ye 2s ’ y t i ¥ KansasC e modations ordinance is upheld by th Missouri Supreme Court.

ing public accommod

that requires taverns swimming pools an

's ordinance

sement parks public places

to admit minoritic

¥ Invited to Kans

S Owner

Finley, the Beatles

hour con-

cert Sept. 17 at Mu

dium.

¥ John E Kennedy, above, narrowlydefeats Richard Nixon for president.

¥ Kansas City Council prohibits racial discrimination byhotels, motels and

restaurants, but foes promptlytie the

council membersare elected — Bruce Watkins and Earl D.Thomas.

Y Martin Luther KingJr. leads 200,000 people in a March on Washingtonfor equalityin schools, in hiring and in pub-

lion bond is the Northl:

tional Airpo ¥ Researcl

and Virgini:

HumanSex

1963 Y lus W. Davis replaces H. Roe Bartle as mayorof Kansas City. Thefirst black city

¥v Kansas ¢

¥ After years of mil

tion aimedat prote

from North Vietn ar

dup andach Vietnam h 180,000. In

autumn 50,000 war

ers march on

Washington.

911 Main St.The building

WY The Nati

, is Opened at

— fourth-tallest

Duild a new air field in “ontinent Inter na-

‘um Howell Masters

in Johnson publish 20nse, which becomes

ganization for Women

is founded

munists, U.S.

forces in Southeast 4

Vv Commerce Tower, !

a best seller

FS approve a $15 0 mil.

967 W The Kans

y Chiefs, who finished

the 1966 reg

eason with 11 victo-

ries, win the

mpionship of the Ameri-

¥ Arnold Johnson, owner ofthe Kansas

lic accommodations. “I have a dream,’ he tells the multitude on Aug. 28,“that one

CityAthletics, dies of a stroke, and the

daythis nation will rise up and live out

team is bought by Chicago insurance

the true meaningofits creed...‘All men

ty bank and City Hall — features a set of ethnic Top of the Towerrestaurants: Pad-

man Charles O.Finley.

are created equal.”

dy’s Pub,the Salzburg Haus, Giuseppe’s

Y The Chiefs professional football team

Roof, the Genghis Khan Room and the

¥ Athletics ownerFinley finally wins

playsits first season in Kansas City, hav-

Tour d’Argent.

American League permission to move his

Y The Liberty Memorialis rededicated.

symbolizes the lack of U.S. successin

ing been moved by owner Lamar Hunt

Y Giant new KansasCity Federal Office

baseball team — whichfinishedlastin

Y Emery, Bird, Thayer department store, a

Vietnam.

Former Presidents Harry S.Truman and

Kansas City institution for more than a

from Dallas.

Building opensat 601 E. 12th.

the 10-team league — to anothercity. As

century, closes.

Dwight D. Eisenhowerspeak. ¥ The Soviet Union putsthefirst human being in space on April 12; Yuri Gagarin

V Kingis shot to death April 4 in Mem-

Y ZIP codesare instituted nationwide in

the A’s head for Oakland, Kansas City offi-

phis,Tenn. by a white drifter, James Earl

an attempt to improvepostal service.

cials win a newfranchiseto begin playin

Ray. Violence erupts in cities around the

1969.

country, including Kansas City, where sev-

Y Evangelist Billy Graham leads a cru-

eral nights of looting and burning scar

sade in Kansas City.

the urban core.

measure up in court.

1961

orbits the Earth once. The United States follows May5 with Alan Shepard’s subor-

bital flight from Cape Canaveral, Fla, over the Atlantic Ocean. Concerned about

THE KANSASCITY ABS

PRESIDENTi SLAIN FROM AMBUS Rushed Jo Paricland Hospital in Dallas, He IsGiven a Blood Ti and Priests Are Called to His SideDeasth Occurs in Lene Than an Hour

behind Kansas City Power & Light, Fideli-

can Football League Jan. 1.That puts

them in the first Super Bowl, Jan. 15 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,

where theylose to the Green Bay Packers, 35-10.

Y Kansas City’s new airport, still under construction, is renamed Kansas CityIn-

trailing the Soviets in the “space race however, President Kennedy promises

ternational.

the United States will put a man on the moon by decade's end.

rael andits Arab neighbors boils overinto

¥ Cuban exile troops are repulsed at the Bay of Pigs.

1962 ¥ John Glenn orbits the Earth three times.

¥ Discovering in mid-October that the Soviet Union is installing nuclear missiles

in Cuba, the United States blockades the

as herides in a Dallas motorcade.

1964 ¥ Lyndon B. Johnson, who succeeded to the presidency after the Kennedy assass ination, is elected president in a land slide over Barry Goldwater.

V Kansas City voters approve a sweep-

Y Using emergency powers in the wake

of the April disturbances, the City Council enacts a fair-housing ordinance.

the Six-Day War.

the for ing campaign Kennedy, E Robert Y Democratic nomination for the presidency, is shot to death June 5 in Los Angeles

children” gatherto celebrate the Summer

is a Palesassassin His primary. California

Y In the Middle East, tension betweenIs-

Y Kennedyis assassinated Nov. 22, 1963,

Ewing Kauffman, who brought major-league baseball ba ck to Kansas City, responds to fans’ cheers before the Royals’ first gameat Municipa l Stadium.

¥ In San Francisco thousands of “flower

of Love. Nationwide the anti-materialism

iant e th d an ” te ua ad Gr he “T by d ye la disp authoritarianism shown in “Bonnie and Clyde” draw young moviegoers in droves.

1968 Y CommunistTet offensive in January

the in victory g declarin after moments Israel. tinian foe of U.S. aid to

Hubert defeats Nixon M. YW Richard

the in Wallace George Humphreyand States. United the of t presiden race for KauffEwing magnate YW Pharmaceutical

s a s n a K w e n e h t f o r man becomes owne . e s i h c n a r f l l a b e s a b ue g a e L n a c i r e m A y t i C

aft 1969

Y In theyear, Kansas City leads the countryin construction days lost to strikes.

¥ The Kansas City Royals begin play in

the American League on April 8, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-3 in 12 innings.

Attendance at Municipal Stadium is 17,688.

¥ As the world watches ontelevision, the Apollo 11 landing craft touches down

on the moon. On July 20, Neil Armstrong r na lu e th on ot fo t se to n ma hu st fir e th is surface.

Kansas City

303

:

ee ee

tis eran leet

‘a 4 ;A

satelite icaiemerieea

PETES / KANSAS \ crry¥!

Syndicate, Inc. e ur at Fe ed it Un of on si is rm pe by ed nt ri PEANUTSrep

BURSTING WITH PRIDE, BATTERED BY DISASTER n summer1976, when the ever-grinning smiley face was a national

icon, the Kansas City Council endorseda resolution in keeping with the times

“Beit resolved,” the document read, that Kansas City “hereby extend a hearty welcome” to Snoopy, the superstar beagle of the “Peanuts” comic strip, who hadinadvertently steppedoffa train at Kansas City and gone looking for a greeting card to send to Charlie Brown

Light as the City Council's resolution seemed, the attitude behindit was ‘

Preceding page: Ger-

dead serious.

Snoopy’s visit was P}

great PR, a

8

ald Ford, flanked by running mate Bob Dole on the oneside

unique acknowledgment, the resolution said, “of the emerging stature and imageofKansas Cityas a great placefor tourists and conventioneers.”

Ford on the other, accepted the cheers of

chortled in newspaper comicstrips from coast to coast that summer.

and daughter Susan Ford and wife Betty

the Republican National Convention delegates in Kemper

Arena on Aug. 19, 1976.

“Kansas City!) Wow! Wh: Place!” S ; ansas City! Wow! nat a Place!” Snoopy

Kansas City boosters lovedit, and, after all.

wasn't it true?

The newinternational airport finally was open after long labor delays, and the baseball Royals

mo om ve

andthefootball Chiefs were playing on spotless artificial turf at the new Truman Sports Complex. n a d e m r o f s n a r t d a h r e t n e C n n, Hallmark’s Crow

a to in e, or es ey n a b r u n a , ll Hi d enter transformed Signboar ur To s. ce fi of d an ts en tm ar ap l, te ho 0-room 53 4 s, op s' of ey sburb” “downtownmsu

Not far from downtow

ugly, sign-covered hillside into an architec tural showcase, and in the West

e h t t u o d e t n i o p s e guid

Bottoms the 2-year-old R. Crosby Kemper Memori al Arena was ready for

the 1976 Republican National Convention, a plum that had landedin

KansasCity’s lap. Civic movers and shakers had been so exci ted about Kansas City that in 1972 they started Prime Time, a publicity campaign. Prime Ti me’s steering

committee rounded up photographs and slogans and took them to the Pi nnacle Club in the 45-story Socony Mobil skyscraper in New York City.

306

1970s: The WorldwasWatching

ST

May 1973.

pee

~

1970s.

7 9 1 e h t n i e l b a p a c s ine n a g o l s s i h 2 t e d a m e of:t: PrPriime Tim Left i

One of the few Ne ae

1976

ee

fel

“ans

»7

OO and the touris

t buck

i

:

WwW AS € viden

n

the (

uNntry ( Chr 1

-laz Pale where the Alameda Plaza Opened in 972 ee Th:e ae 16 with é 1 trendy rere sta : urant called Houlihan's Old o Place Lote

A nee

illiam § Worlrleey writes. was ta king one more

As the P| 4Za's first ot is cee first- class hotel, the Alameda aimed for visitors and v aJ Came

shopPppiing cente

to Kansas City eager to shop an d to dine.

And ;as th; e

ng center's focus changed S O, too, did the stores, parti Providing basic services cularly those In 19

74 Wally Westphal’s Plaza Hair Cut Shop Which had beenin b usiness three decades near 48t h and Jefferson streets, moved out. In 1 978 th 2 Pp € Plaza Se— ars closed its last Operations, including its au toto re repa pair ir

station

shop.yes The same year, the U S post office shut down its Plaza

TheCityy CxCouncil wa‘ s goin af g terthetourist dollar, too. One Thursday af

ternoon in Juneaa1L19OY76 . , Les Wood of the Conventic yn andVisito rs Bureau of

Greater KaKans nsas : City ro r detheelevator to the 26thfloorof City Hall and pre-

da2 n honora¢ ry me>mbership card and pin to Mayor Ch' arles Wh eeler and each member of the City Council With the Republican convention only weeks away, Wood heldthe pins

sented

up as representative of Kansas City’s hospitality and friendship and its place as “truly the Heart of America.”

Near 18th and Vinestreets, The Call was voicing much the samesenti-

ment. “Without a doubt,” the newspaper wrote, “Kansas Cityis destined to become oneof the regional capitals of the country...a model of the‘liveable

city.’ Blacks and whites...can be proudof our city because cowtown USA has comeofage.” Bethat asit may, the “liveable city” did not look so inviting at 22nd Street

and Brooklyn Avenue, where weeds were growing in the outfield of the te Institu h Researc t Midwes the by study A . Stadium pal Munici ned abando

c @ as a 2 eC s > We are here> to report that KansasCity is in the midst of an unprecedentw ne a ard tow — y abl vit ine and — y idl rap ing mov is and on zati tali ed revi “We sare

national role,” Hallmark President Donald J. Hall told a cross section of the

national press that day.

ee

:

t aren t figures and pointed to “growth basedon quality of estmen He- quoted inv )

living” to describe a KansasCitythat he said was destined to become America’s inland capital. The campaign came up with a slogan: “One of the few liveable cities left.”

infor used site the and shed demoli be m stadiu the that had recommended Stadiy»whead Arrc at lights the under played Chiefs the as — dustry. In 1976 neighty inner-ci its on blight a and ized vandal now um — the old stadium, sight. in s wa ry st du in no t Ye . wn do rn to s wa borhood, e th of te fa e th t ou ab d ne er nc co s wa A group called Impact Development

innercity. Its members, just as Wood had done, rode theelevator to the eles

“Drive to your gate” was the credo of Kansas City International Airport's de-

26th floorofCity Hall and stoodbefore the City Council on a summer after-

signers. It was close to being true, par-

s thi , ion mat cla pro a d ere off they e, don d ha d Woo as t jus And . 1976 n nooni

ticularly before the advent of metal detectors and other security

) a y, Da n o i t e a n et i -D m r lf Se t e D s f s l e e n S e areness w A ar y t Aw i y n it u m m o C as 6 é 2 e n u J g one declarii n im to ” es lv se em th it mm co re o “t urged e r e w s n a i t i C s a s n a K day when all . y t i r c e n n ei h t y f o t i l i b a c t i s m o n o c de n a e f i l f o y t i l a u q e h proving t a e t l i u t u p d l u o w us ns ce l ra de fe g n mi o c p u e h t , h g u o n e t n If that was not hi n i 7 8 0 , 7 0 5 m o r f — e n i l c e d n i s a n w o i t a l u p o p s ’ y t i C s a s . more bluntly: Kan r a e y a 0 0 0 , t 6 s o m l a r , o s n o s r e 8 p 2 9 , 8 5 f o! s s o l a , 0 8 9 1 n o i 1970 to 448,159in t a l u p o p a e r a n a t i l o p o etr M . r e p s o r p o t d e u n i t n o c s b bur u s e h t , e l i h w n Mea 0. 8 3 , 9 4 4 , 1 o t t n e c no i t a n r ei th r rose 9 per o f a n e r A r e p m Ke n o d e d d n n e e c s s e d s n n a a c c lii m , 1976, when Repub e h t d n u o f s e t a g e l ffar that de o s d e l w a r p s d a h y t i C s a s n . a K , n o i t en conve al e

measures.

In May 1973, , eight mare after theair-

port opened, nobody had problems pein crowds:

For the moment, 1970s Kansas City sounded a lot like the boom town of a

centuryearlier, when civic leaders landed the Hannibal Bridge and hawked

KansasCityas the gate city of the West. If the Kansas City of old was the destination of westbound pioneers and

Eastern capitalists eager to make a buck, then the Kansas City of 1976 was not so muchdifferent. But this time promoters wentafter Peavedtionea

0 308

1970s: The World was Watching

$e

Kemper Arena oh

Kansas City

309

:

oo

i m s les l e t o h ; n i d e k o o b | s " e v sel

¢

a k s a r b e N d n u o f s r s r a e e t r t o p a e e R B s b r u b u s e y yut in the

c n a s g n i r p S e u l B in s e t a g e l de a an di In w, ie dv delegates in Gran rd a— v s e l u o w a B o b n i a R n del “s+ gates at the Colonial Inn o s a s n a K n i f l a and h ISSC half in s split g le is I de legatic yn Wa The Illino

omplain ~d that

he had

ate ¢ g e g e l : del e ~ at rn te al e n O it. t u and grumbling abo nn I y a d i l o H e h t t a m o o r < I a 1n g n i t t i g s n i n r o m y a d wasted much of his Sun za a l P n o t l i H e h t o t n erie celesation tioe a t r o p s n a r t r o f ng iu wa , n. Ka , > s in Kansas City Ga } rden the e e r r e h w ., Mo , ty Ci s a s n a K in Inn on Main Street a &

Was

ns g ki as , r e m m su at th te te ga le ga de le to te ga le de om fr nt we s er rt po Newspaper re for their impressions of the “liveable city “1S r, me ei sh ie yr ie Gr R n > o R te le ga le de is no li Il id sa ,” ty Ci as ns Ka of on ti ua al ev My .” es ti li ci fa or po e h t c po e . th r fo up s that the outstandingattitude of the people make MATTERS OF PRIDE

of r ke ic fl a s, an ic bl pu Re ng ti si vi r o f s wa ty Ci s a s n a K h g u o h t le ab Hospit the tumultuous 1960sstill cast a shadow Surely, President Gerald Ford recognized it as his limousine pulled into

a od sto eet str the oss Acr . ers art dqu hea ter Cen wn Cro his at the driveway

l ona ati ern Int th You the in p shi ber mem ng imi cla — s pie Yip d dre few hun Party — shouting obscenities and demandingthelegalization of marijuana andan end to “fascist government.’ Kansas City police were prepared for worse. Worried that a 1968-style demonstration would disrupt the convention, they rented, leased or borrowed 2,000 disposable handcuffs, 1,000 tear-gas masks, 250 tear-gas grenades, 100 canister gas grenades, 15 quarts of liquid tear gas and two school buses to transport prisoners. There was no violence of which to speak. In fact, a Kansas City Star re-

porter declared that thelast vestiges of the protest movements of the 1960s had died in Penn Valley Park. Where 5,000 protesters were expected to camp, only 200 showed up Among them was atiny group that drew curious looks andsnickers from

thepress, which dismissed them as wearers of“rouge, halter tops and biki-

ni panties.” They numbered about 40 persons — and paved the way for

Kansas City’s just-emerging gay rights movement. As Ford’s challenger, Ronald Reagan of California, settled in at the Alameda Plaza Hotel, the 40 gayactivists marched from Penn Valley Park to Kemper Arena, They earned signs, chanted andpassed out leaflets.

:

It was in 1969 that New York City police, as they often had, raided a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Forthe first time, patron s at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street fought back, sparking a mo vement that soon spread to middle America. By 1973 young people at the University of Missouri-Kansas City weore seeking recognition of a student orga nization calle d the GayPeoples Union, thoughit was to no avail. Chance llor Jam es C. Olson cc mcurred

with a decision to deny the reques s t, tating that it was his layman's und er standing that homosexuality was “abnormal and an il lness.”

By 1977, whensinger Anita Bryant app eared in Kans as City in connec tion with the Christian Booksellers Associat ion Conve ntion, 400 gay peopl e

310

1970s: The World was Watching

aA),

;

f e y t i ic bl pu ’s ty Ci as ns Ka of h tc ca e Priz fort, the Republican National Conve? tion met in Kemper Arena in August

1976. President Gerald Ford, top,

im o n ? 00 e th r fo fought off Ronald Reagan

th wi t gh ri , rd Fo y tt Be nation. First lady singer Tony Orlando, campaigned actively.

wE

A

DESERVED BREAK

ood got faster out t a e o t n o

of | The number

! p u r d a u q s e s i ch

or h p e h t 9 7 9 By 1

ura a t s e r s ' e e d r a H

Kir r e g r u B w e f a

existed a dozen

Hometown fa

u stead’s — feat e malts — thriv i H e r e h w , t e e str ly been servin ! 3 9 1 e h t e c n i s emerged from

t a n s y b t c u d a vi

e n i z a g a m e r i u q new ownership 0 0 0 , 3 d e v r e s d n e ian its septuagenar

———— Protested oy, its ide h Munic ipal Audit mum, denc uNCed Bry a {

\mericans ben in the 1970s, cDonald’s franlid Pizza Huts. Kk also listed 16 faco Bells and 1one of which rhier.

such as Winnburgers and And on 85th

sud had quietfried chicken

mous eatery

hadows of a udos from Es! writer. Under

d's by decade's

vals weekly while inist, Helen Bass, played “Roll Out the Barrel.”

uccessful campaign to repea

ade Count inty, y

The ‘he time has come for t

kins

as poke 2 swoman

They carried signs

for

ic

Fla

Say

the

community tc ) Stand together K F cI

~

Le‘a Hoy

Kan;sas City Time: nes,

inistopher Street Association, told The “We are not afraid anymore 1€ 1970s sa AW, lOO, ¢ a res unger : As Repu licans met ata Kemp ra Are e rat ng 1, a the hazy eas Bae o Ier is Americ an Indian s ga thher ereed under fi

Where Sidney Moore Sr. of the Otoe

pr:aying for ‘

yal powwow by bowing his head and

good man” to lead the co untry We are trying to work within the system and within our traditional way as ne expIplai d organizer: John ; Two Birds Arbuckle of Lincoln. Neb ag

He was

a pleea,sed, he said, that the R epublicans hac 1 invited tribal members to attend sir CO

ret s ings an Mmuttee e ame d inc luded d an American ; Indi an plank in the platform Agi “We even N rerec iveed guest tickets to the convention for our older people ceeiv to observe the process,”

Also observingthe process was feminist Betty Friedan, who was covering

ane convention for Working Women magazine. It was Fredan's 1963 book

Bee eas

The Feminine Mystique, that had helped spark the women’s rights move

ment.

No, Friedansaid in Kansas City that August, she did not expect the Republicans to nominate a woman for vice president, though both political parties had endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment ERA RISES — AND FALLS

The 1970s were an optimistic time for women like Friedan, who had

watched feminists register victory after victory in the early years of the decade.

The thrill of victory: Kansas Citians poured into the streets on Jan. 12, 1970, to welcome home the Chiefs. The day before, the

team had won Super BowlIV in New Orleans, beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.

a

MUSIC

Ae paNaWe

FOR.

THE

dAmen s Right l Equa the oved appr ly ming whel over ress Cong In 1972, all ed seem , while a for , which , cation ratifi for es stat the to ment and sent it Ms ed call zine maga a ched laun nem Stei a Glori but certain. That sameyear : an Wom Am “I hit pop the sang y and Helen Redd firsts many bring d woul , notes Clark man Free The 1970s, historian Judith reguand sts prie h Churc opal Episc s, agent for women: the first women FBI Jean Billie star s tenni s, sport In . pilots larly scheduled commercial airline

hav ld wou O Wh owners Kansas from some business d at n a l e h T . v e n s m Iked mx es talked nti rhoon te th au the ant ort struction. Perhaps most imp » $21.7 million j ‘ %

ls mi 7 $21. be d ul wo It , wn to wn Do n. lio mil Leeds cost $13.9 ast mall| ni e ae

ee hav d l u o w at th y a s d l u o w s ic it Later, cr

been a s

shall ee : downtown, as Coors Field and the baseball ; ower l s ' r e v n e D fc wr do ies later seemed to

Rock

€

nate to re: yuvel

¢ d an ts or Sp ty Ci is n a K t n a i r Gieen o f n a l P A t e D 4

downtown d stie m o d a r fo s an pl ed tl ut sc so al s al Offici

dium, noting “monstrous energy costs and pees , ts en em ng ra ar g in at se l ma ti op an th s “les

cially for football Thus by

1967 two stadiums were taking

shape on the Leeds site Arrowhead for the Chiefs, who movedin in fall 1972, and Royals Stadium for the Royals, who began play there in spring 1973

As Kansas City said goodbye to thedeserted Municipal Stadium, another beloved institution was dying as well: Fairyland amusement park at 75th Street and Prospect Avenue “People just wouldn't comeout,” onelongtime employee explained. “They werespoiled by television and air conditioning. If they went anywhere, they wantedto go wherethere was

DelawareStreet in the River Quay on a busy nightin July 1974.

water.”

By 1975, Fairyland’s huge swimming pool was closed and overgrown with weeds. The Southeast Swim Club, which had operated the pool on a membership basis after the park integrated in 1964, had abandoned it, The Star reported, after it became too costly to main-

1978 season.

Also in trouble was the grand old Union Station and the new River Quay

which was launched in 1972 in an effort to revitalize Kansas City’s Old Town near the City Market. New restaurants. shops andart studios ap-

pe =ared on DelawareStreet, an : d pec ple briefly talkedofa victory for pre Serm. . Bu B t preservation efforts slow vation ed and bars beg: an to

proliferate, including some that featured go-go dancer s. The city’s thriving underworld began moving in on the scene, and disputes among mobsters — and I

tween mobsters and merchants — broke out. Several buildin aS Wi : om eled or severely damaged by explosions an dfires, and several - 5 a killed. Before the decade was over, River Quay was finished aa

€ story was happier in Westport, wher e a plan to preser : ve the histor or}ic

316

1970s: The World was Watching

ment's long and successful effort to break down organized crime in KansasCity.

evoke images of early Kansas City, when steamboats tied up at the rocky outcropping beside the Missouri River, a natural land-

ing place, or quay.) The buildings, some dating from the Civil War

era, were refurbished to house restaurants, antique shops, art studios, craft shops and apart-

ments. River Quay opened in spring 1972. Thirteen businesses that year grew to more than two

Worlds of Fun, which opened in 1973, pro-

caused extensive damage, however, and the park did not reopen for the

— were gone. Its demise instead spurred the federal govern-

several blocks around the City Market. (The name was meant to

tain. vided competition, but even so, Fairyland’s owners worked hard to keep operating. High winds in November 1977

world factions played out. By 1976 murder and arson were linked to Quaygoings-on. In March 1977 a huge explosion leveled two nightclubs. River Quay’s patrons — andits fashionable moment in the sun

ne downtownbuilding still carries a fading sign:*Come see River Quay.” The paint on thatsign was not long dry when River Quay changed froma pleasantentertainment and shopping district into a frightening symbol of underworld violence. The brainchild of Marion Trozzolo — who madehis fortune by developing the Teflon-coated pan — River Quay encompassed

Earlyplans for a domed, multiusestadium next to the freeway loop down-

town, top, were scrapped in favor of

two stadiumsbuilt at the eastern edge

of Kansas City. The singular concept of

a rolling roof capable of sheltering either stadium in bad weather was one of the selling points to Jackson County voters before they approved bonds for the complex. But when contractors’

bids came in higher than expected, the idea was scrapped.

score in the summerof 1973. Thousandsvisit-

rode families and summer, that Quay ed the

red double-decker buses through the district.

But events were unfolding that would send the Quay into tailspin. Or New a to interest ofhis chunk a sold tnBil 1973, rozaslo predicted the Quay

leans developer, Joseph C. Canizaro, who could become a “Midwestern French Quarter minus the grill-

and 1973-75 of recession the of afoul ran ideas Canizaro’s work.” of Quay area business owners, who objected to his plans to eet

rents and condemn some buildings. Eventually he called his ey

venture “a bad dream.” a to ways for looking began city Meanwhile, in 1974 the

the bars and nightclubs along 12th Street to eee aeae

bees tae Ha Bartle of opening age for the expected : organize came along and Quay, River the to Moved w bars destroyed the : : ; the s, nou omi e Mor e p e et em pr dis| ne to ea ee i h w ity, abil Se eegaled among ander s a led Gy’s respectability, which Qua w! po e r e h w e ac pl e th e m a c e b y a u Q

e, ov Ab ” e n e p d ol ew “n fy to rs Left: A sign welcomes visito t Pa d n a 's an Be y o R e g d u J f o authorities dig through debris 77, 19 , 27 h c r a M n o s et re st e t t o d n a O'Brien’s at Fourth and Wy n. io os pl ex n a y b d le ve le e r e w hours after the two clubs Beam ee oes

cmgummmmmmmmmmmne e.

_—_—————cee

nity

A

i

\

st ag

s

Alte

ve to

headlined one newspa planting fast-growing trees

Suburbia

re we n me ss ne si bu >) 1s : r per ti By sp ltimore Ba d an ad Ro rt po st We ay, dw oa Br . e s i : is y ns < i" en e only th s wa e or im lt Ba 00 10 at me Harris ho hn Jo ic or st hi e th e er wh : €

d e w e e n n e r d n a t r o p t : s e W r fo solid growth of t n e d i s e r p h, it sm er Bi “f Structures David L.

ing of of

St in presen

GROW (Greater Rebirth 1974,

extensive

a Th» es Tim The f Old Westport), told

f sections OF

, e n O n co to d ne zo re g in be Westport were

ed and re gutt e wer ngs ldi bui old as e. tim and. Plan rt cene k Soa s to the Westport Plan, and, in ime, 2 habbed, shops and restaurants moved in

FLOOD, FIRE AND MORE

vey ; re ood fl ng gi va ra da e er ff su ea ar an it ol op tr me e th ed, liz ita rev As Westport the night of Sept. 12, 1977 j

4r the Country Club Plaza. heavy rains sent Brush Creek swirling out of its banks. Water crashed through windows, hurled cars into showroom dis-

plays and inundated lower-level parking garages with mud. At the Alameda

Plaza Hotel, where Reagan had stayed just the year before, water rose to within six inches of the tops of doors on the convention floor. The nearby Plaza III restaurant was a sea of mud after waters receded Sept. 13. By Christmas, however, most merchants were back in business — and the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers was talking about the needfor a flood-control study. All told, the flood took 25 lives in the metropolitan area and caused $100 million in damage — most of it on thePlaza A few months later, disaster struck again

Onthefrigid morning ofJan. 28, 1978, a four-alarm blaze raged through the southern half of the 19th-century Coates House hotel, where rooms were renting for as low as $12 to $17 a week. Thefirst alarm sounded at 4:12 a.m., and three others quickly followed, at 4:17, 4:22 and 4:37 a.m. With the temperature as low as 7 degrees, ankle-deep slush swirled in the street, and firefighters’ coats crackled with ice as they struggled for more than four hours to bring the inferno under control, “All you could see was the top part of bodies hanging out the windows screaming for help,” reported Joe Bonino, owner of the Quaff Buffet tavern across thestreet. “People were breaking out windows, trying to get out and yelling ‘Over here!’ and ‘Save me’ to thefiremen.” Before thefire was out, 20 persons were dead. Thefic zen, charred body of onevictim lay for hours, straddled over a sixth-floor windowsill. : A year and a half later, disaster struck once more. On Monday night, June 4, 1979, a violent thunderstorm, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains, collapsed theroof ofthe 5-year-old Kemper Arena, where, just the Monday before, thedisco group theVillage People

had played. Just two days before the collapse 13,500 people had packed the arena for atruck pull. As Kansas City gavethanks that the arena was

empty when theroof collapsed, organizers worried about an upcoming concert by the rock group Yes, not to mention six professional rodeos

tro area, me e th t ou h g u o r h t d e w 1977. when streams overflo , 2 1 si u b d t n p a e y a S w a g t p n e i w s d e o r e o w l try Club Plazz 1, above, cars ff

king Days of rain culminated in a she oc-king night g0to 25 de: aths. At the Coun din a e l d n a s home and esses busin ing damag

nesses inundated.

Kansas Cit)

318

519

1970s: The World was Watching

—

undreds of Kansas Cityarea resi dents were forced from their

homes, streets were closed by high

water, motorists were rescued from

their cars and about 10,000 electric

after customers were without power

heavy rains fell the morning of Sept. 12, 1977.

That was the situation before the

great Plaza flood.

Through the wee hours of that in-

famous Monday, nearly 6 inches of rain fell in parts of the area. The

storm drove out residents of Wolcott

in northwest Wyandotte County and

of Tonganoxie, Kan. It pushed Wolf

Creek in Bonner Springs over its banks. The area had suffered plenty by

the time the rain stopped about 7 a.m., yet few residents could have predicted what would happen that night. By midday mostofthe rain had moved out of the area and, at 1 p.m. the sun peeked out from behind

clouds. Yet as the sun set, thunderstorms

moved in, and by 8:30 p.m. the

weather service warned residents: “Donot takethis situation lightly....It is potentially very dangerous tolife and property.” The rain, falling on acres of con-

crete or already saturated soil in the

watershed of Brush Creek, drove the usually modest stream overits con-

crete banks near the Country Club Plaza about 9 p.m. At the Plaza the-

ater, water flowed through the lobby

and down the aisles.

Across the

shopping district, hundredsof auto-

After Brush Creek receded, Kansas Citians discussedti 12, 1977. This Volkswagen rested between a sycamorea

wall at

Broadway and Ward Parkway.

mobiles were carried away. A mile east, homes were flooded, and far-

ther downstream the flood — called by some witnesses a “wall of water” — met a swollen Blue River and backed up. Cars stalled with people inside at Interstate 70, Manchester Trafficway and U.S. 40. Occupants of almost 500 mobile homes at a nearby trailer court were evacuated. GM shut down its Leeds assembly plant at

9:15 after water covered thefloor.

Rainfall totaled up to 16 inches in the course ofthe day. Thedeathtoll eventually reached 25. Property damage was estimatedat $100 million,

the majority in the Plaza area. Within days the city appealed to the Corps of Engineers for help, andfinally in 1990, with a combination offederal and local money, construction began

to deepen and widen Brush Creek’s channel.

te la in ty ci e h t to on ti di ad d ou A pr to 1974, Kemper Arena played host . ts en ev r he ot d an ll ba et sk ba , ey ck ho in a d se ap ll co of ro e th , 79 19 , 4 e On Jun e floor th g in er tt li e, ov ab , m r o t s n i ra

s a’ en ar e th g in tt pu d n a s i r b e with d k ar st in s t r o p p u s or ri te ex trademark contrast with the night sky.

ing of their national conven-

tion. Vacationing architects

s rd ca st po e ur ct pi r fo $3 paid d an er mp Ke ct ta in an of

n w o d rs ca al nt re r ei droveth he t at k w a g o t s m o t t o b to the

d a h h c i h W , a n e r a collapsed d r a w a n g i s e d A won an AI r. e i l r a e s r a e y o w t t jus

scheduled for the summer of 1979 and the Kansas City Kings basketball sea

son that fall. Adding to woes in Kansas City was the sc hool district, which by 1977 fe eA in< “44 >, “at{ aced fina ncia l an d educat iona‘ l bankruptcy). What would be come the > CXextended : Kanssas CAt) Cit y ll scip hoee olr de se19 gr79 dees egga : tii on ca ase sealal eg re rerezady) had been fil — ae as see pa a ; ed wh syhen e

a i s h a c u s n n o u g e b d a t h a e h d t a c e d a to : d y n n e n a c € n u n y n n a “ It seemed a e. s “It's a shock to walk in there,»” Ma Mayo y r Rich i ard L. Berkle y saj 1 af

inb s g the e da -too KeKempmper mage er.. “Y You wavalk lkinin an z d you can lite a rally see tha iy. e e sk ”

up the bluffs at H. Roe Bartle Hall, which had opened in 1976 wa bers of the American Institute of Architects must have marveled at vefe

1970s: The World was Watc hing P

oe

>

oles

white

eilitare e e a e i r k, e er with its star ut

Kemp

oses h m o r f r e t a w e z o her fr t a e w d a l l o b c y 8 7 l 9 l 1 a y t r u a u n Br a J e h t d e l t t fighters ba

pr fire

l. te ho e s u o H s e t a o C e h jg the south part of t

iN d o o t n s g i d a s h e d ian . d e i d s n o s r e p 0 2 e h t to t s a r t n o c n r e pre yud mod s d r a y k c s o a s t n s a K g t n a h i t l d d i a n s i d a w ya h t e r A r e aging, d p m e K , en t s i l o t d e r a c o h 70s w 9 1 e n e h o t y f o n s a e p r by. Fo e high ho neat

“ityis was a COWLOW

n no more

But then, like th

ba “th t e wro te, sb an e col roo lap the f sed Ives , . as ; Bri S. sba Art ne hur col umnist » Times themselves, ast, e l t a . t l a h 4 o t d n u “Temporarily, o r g s a h e r u t u f e ist and th

ie -

Kansas City

321

—

n the late 1970s and into the 1980s, October's arrival signaled the start of a mad, metrowide scramble for baseball playoff tick cts

In 1976 the Kansas City Royals finished first in the American

League West Division, and through

education for graduates Of hi Ss

ma mater, Westport Hi gh sSch OO “ His Royals meanwhile

Cap-

tured the city’s heart by wingte and by the skills of the play ng

who did it. Kansas City

McRae, scrafy Patek and ¢

the next 10 years Ewing Kauff-

Amos Otis

since major-league

teams cam White, nicl his skill at free-spirit«

man’s team won seven champi onships of somekind. Thecity grew giddy;

'

baseball -arrived with theAthlet ics in 1955, fans had grown accusGeorge Bre tomed to dreary performances Each O that landed theA’s in or near the 977. cashier’s hin 1 ap gr to au s n’ or lb Co m cellar. From the time Kauffman’s Ji r he tc pi ek se ns Fa playoffs d expansion American League frantest ticket hot the on as se rla gu re t es eb th to y wa r ei on th chise fielded its first team in 1969, imlostall 1 als Roy the 77 19 in ll ba se ba n rdi co ent re vem dy. ied tly pro was mos stea Den a York Yankees — @ Finishedfirst again in 1978. first-place finish in theearly '70s by the ti n eve — n hio fas ma ar ph ty Ci as ns Ka a s wa an fm uf ed d Ka s ey’s pis rle lan des Cha O. Finl Oak A’s, n’t get to the gam ceuticals magnate with strong local ties the Royals on a dream: There @ Broke through with their first West anda bent for charitable works.Among In the those days Division championship in 1976 other deeds, hefinanced citywide CPRinwas. @ Went on a winning streak of 16 games struction, anti-drug efforts anda college

ayers

Trades brought ¢ Oo

clubhouse leader H

hortstop F at red il center fie lder om the fa rm Citian Fran k

Smooth” for Dase, and th e

ne8

wizard

> mailed in the team’s

ky ones had

id although to the New artbreaking ins who didn couldlive S next year, here always

Pharmace Kauffman

man, clea

owners of teredin sj ership of a Kansas ¢

nanufacturer Ewing wife, Muriel Kauffied their roles as the

als. And the fans, batears ofoutside owntics, relished having 1 charge.

Christo’s 100% nylon coveri ng

K anhs saas s CiCiti ti: ans secemto relish

an argument over public art; consider the giant shuttlecocks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum or the top-ofthe-pylon sculptures at Bartle Hall In the 1970s the city got workedup aboutoneartist's plan

disrupted but gave their support

The Municipal Art Commission withheld its endorsement; oneof

to lay a continuoussheet of gold

nylon over the walking paths at Loose Park. Theexhibit wouldlast only two weeks andcost taxpay-

ers nothing.

ficial said the plan“just doesn't do

anything The City Council declareditself neutral. One council member, pre dicting a “tremendous public reac tion; complainedthat the project was “an absurdity” one of the “stunts this guy likes to capitalize on.

Yet the artist was the high-profile Christo, Bulgarian born and

trained in the world’s art capitals

His work was famous forits scale,

its impermanence andits seeming

impracticality. In 1972, Christo hung orangefabricacross avalley in the Colorado Rockies. Named “Valley Curtain,’ the exhibit was removedin 28 hours becauseof high winds. In 1975 in California

he erected an 18-foot tall nylon fence that stretched 24 miles

Hitting and baserunning mainstays of the Royals were Hal McRae (left) and

George Brett. The two were in neck-

Kansas City contemporary-art Fora lovers lured Christo to town. to cover wante d had he decade was but city some in walkways

title. Afterward, McRae shook Brett’s

he wouldhavehis way. arose. quest ions Immediately

hand.

and needed only one victory in the fina base in ball rec ord bes t l two Beea the wit h sea son reg ula ne r sn of, e thee playoffs toe mas ke its first trip to the World Series. But the Yankees won both games, coming from behind in thelast one, 5-3, on Oct. 9.

of group a 1970s middl e the By

and-neck competition for the American League batting championship in 1976. In the final game of the regular season an apparent misplay by a Minnesota

Twins fielder allowed Brett to win the

Teammates Amos Otis, left, and Fr ed Patek | lowered their hea ds after the Ro vals’ agonizing loss to the New the 1977 American League Championship Yor k Yan kee sin series. sas Ci i

across farms and hills to the Pacific Ocean. “Running Fence, remained two weeks.

Park Loose In permis sion. denied

wondered commi ssion ers Parks

“The public is never going to

understand the project, and its going to blamethe council for letting it take place” But art won. On Oct. 2, 1978, scores of art students and other workers began spiking and stapling the fabric along almost three miles of Loose Park walks Thousands visited the park, many with cameras, and public outrage fell far short of expectations. A neighbor who originally thought the idea a waste of money said: “It’s really beautiful. Is sort of a fantasy. It’s ridiculous, but it’s pret ty.

“By Oct. 18, “Wrapped Walk

Ways” was over, The fabric was

collected and laid in the parking lot of Starlight Theatre for anyone who wanted a souvenir. Christo paid the $130,000 cost through sales ofhis prints, posters and collages and went on to other projects around the world.

be would activi ty whether park

Kansas City

323

————=————

1970 ¥ The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Oak-

land Raiders 17-7 on Jan.4 in Oakland, winning the last championship of the American Football League. In Super Bowl IV, played in New OrleansJan. 11, the

Chiefs defeat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.

Y Fueled bythe growing environmental movement, the first Earth Day is observed

in the United States on April 22. ¥ At the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the student union burns April 20in a spring of campus protests against

d te ec el s ri le ee Wh B. s le ar Ch n ia ic ¥ Phys

ty i C s a s n a K s a s m r e t to the first of his two mayor.

Court removes many restrictions on abor-

tion.

¥Y The Organizati«

1972

¥ Arrowhead Stadium opens. The Chiefs

on with fare poorlyin it, ending the seas

eight wins andsix losses and outofthe playoffs.

Y Kansas City International Airport, far

r arrivfo nt ie en nv co t bu n w o t n w o D om fr Spiro ing motorists, opens. Vice President . on ti ca di de r be to Oc e th s d n e t t wa ne Ag

* Petroleum Export.

ing Countries rais

rices, and its

Arab members cu

iction and ban

exports to county

ing Israel. Long

lines begin develo,

gasoline Pumps

in the United Sta:

| limits are low-

ered and lights c:

ied. A recession

ensucs.

‘ier Complex

Y Hallmark’s Croy

Y President Nixon shatters tradition by

opens.

clared, and National Guard troops patrol

the world’s two biggest communist coun-

¥Y KansasCity Sch

‘strict teachers in

the campus; no culprit is ever deter-

tries.

Marchgo on a six-

trike, their first

Y George Wallace, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, is

in history.

war and the military. A curfew is de-

mined in thefire.

¥Y US. and South Vietnamese forces enter Cambodia on April 30 in support ofa military regime that no longertolerates Viet-

visiting Peking and Moscow,capitals of

shot May 15 and permanently paralyzed. Y Liberal Democrats nominate anti-war

vasion widens the war in Southeast Asia

Sen. George McGovern for president. He chooses Sen. ThomasEagleton of Missouri

and inflames the peace movementin the

as his running mate, but drops him days

United States. Demonstrations and vio-

later after revelations that Eagleton had

lence erupt on college campuses; at Kent

been treated by electroshock for severe depression. In November, McGovern is

namese Communist troops there.Thein-

State University in Ohio, four protesters

are shot to death May 4 by National Guardsmen. On May 14 two protesters at Jackson State University in Mississippi are

slain by police. Y Two rock stars suffer drug-related deaths, Jimi Hendrix on Sept. 18 andJanis

Joplin on Oct. 4. ¥ Five of the Chicago Seven and Black Panther Bobby Seale are convicted for

their roles in riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. ¥ The Beatles, who have dominated rock ‘n’ roll since the mid-1960s, break up.

1971 v Daniel Elisberg spirits the Pentagon Pa-

¥ Nixon, shownby White Housetapesto

have been tied to attempts to cover up the Watergate break-in, resigns effective Aug. 9. Gerald Ford replaces Nixon and

then pardonshim.

1975

Independence.

¥ Royals Stadium opens April 10,and

Kansas City wins 12-1 over Texas. On July

24 the stadium plays host to the 40th an-

ary AlkStar game.The National |. wins 7-1.

aaa

1970 openii

and Royals si at least a yea peak of the Asthe dec recession fr meatcutters

AC ¢s more vigorously than Kansas City. ction workers staged thei r second six-m

th years, delaying completion of projects a )ticeably the newairport and Spor ts ae : rational Airport, which once ha d ada mt go into service untilfall 1972.A rrowhead as at the Truman Sports Complex were pushed nd their originally scheduled openings At . the 22,000 workers were off the job. \folded — andeven after the economy fell into

“nters, paintmakers, bakery-truck drivers and yrkers struck. The Bureau of Labor Statistics y sixth among 31 major cities in days lost to

electric util found Kansea strikes. ‘ar were strikes by public employees, which in Most spect most cases were for improved pay and conditions. For the first time in the century-old history of the Kansas City . e k k e e i d w r e t h x g s 4 s , i r a c 7 t s e a t r c 9 h s i l a c 1 n r o a M i t e o s t h i D c S r Even more stunning, firefighters struck for four days in Octobe r civilians and firee , e n t e , n m e u l s c l a i d o n l r v o o a . i p u 5 t G 7 a 9 N 1

Y Kansas City’s Nelson Gallery ofArt at-

tracts an exhibition of Chinese archacological discoveries, which will appear in

only seven other cities in the world. More from April 20 to June 7.

er eov tak ir the te le mp co ts is un mm Co Y of

OULD |

ectnam

ey ly

N

* 1973 to early 1975 — teamsters, floorlayer s

Striking teachers at Central Junior High School shouted at employees who crossed their picket lines in March 1977.

fighters from the suburbs battled fires In 1977, the teachers went out again, this time for seven weeks. As in theearlier strike, union leaders were jailed for contempt The decade closed with the firefighters once again staging a job action, this one for 12 days beginning in late December 1979. The

cause this time was a work schedule implemented after the 1975 walkout. Policestaffed firchouses.

oo ofJuly 4.

25 persons dead and the Country Club Plaza and Blue Riverindustrial district

meets in Kansas City, nominating Ford and Bob Dole. Theylose the election in

heavily damaged. Y “Roots” runs for eight nights on ABC,

Y The Republican National Convention

. pt Se on ng ki Pe in es di , on ti lu vo re st muni

than a quarterof a million people seeit

1973

strike — at fc In 1970, c¢ job action in the area — © Kansas City ¢

the late

Ss a RIK E!

teredthe next decade teo uien ne on * ic. They used their most ef fective to —e the

Y MaoTse-tung, leader of China’s com-

shooters kill five of the terrorists; all

Dec. 26 at Research Hospital in Kansas City. He is buried at the Truman Library in

bor union ofthe growii

the booming U.SS. econ om . of

Mondale. Y Californians Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak introduceAppleI, helping launch the personal-computer revolution.

kill two coaches, take nine hostages and demand safe passage to Egypt. Sharp-

Y Former President Harry $.Truman dies

ncouraged

Novemberto Jimmy Carter and Walter

crushed in the election by Nixon. Y Palestinian guerrillas storm Israeli team rooms at the Olympic games in Munich,

hostages die.

ON:

Y In Roe vs. Wade, the US. Supreme

9.

ue ag Le an ic er Am e th n wi ls ya VY The Ro

ip West Division title, the first championsh

of any kind by a Kansas City major-league baseball team.

Y Theparents of Karen Ann Quinlan, 4 te if an in n a m o w ey rs Je w e N 22-year-old

Iran out of power. When the deposed tes monarch is allowed into the United Sta the for medical treatment, students storm

Emmy awards. mMe s hi at 16 g. Au es di y le es Pr ¥ Elvis phis, Tenn.,home at 42. go rs he ac te ol ho sc ic bl pu Y KansasCity

y U.S. embassy in Tehran and eventuall

hold 52 Americans hostage. a binge ves dri ngy ene of t cos h hig The Y

. ke ri st ek we nve se a on t ou

e ar s me Ti d an ar St ty Ci Y The Kansas of ns io at ic un mm Co es ti sold to Capital Ci

ide. of double-digit inflation worldw

yis kle Ber L. d har Ric an ssm ine Bus ¥ as ms ter ee thr his of st fir elected tothe

outto p hi rs ne ow New York, transferring s wa ar St e Th e nc si me siders for the first ti founded in 1880.

1978

Kansas City mayor.

na Are per Kem d pie ccu uno of f ¥ The roo collapses June 4.

e

s u o H s e t a o C e h t f o he south portion

¥T

r we po r ea cl nu and Isl le Mi e re Th ¥ The

- station in Pennsylvania comes dangerous-

» the throbbing shythm of disco rules the popular music seene

Y Two

s, r a e p p a g n i n Run

ta Be e th s, er rd co re e tt se as oc de vi

his “Wrapped Walk Ways.” 1979 Y Muslim fundamentalists led by Ayatolof h Sha the ce for ni mei Kho ah oll Ruh lah

x si r te la d an ce en di au ge hu a g in winn

versible coma, win a court orderto disne ni es iv el Sh . or at ir sp re r he t ec nn co more years.

m o c ch un la s ie an mp co Japanese

of Loose Park with a gold-colored fabric,

ly close to meltdown.

e ac Pe l be No e th ns wi sa re Te er th ¥ Mo

i |

o g n i w o r g a f o part

8 a s es tn fi al ic ys ph al on rs pe th wi n sessio

| Prize for her work in the slums of Calcut||

| s e c a m d a o r , s e s s a s c also produces aerobi and weightlifting,

¥ The artist Christo

covers the sidewalks

ta.

¥ In Late December, Kansas City firefight:

ers stage a 12-day job action.

> A

. J

. = * . . ST ~ . . * . a

“eer

S E M I T Y P P A H HORROR AND E C N E U Q E S G N I N IN STUN

Preceding page Emergency work

ers help the in

jured and the dazed out of the Hyatt Regency hotel Lobby sky

walks collapsed

on the crowd at a tea dance July 17 1981

oe

When the decade

: mn howe

would be rememb ered , BEa aggspen, ai scar P : “7 ers, a Uno iv. ej of Missouri-Kan sas ( Aty s« ieviaceg tar that the 1¢ ; 2 PUOlOgist T ) i x O W p N es articipation j 1980s confir med the “failure of pation in the cr ail a eation of bewild erTjING %biS«cOXcCiszall n proo blemp s.”e An

328

1980s: Shock and Surviva l

and e ac Gr to le op pe 0 20 an th l nt more g u o r b s m i t c i v S for AID e mori c e m i , v t r y h ¢ e g he i s l e r l e d y n a a c r y p B . 9 4 it 1 March 198 n w o t n w o in s ve li AU hedral d 0 0 ¢ $ ly y ar t i ne n n e i k r a t T hich had w Holy , se ea is d e h t m o ed fr r e f f u e s h , ¥ e alized thos t year. a h t y b n o i the reg

cscs

uo rban e design e pert, howev er, rejoiced at the “tremendous” dev elopment © Northland to Colleg e Boule vard.” Both, of course, w ere right.

ECONOMIc sLu MBER

If tlemendous growth m arked the end of the extreme ’80s, tremendous lethargy marked the beg inning.

A national recession com bining high unemploymentwithhigh inflation

battered the city in 1980. Ads a ae ape newsp s the i filled off’ n pea e s ers shopp stores but in most uying and clerks weren't selling. A : a lon giacoperdaen ee ie

asleep.

n, wrote a Star real estate editor, had gone “fast ta

f

gone

eee eae oe ; ae ordeal for 10,000 work-

ee oe ee pi a ::among Ford’s Claycomofacility) — oe ce yers — emplo est steadi area’s the

slashed hundredsofjobs at a time. The industry pointed fingers everywhere

— at the Japanese, at the United Auto Workers, at erraticfuel prices.

Fora timethe recession also stalled the march of white homeowners into

the suburbs. As mortgageinterest rates reached 17 percent, a patchwork of

Johnson County developments stood neither finished nor sold. Conversely, hard times seemedtostabilize the Kansas City School District, now twothirds minority. In 1982 the schools charted a slight increase in the ratio of

white students to black — thefirst and only turnaround since the 1950s.

The Wall Street Journal visited in late 1981 to explore a region “hammered

Robert was ty casual One II.” War World e sinc slump ng housi bythe longest

own his in trips exotic took days better in who McCollom, a homebuilder was he that al Journ The told and plane. McCollom declared bankruptcy

moving to Saudi Arabia. be will y nobod turns, t marke ng “The sad part...is that when the housi here,” he predicted. help would es polici al nation ng shifti how was t predic 't couldn he What name, a d carrie e chang of winds The ca. Ameri rate corpo revive to shreds.

st foreca bleak lom’s McCol blew “Reaganomics,” and they soon per15 a hailed City of Greater Kansas

In 1984 the Chamber of Commerce residenis more nt perce 30 nly, sudde as just and, sales retail cent jump in ssion depre a e endur to continued rs farme While cards. wereflashing credit the recovery by releasin d regale rs slicke city , values land that hammered

;

-up

demand.

uny e rate a at BMWs t bough soon eeae area residents for new mee —

demand er strong even An matched in North America. ae ed allow — digits single d towar ng dippi with interest rates

The t Mac rching Cobras drill team, , fou founded in 1969, enj io i eni i ng acclaim by 1969, enj yed w wid a. 980: And members bouncing and back-flipping to a thunde ring drumbeat.

‘

i

ait

:

us Previo the ng tripli t almos 1983, in ts permi ng housi grant 810 single-family g n i d l i u b t s e t a e r g e h t “ called

5

|

’

) ’

d n a , s e v i t n e c n i s a s k a re b x a t d a BS e _ s u y t i c e h ‘By T ” . y r o t s i h “ s ’ y t i C i sas i ‘kas — ‘ 2 milli the h with e spac e, offic e of feet squa re on for en bone ground was brok

.);

ing

the way. ; wn Pavilion leading

ehowsntown’s:

:

rad: Swiss

“Vis t4 wo rd : Sex y sin gle , a ar ou nd cry optimism stallized

ce ere

——" ae ee

It sounded so glamorous, the Vista International Hotel.

The locals could 1 =, Millioy 1

hardly imagine such a jewel replacing the Pink Doortavern, the “It” lub

M I a » Whict

and other dives along 12th Street

ort

Sn

'

{Uare IOSt Of shor, PPIRG Spa

Opened jy 1 1980. 199) ana ’

managed 7.900 anan “Paftment Teac; hes

Thecentral business loop hadn't seen a new luxury hotel in six decades This prospect, the Vista, emerged only after civic leaders, bankers and mu-

Morg

64N me mey

O. ine Irv ing. i f > ing anc fin the g out in rk wo rs yea e nin nt spe rs nne nicipal pla Hockaday, Kansas City Southern Industries Inc. executive, launched the

tallest s ky SCTape r, the

¢ pev®:

W v e unjrc 5 —

and q |}

i

'

Navonwick

local a mals. 1ae

drive for a downtown hotel in the mid-1970s. Banker R. Crosby Kemper Jr.

later gaveit a big civic boost, pledging millions from his family trust. The Hilton hotel chain — as a subsidiary of Trans World Corp., a corporate cousin to hometownairline TWA —agreedto runthehotel. All told, the $54 million project relied on funds from 32 local banks, insurance compa-

The P. Taine 2 Village M AN covets, ed fame. “F or a long Y 45 Passionately a5 D unmire « u m e , ” J a c kson ( Ounty Star, I di Executive | 3ill Waris dn’t think t here rea | tod

nies and charitable groups; $4.5 million from the developer, CRI Inc.; and a

$10 million federal grant. “The Miracle on 12th Street!” Vista's promoters called it. An orchestra played “Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City” at the groundbreaking May3, 1982.It all signaled to Star columnist Jerry Heaster “a wish, perhaps, to return to the times whenlyricists wrote songs about

fond memories of a dynamic and swinging town.”

THREE MILLIONAIRES

Kable tyooon —

Genser

1980s the Marion Labora tori:

Saloons and strip clubslined notorious

s

their gated mansion in Mission Hills.

12th Street before they were demolished...

» , Muriel. ‘I,

Cast cast an image

lalloween treats outside

PROSPERITY AND POVERTY

Ss

$2,461 to pay a gambling debt. Now outspoken in repentance, Dunm ire embodied an extravagance sweeping Ronald Reagan’s America — new wealth wrapped in patriotic bunting. A giant U.S.flag served as backdrop for Del and Debbie Dunm ire’s announcementsof $370,000 in gifts to local charities, plus a cool million to the escalating war on drug abuse. The crowd hoisted champagne glasses. They sang “God Bless America” before enjoying a night's rest at the Vista, compliments of Dunmire.

pl

|

By March 1987, One Kansas City Place was on the way to becomingthetallest building in Kansas City. The AT&T TownPavilion, to the right in photograph, was already complete.

Be

He was notthe only self-made millionaire to grab the city ’s attention in the mid-1980s.

“Whois Frank Morgan and whyis he hiding underhis hat?” asked Corporate Report magazine in April 1984. “Doing business with Frank Morgan —

sia

with the rest of the “ries. Throughout the

nant.

In 1958 the 24-year-old bomber pilot robbed an Abilene, Kan., ba nk of

e a d n e o s ee

Py

Kauffman served Up Proje ct Choicein 1988. Heoffe red to pay all college ey = expenses of the freshman class at Westport High School, his alma mate r, so Ong as studentsstayed in school. ave vided drugs and did not become pr eg

A red Rolls-Royce pulled totheVista’s entrance June 29, 1986, 18 months after the hotel opened. Out stepped a millionaire groom andhis bride. Thousands ofguests followedin sequined tops andsilk trousers, past jugglers in the lobby and on toward the Count Basie Ballroom, whereall feasted on lamb chops and smoked wild duck. The groom, Grandview businessman Del Dunmire, had made headlines only once before.

=| h = =! = =+ = =) = = = = = = = =

he

andif youlive in Kansas City it’s a good bet you do — is like playing Monopoly with a blindfold.” Morgan's game blended banking, downtown offi ce complexes and suburban shopping centersto create a fiefdom du bbed by The Star as, simply, “Frank’s Town.” A cloistered network of asso ciates controlled half of the area's 10 biggest banks. Morgan silently stood behind the moneythat built the AT&T skyscraper, erected 70 percent ofthe frontage along Barr y Road and controlled nearly

f

~The

..and replaced by the Vista Internation-

al Hotel. The hotel and other 1980s additions to the Kansas City skyline sym-

bolized a hoped-for rebirth of downtown.

The 40-year shifting of wealth from Kansas City to John son County had grownto a torrent bythe secondhalf of the 1980s, giving rise to Cx ympora te Woodsin Overland Park andtolavish neighborhoods such as the Hall-

brook Farms subdivision in Leawood. The typical Hallbrook homecost

$550,000 in 1989, oreight times the median price in Kansas City. The average buyer was 42, reported Ingram’s magazine, “and if the number of trendy wooden swing sets in back yards is any indication, quite a few have

heat victims had locked their Windows t o ward off theft We'refull here.” Sa id a Jackson County medi cal examiner, gesturing to bot diesi stacked on th

1€ Morgue floor on the 10th day

Aty authorities that summe r cited at out 115 heat-related deaths. A

study 18 years later by : th Depart y the2 Heal sme ient tacked 90 additional fatalities to the toll afte T rese archers studied the sharp increase in deaths linked to

cardiovascular andrespiratory problems

Theheat killed African-Americans at a rate three times higher thanit killed

whites, the department reported

In this decade more than ever, race was theissue in Kansas City. It defined education, divided populations, decided

political questions and determined pat-

terns ofliving. Owner-occupied housing across the area climbed for white residents in the 1980s. But it fell for blacks

— from 52 percent of black households being owner-occupied in 1980 to 47 percent in 1990

The Star concludedfrom a 1989 survey that “Kansas City rests on a bedrock of racial discrimination.” Its polling found

= Fierce and|

New downtowns began springing up

children.”

of ree -th ety Nin . ade dec s thi nts ide res w ne 000 85, d de ad ty un Co n so hn Jo

of re sha its s; son per 475 16, t los y Cit sas Kan te. whi re we ls iva arr every 100 black residents grew to nearly 30 percent. y idl rap as ad re sp ger hun d an ess ssn ele hom y, ert pov ne, teli sta he East oft as subdivisions rose in the west. In the month of the Dunmire gala in 1986,

more than 65,000 area residents applied for food stamps. One in eight families received welfare assistance, and unemployment amongblack residents

hovered near 15 percent, triple the rate for whites. An estimated 30,000 local adults could not read — not English, at least. By 1986 the city’s underclass included 5,000 Asian refugees, mostly Cambodi-

ans or Hmong tribesmen from Laos. Many oftheir families took up cramped

quarters in the former Italian enclaves near the Don Bosco Community Center in the 500 block of Campbell Street. Experts nationwide warned of a “declining middle class” evident in

polling going back 20 years. Fewer than 60 percent of U.S. households qualified as “middle income” in 1989, compared with about 70 percent in 1969, the Census Bureau reported.

Bascty did the split between haves and have-nots reveal itself so ruthlessly

as in July 1980, when downtown temperatures rose above 100 degrees for

rtceconctionts Dons ig air conditioning. Dozens of elderly

k and Survival _

on the edge of suburbia. Among them was Corporate Woods between 1-435 and College Boulevard.

HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Cn constant dollars)

KANSAS CITY

1980

$5.5 billion + 8%

JOHNSON COUNTY 1980

$4.8 billion

+ 52%

s NOTE: Income ofall households. (Figure in 1990 dollars to remove effect of inflation)

POPULATION KANSAS CITY

448,028

S C E 1980

JOHNSON COUNTY

-lasting, the heat wave

of summer 1980 caused hundreds of deaths in the metropolitan area. At the on sp ty ci e th , ry se mi e th of ht heig sored free window fans for suffering a by d re ve li de s a w n fa is Th s. nt reside firefighter.

that two out of every three black resiter bet y an g in tt ge ot dn an — m le ob pr t an ic if gn si dents considered racism a

»bpr ce ra a of ch mu ve ha t no d di ty Ci as ns Ka id sa s Half of white resident ” ir. “fa y Cit as ns Ka in e lif of y it al qu e th nk ra to lem. Black people tended t.” len cel “ex or ” 0d “0 it d te ra es it wh of t en Seventy perc THE VOTERS SPEAK

d n a , 86 19 4, . v o N n w a d e r o f e b p u d e l d n u b y t n u o C n o s n h o J in Voters to ” s t n e m d n e m a in “s d le al -c so n o s ot ll ba t s a c to p e e d s n lined up 18 perso n u s n a s n a K of n o i t a r e n e g w e n a , y a d e l g n i s a n O . n o i t u t the Kansas Consti y er tt lo e at st a ; d e v o r p p a — k n i r d e h t y b r o u q i l : e c n a did a centuryof temper . d e v o r p p a — s g o d d n a s e s r o h n o g n i t t e b k c a r t e c a — approved; r o r P . e l b a t c i d e r p e r o m r a f s a w e d i s i r u o s s i M e h t n o s w e n n o i t c e l e e h T e d d e r e d r o t r u o c e c nan i f to d n a y a p ’ s r e h c a e se t i a r o t s e s a e r c n i y v e l l s ced e a . r a e y 3 e t e m d r i h t e h t r o f d e l i a f y t i C s a s n a K * e h t h oe c t a w 0 e n i s t s a E e h t n o e l b a t n e h c t i k a d n u o r a d e p m u l d s r a ; o b l o o h c s d i a s me, i t s i h t t i s s a p d l u o w we t h g u o h t y l l a e 2 = e n TV. e n ns o turi o n I , ers said no

ot v f o t n e c r e p 7 5 h g u o s y i st e la u S e r r e s a w memb s e a . 9 6 9 1 e c n i s e r u s a e m t o l l a b y r e v e d e o o f o e r u l i a avers had reject f e h t e l i h w d n A . s t n e d u t s k c a l b d e r e b m u n t ys u da o s t t n h e g d i u e t s g n i l e u h ure, a court r ls

t o u f o * h c s e h t o t e l t t i l t n a e m e l ae bee Sea — e h c a . g e n v i a f n n h o o t o d e e y , s v h r o k r r e t p p a v a l l e r, l C . e G s t s e n u g t R a d c e u i m r J ater e Dist a s y r a d n o c e s s ' t c i r t s i d e h t f o l l a t r e v n o c o t a e d i l a c i d a r a acin, ‘ r b , m 6 E 8 9 s 1 r a e y , 2 1n _ six 2 Nov. 12 s * e m e h t t e n U o mag hools5 t c s y r a t n e J m e itss el it f l a i n h a d a

Kansas City

335

—

R O R R E T F O A NIGHT T T A Y H E H T T A

™& Rescuers spent all night removing wreckage to save victims, above. Nevertheless, 114 died. Outside the

Tea dances had been a pleasant diversion on summer Fri day evenings in 1981 at the new Hyatt Regency hotel, above. But shortly after 7 p.m. on July 17, as the band played “Satin Doll,” the hotel’s second- and fourth-floor

skywalks tore loose from their suspension, below. Scores of dancers were trapped.

336

1980s:Shocka nd Survival _

hotel, emergency crews helped the living. Survivors Sol and Rosette Koenisgsberg consoled cach other below. Sadness was epidemic across the area: Sur vivors, rescuers, observers and city officials like May or RichardL. Berkley, lefi, were shocked. The col lapse of the skywalks, which had been suspended on a from the ceiling of the hotel, was blamed change in their design

WHAT

MADE

THE

SevyWALKS

FALE?

Answers i. happen? emerged days after the July 17 1981, collapse. Structural flaws

3 filed a sexual-discr imina-

tion lawsuit after KMBC-Ty re moved

her from anchor duties . The Station

told the 57-year-old journalist that her

looks and assertive wa ys did not please the ‘cal audience.Two feder-

were so obvious that an engi neer retained by The Kansas City Star, Wayne Lischka, zeroed in on the cause after a

al juries «>: in her favor, but an ap-

pellate «

few hours of scanning plans

A bitter and bec

and examining debris. First, a change had been made in the design of vertical

rods that supported the walkways. That change doubled the stress on the top walkway Instead of running continuous rods from the second-floor walkway up through the fourth-floor walkway and on to the ceiling, as the original plans dictated, builders installed staggered sets of rods One set attached the lower walkway to thefloor of the upper walkway; another set ran from the upper walkway to the ceiling. The top walkway was being pulled from above and below.

Lischka pointed to another hazard: the way those rods

“All sv news t, however, a pu blic suspicious of big federal prog rams

simply wasn’t on board. Five mx onths

after Clark's ruling, the effect was just

beginningto hit in meetings betweens chool officials and anxious parents

“Let me make sure | understand,” said one father holding an infant at a fo-

Tumin a church basement. “Evenif liveth ree blocks from a school, I may have to ship my kids miles away?” On paper Clark’s plan was promising. Over timei t

would pump more than $1 billion into thedistrict for upgrading buildings andfor converting traditional schools in-

to magnets, their themes ranging from environmental sci-

€nce to Latin grammar. And in surveys the plan appeared to be popular. A 1986 poll conductedfor thedistrict suggested about 40 percent of suburban parents would “probably enroll” their children into a Kansas City magnet school — support that never cameclose to materializing.

Clark found a waytofinance the plan on Sept. 16, 1987.

That day, his court doubled local property taxes and raised the income tax. “The man couldn't do any moreto kill Kansas City than City said it,” dropped and bomb hydroge a n if he took Elsie named taxpaye r white A Lewellen . Bob Councilman porch: front her from stance hopeful more a Morgan took poor in are that schools to going “Black children are

s sy for responsi ble are shape, and the whites ee pay and “So what should we do? We pay been had building s decayin g of Bydecade's end dozens eee conschool largest i the of one in replace d or renov ated School even spam

High Central new The history. _ S . U n si m a r g o r p n o i t c u r st its aOCeRE ED to pool swimmi ng Olympic -sized an and Jumns unremaine d students of mix racial district's th cts the e But memes Greek theme.

classical

hanged at 68 percent blac

$9,000 to edu-w ith the public spending nd relrealatitivvee ly fe

, d a g n i b m i l c t ' n e r e w s e 5 r o sc s t s e t e , r a u e y q e n o r o i f cate one pupil . p u d e n i l s e i l i m a f s u b l o o h c white S “ : ct fe ef e l b a r u s a e m e n o t as le at d a h t r o f f e n o i t a g e r g e a o t g n i d r The des o c c a , y t i C s a s n a K n i y t i n u t r o p p O r e e r a e the top c . r o b a L f o t n e m P t r a p e D i r u o s s i e M h t f t 1987 repor o . s r e y w a L “ ? t s i l e h t n d o n o c se chan;

. s e m e r t x e f o e g a s i h t n i y l n O

9 3 3 y t i C s a s n “Ka

hen charting the comeback

in the

Royals am az AMAa ziin r g 1985 World Seri es

consider the parade that never happened be forgot never would that innun and the Ss ten

after the $ three-game

puis Cardinals rumbled to 4 ne lead in the “1-70 Series?

local officia parade do

| plans for a bittersweet ind Avenue. The event

was schedt

Friday, Oct. 25 allowing

return fro scrubbed

yuis. Those plans were Royals won game five

fans to Bret

defeated team upon its

in the be

n matchup and came

back to K

still in the hunt

Game si ance t

26 offered the Royals a series at three

each.As it most thrill

ut, it also provided the id disputed — minutes

in Kansas ¢

ts history oe

;

1inth. Cardinals up 1-0

Bottom

k Howser turned to his

Royals mai

e e Yi otta

d Jorge Orta to pinch hit. Orta dribbled a

1,

!

ou gOtla it

Royals champs of Missou

; gri m rig i ht away. Open dawn:: Tk The Royals y ’ ’ prospects looked gri 5 kne:ss before the Dar

|

rs a i us the World Series at home, they lost thefirst two games. Thesefan: e cham. league n e and thee Sion mayin ae gametwo.But, as it id doneto win thedivision “iS

grounder to first

base, and Cardi-

ship, the teameventually came from behind. Whenvictory was secure, third aseman GeorgeBrett hugged pitcher Bret Saberhagen, left.

i

a

nal pitcherTodd Worrell trotted to the bag to take the throw.

Then

first-base

umpire Don De nkinger made a decision of rs shai cros the in him put ver fore that

- =

=

co }

2 rae a Ea

ME OE SE ERE

y Se [iia peneemem

Y

M

guae-s

[im

ares

; oe

ed i

Cardinal fans. He called Orta safe. Replays

showed otherwise A furious St. Louis team lost all compoed pass a e, ngl asi l, fou pop sed mis A sure. noball and an intentional walk later, Royal

e. plat e th to d ppe ste g lor e Dan name

Bases loaded, one out. “go ium Stad als Roy at fans 628 With 41,

EERIE BRR C0 Cs

oie bats

ee pugs

it, lorg put er lat rter repo a as s,’ ana ban ing scored, s run Two d. fiel ht rig into singled the in joy h wit t wep er lat He game over. into als Roy the sent ing locker room, hav thefinal showdown Oct. 27. e com you can es tim ny ma “How from the dead?” asked third baseman ; : E é t. Bret George Dan six e gam of r che pit Winning Quisenberry.

e seven gam in win 11-0 he Royals’

made them world champs for the first

was duel that But y. tor his timein franchise fell ans Citi sas Kan e som so lopsided,

out. final the fore be sets TV r thei at asleep down ade par n low l-b ful A No matter.

the for one this — ed Grand Avenuefollow . es ro he g n i r e u q n o c as s l a y o R

ans f t n a r e b u x e h t i w mmed a j s a w e u n e v A d ran G , s r o l o c m a te n i s n o o l l a b Arced by de.

a r a p y r o t c i v ’ for the Royals

THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Berdella Cad

His 1

secrets

I

iect

illed

rd

for the

D

np

od

“my

wonder:

only a

Berdella later

some

by suffoca

trash collectors

darkest fantasies becoming

sportin id to

wearing

Charlotte St.

tl

on

id begun to emerge

a man

hen t

arraigned

Vas

y

y

world’s spotlight, more

Is it safe? Berdella himself showed a

occasion by displaying four model skulls next

Four”

yne

at his Westport curio shop, Bob’s Bazaar

Of many in the late 1980s that depicted a city seem high in 1989.

ts City

A then-record 140 homicides helped

into the

ranks of the 10 worst crime rates in America

idustry

of youths dealing crack cocaine led to the fire

me at 3032 Olive St.

nded family, Frazier,

The Jan. 20, 1989, blaze killed six ages 6 months to 76 years. Gang leader

17, pleaded guilty to hiring three buddies to torch the spute over his drugtrad

ber 1 1989. 1 500,

of treatment centers for drug abuse quadrupled between

The number of known drug houses rose from about 50 to according to police records

is City was deep in a tide of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. By 1990 ir black babies and nearly one in four white babies were born to

the

city learned about those stories woul d < hange, too

67,

4 Memo appearing on bulletin boards at the Kansas Ci ty oached what Publisher James H. Hale called “consi stent rumors

ation

of the afternoon paper would cease.”

1980s: Shock and Survival

Circulation had fallen

A victim ofthe drug wars, the body of a child is carried by an undertaker, above, from the charred shell of a houseat 3032 OliveSt. in January 1989. Remembering that death and those of five others in the house, youngsters

prayed during a candlelight vigil, right.

he Kings

by half since 1965, reflecting a nation that preferred watching TV at night. The afternoon paperfolded in early 1990. The Star and The Times merged into a morning publication called The Kansas City Star. The city thus was

served by only one daily newspaper for the first time since the Jowrnal of

Commerce pitched railroad expansion in the 1860s.

\ fitting image of Kansas City’s struggles emerge d just nine days before

the 1980s ended. The coldest hours ever recorded here passed in thestill,

to makea drug purcha se on Wabash,

above.

344

were movedto Municipal Auditorium. After returning to Kemper, the team never won another divisiontitle and crowds dwindled, although the Kings occasionally madethe playoffs. Owners, man-

agers and coaches always be-

lieved that the Kings ranked behind the Royals, the Chiefs and golfer Tom Watson in the hearts of Kansas Citians. A group from Sacramento, Calif., bought the team in 1983 and moved it there

in 1985.

them

Yet a couple of mil es east, whe re you mi(ght m e r e pe r of le as t e x p e c t it, an eml hope burned.

The eroded jazz district at 18th and V ine streets of renewal. Only ‘

now

month had passed sine e the coune

1980s: Shock and Surviv al

collapsed and the Kings’ games

Kansas City

JS

area inthelate 1980s. Top, an 18-ye: arold was escorted from a Lenex a house after undercover officers said t heyh: ad bought drugs from him, his m other and her companion. Lighted bya police helicopter hoy ering overh ead, Kansas City police look for th e person who shot an undercover offi ce: r trying

then the roof of Kemper Arena

te

Signs of the times: Police went af ter drug dealers across the metropol itan

early morning of December 22, 1989 . Twenty-three degrees below zero . Icicles hunglike stalactites at va cant Union Station — a shrine broken an mired in a seemingly endless legal war. A few hour b s efore the mercury a bottom, the City Council voted to spend an addi tional $250,000 in a lawsuit ag ains t the depot’s supposed re novators, Trizec Corp. Ltd. Those new skys¢ tapers rise stood frosted andlif“Celess. An ol te S de r high-rise, th Royal Towers Apar tments at 933 Mc¢ .seeSt.: , ving lost power that nii ght, lesa avin; dozens of elderly ‘ e a e neing fo : r someonej to re residents shivering and wait resc scue

played profesball in Kansas sional ba ichieving occaCity since 19 th players like sional succes: center Sam Lacey. At right, Lacey tried to block a pass by a San Antonio Spurs player in November 1980. The Backcourt Boosers, above, kept up a raucous drumbeat during games. The Kings won the Midwest Division in front of big crowds in 1979, but

A

MORALITY PLAY

the n i t gh ri us io ig el er th of he rise

1980s coincided with two other

trends: suburban sprawl and cable Ty, Locally, Christian Conservatism flowered in growth Communities such as

Olathe, Lee's Summit and eastern Jack

son County. The cause was boosted by

rks that peppered ca Christian neo ple programmns

In 1987 a

calling its¢ I

ose Kansas City to

ers hoped group sper

iid go national. The ),000 on billboards,

TV and ne sages “Por: al Men Don the worst pornograj themes of |

The coal from area and thous: ers were 1 At a time b

resident Jimmy

Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter. arbecue king Arthur Bryant

died after a heart attack on Dec. 28, 1982. That daya visitor

from Chicago stopped at Bryant's famed eatery at 1727 Brooklyn Ave. and lamented, “There can’t be a Kansas City without Arthur Bryant.” Bryant, an east Texas native, in 1946 took overhis brother Charlie's restaurant at 1921 E. 18th Street. After the business

Patt URE ile experts merely debated the nuclear arms build-up, Kansas Citians in 1983 viewed their own annihifation in the TV drama “The DayAfter” The film cast the city as ground zero because of its Midwest location and the fact that 150 Minuteman missile silos existed nearby Filmed in Lawrence and Kansas City — where the St. Joseph Hospital demolition

346

moved around the corner, the

space was even smaller — no need for waiters and waitresses. Customers lined a counter for beef, ham and sausages served in a sauce more orange than red, sandwiched between plain white bread and wrapped in reddish-brown butcher's paper. The floor was perenially slippery from the presence ofall that grease

Eo C.K site was used as a set — the movie was broadcast Nov. 20,

1983. A psychotherapist

counseled a group that watched at Shawnee Mission East High School, and 1,000 others held candles at a peace vigil in Penn Valley Park. Among callers to psychologist Marshall Saper’s radio show, one said, “I'm against dying.

1980s: Shock and Survival

Just downthe hill from Mu-

nicipal Stadium, Bryant's Barbeque “was integrated” The Star \ater said,“when the rest of the city was not” When Playboy magazine asked culinary writer Calvin Trillin to name the three best restaurants in America, he said: Arthur Bryant’s, “Arthur Bryant's, Arthur Bryant’s.” Trillin went so far as to call it

GEWUE Dah O Co City couch potatoes loved 1981, when

American Cablevision caught

up with the suburbs and strung 600 miles of cable toTV sets in the city. The franchise’s subscribers zoomed that year from 4,369 to 28,000. For the serious viewer, a 44-pound Panasonic videocassette recorder could be had for $895. Meantime, a new kind of screen — the computer moni-

the “sing best restaurant in the world’

Bryant's death spurred battles over rights to his sauce and his restaurant. In the 1990s OL lie Gates expanded his own barbecue operations to cover the area, though Bryant's continued to serve long lines — including gamblers at a Station Casino outlet.

RHE

eee

tor — was beginning to find its way into homes. Consider the timely career

switch of one Bruce Burdick, a worm farmer. He began selling desktop computers, with his 10-year-old son as technician, in a small Overland Park shop-

e Coalition Against

Pornograp)) Jaunch an a

re + he edt din who se tho g on Am 1. 198 ry rua Feb in nue Ave yn okl Bro on t Arthur Bryant at his restauran

cinnati-based group

over thevi shops stoke

rated movi« drove some

ut drive that organiz-

-r ads with the mesy Destroys” and “RePorn, Singled out as threats were child | skin flicks with nd sexual violence.

sed nearly $450,000 Les, business leaders households. Thelosrhood video stores. national chains took

arket, mom-and-pop -althy trade renting X-

“he coalition’s tactics of business; others hid

smut films behind the counter. The effort drewthe notice of The

New York Times and CBS News’ “48

Hours.” In time, area prosecutors

climbed aboard. Kansas beefed upits

obscenity laws, and Jackson County prosecutors struck a deal with adult arcades that limited their trade to movies that had“a story line? The coalition quieted after a few years, posting mixed results and making enough enemies to spark a countermovement, the Coalition Against Censorship.

'Pornograk Destroys

ING PORNOG! S O P P O R E H T E G O T D N TA Y Aganet Pomograghy— Kansas OR C ‘Sponsored by

ping center in 1978.

Within six years he owned 11 ComputerLand stores in

John KrohJr. (left) and his brother George Kroh inside the atrium of the Kroh

Brothers headquarters in 1984. ior decades before the 1980s, Kansas

City’s Kroh Brothers Development

Co. was an unhurriedlittle real estate de-

d oo aw Le d ate cre lly tua vir d ha It r. ope vel

kPar rd Wa the ng pi lo ve De t. plo by plot

wayShopping Center was a huge step. But in the 1980s, Kroh Brothers trans-

formed intoa frantic developer. Execu-

their taxes from a money-losing real estate project than they had invested originally But Congress abruptly killed those tax breaks in October 1986. With its money spigot shut off and many of its buildings . up ed iz se rs he ot Br oh Kr y, ne mo ng si lo In December 1986, Kroh Brothers gathered its stunned bankers at its headquar ly ters at 8880 Ward Parkway and solemn h of announced that $768 million wort

tives shook hands on deals to build an oceanside luxury-home development in California, a stadium in Phoenix, Leadoln io ll bi a of rs te ar qu ere th — s on loan ri Ma d an s rm Fa k oo br ll Ha ’s od wo parted at el -r oh Kr by ed ow re we — lars on rs te ar qu ad he ’s Inc od Laboratories go a d an s, ie an mp co d an nerships ed en op dly rie hur ey Th Ef l. Ward Parkway. ri pe in s wa y ne mo at th unk of ch ir the h wit up ep ke try ed. il fa branch offices to y an mp co e th ue sc re to s fort . ire emp te sta Halld il bu to burgeoning 13d ha rs pe lo ve de r Othe in t tha sly iou fur so 4 raft of e ag lv Business gushed sa to in ep st d an brook for d ha y the ed 1985 executives realiz ts. ec oj pr r he ot oundbreaking gr the em th ce un no an rs he to ot br e Th gotten . all wasn’t at Th 30 83 at building it , ice Jr off oh Kr y tor hn e-s Jo fiv a d an for es, George lv se als wa building out the n ke il ta unt ly al y on kwa rs Par pe d ha Ward turned out, e th in s an lo of h rt wo ost finished. s ar ll of do ns io ll mi ldbui the of ld to ny ma ey Th t tha . se ap ll co nd mi e th before ne hs nt mo aa tenants ly inse wi ng ayi be t-p ren d ul w fe wo y d ha nc mo ings the s er nk ba e e e kept sinkr ei rs th the Bro to in it oh Kr w re th ey but th lost moncy. , ed st ve ite lim to to form t mp te at ors e est at inv er sp de a sh fre n ing up company i g in d ne ow a ly ual to act in s tic nas ed ck h su ic wh ae t go : hipps, rshi paa rtneers save it. The money prison ts. ed jec pro rv se ate rs est he ot br l rea e hole; th k ac most of the bl e D ited lim the , aks bre d. au fr nk ba r fo me ti to luscious tax money on re mo e sav ners could actually

Missouri and Kansas, grossing

$30 million in 1984.

Headquarters of the Coalition

Against Pornography — Kansas City

Kansas City

347

with executive director Chris Coop er in 1988.

————

OO

he ;

PROM

1986

marriage

tclecommuni

HUNG of

BEGINNINGS

two

cations Compa nies

that

would form Sprint Co rp Ww yas

sy Pkmbolized by the drop of The

laun afte ms dist

wit

a tiny

long-distance upstart ! its pin-drop commercials

illy based United Telecom . ons Inc. merged its longoperation, US Telec

wa -

int, long-distance packer

the

Corp, of Stamford, Conn.

The

claimed that fiberoptic

line he thi re { tir

¢

-

:

!

a

— Tl rm

&

|

wi nic tric

ist Johnson County, there

nat ee

| Utilities, whose compaded phone, gas andeleeices to small communities it fore at H waistCl or opal rilétthar so s e eya

Tel

1¢ Co. in Abilene, Kan,

B

) started it in 1899, when

like

\| Telephone. The few Abilene

prait

populists despised giants

; rint headquarters in West Sp wood.

ids WV

third-largest long-distance company. US Sprint

folks who owned phones paid $3 a

month to the Bell syndicate; Brown offered local service for $1 a month.

1988, Kansas City firefighters were called to deal with a burning construction trailer at a highway construction site in southeast Kansas City. They did not know thetrailer contained 25,000 pounds of ammoniumnitrate. It exploded, instantly killing six firefighters and awakening people across the metropolitan area. Not until 1997 were five Kansas Citians convicted of participating in lighting the fire at the construction site. They were sentenced to life in prison. The catastrophic blastalso led to creation ofa hazardous materials response team and

a marking system that identifes

storage of hazardous materials.

348

1980s: Shock and Survival

|

\proved clarity you could : drop, But few imagined \lso signaled thestart of a ‘nsto rmati on, United Telecommunicaquartered in Westwood

in

Early in the morning of Nov.29,

,

Deregulation and a federal an-

Hethrew in a discount onelectric bills: he and his father owned the

titrust lawsuit that broke up AT&T i1982 hurled United Telecom into

tunes grew, he acquiredother rural

Petition in the long-distance mar-

power plant, too. As Brown’s for-

phone companies and grouped them underthe “United” umbrella. Theparent corporation later moved from Abilene to Kansas City.

"EW territory, Amid a crush of com-

ket, United Telecom developed a network of lines using fiberoptic

threads instead of copper. That appealed to GTE's Sprint, the nation’s

S a 1.5 and a name had a th a Sprin sO GTE' a million residential customers. The new US Sprint endured a few years of red ink and billing snafus, But soon its customers included millions of households, most Fortune 500 companies and the White House. At century's end Sprint provided nearly 15,000 jobs in the area, far more than any other private employer.

f el ms hi r, ve ea Cl l e u n a m E n a m l i Counc by d e h c t i p n a l p s t n e m e v impro

r. yo ma k ac bl t rs fi s ’ y t i C as ns Ka g dreaming of bein

zz Ja l na io at rn te In n a r fo n io 20 mill $ d e d u l c n i an Pl r e v a e l C d The so-calle n io ll mi 0 $5 d n a a en ar al R ov n a for a new Americ

n o i l l i m 0 2 $ , e m a F of Hall r o b n o d e d n u f l al — k a e Cr h s u r B f o n o i t a c i f i t u a e b d n for flood control a . e u n e v e r x a t s e l a s y b k c ba d i a p e b o t y e n o m d e row n e v E . ft le it ir sp e m o s d a h ll i t ts a h yt t i c a in t, is a e l t a , n It was a showof actio nners that hung in the

a b in t u o d e l l e p s s a w t i r i p s e h t , t h g i n t s e d l on that co ” . e r u t u f e h t s e g n a h c n o i s i v r u O “ : t c i r t s i d z jaz

Kansas City

349

1980

¥ Asix-day strike by Kansas City firefavorable raise pay a them wins fighters

work schedules and new clout at City

mo c l a n o s r e p C P its s e c u d o r t n i M B I ¥ a sepa

3 g Intel Corp-s micr puter, containin

Y S g n i t a r e p O s ' t f oso r c i M d n a r o s s e c o r p

e degrees for 17 straight days; hundreds di in the metropolitan area.

W Westwood-based United Telecommuni-

tem.

Hall.

VY Midsummer temperatures exceed 100

shortlyafter liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing the seven persons aboard.

1982

ers t o v a e r a y t i C s a s n a K Y

cations Inc. and GTECorp. of Connecticut merge into what becomes Sprint

Corp., which m ikes its headquarters in

approve a

e n o h p e l e t y c n e g r e metrowid le 911 em

the Kansas City

area.

¥v TheMisso'

ottery begins.

ity C s a s n a K d e p p a r t s Y Thefinancially

W Kansas vo!

drink, a state

approve liquor by the ry and pari-mutuel bet-

lps e h . r J r e p m e K y b s o r C R. from banker : y n o h p m y S y t i C s a s n a K e h start t ith w t n e m e l t t e s t s u r t i t n a n fa o ¥ As part r u s T & T , A t n e m t r a p e D e c i t the U.S. Jus e n o h p e l e T ll Be l a c o fl l o o renders contr

timg. ¥v An explo

the Chernobyl Nu-

VY Dogged bya poor economy and Iran's

e comn o h p e l e t w e g n n n o o m i a t i t e p m co

pected to ta

continued holding of 52 Americans at the

panies.

¥ The Royals win their first American League pennant, defeating the New York

Yankees in threestraight games and then

lose the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. Third baseman George Brett's

batting averagetops .400 latein theseason and then drops. Nevertheless, he wins his secondleague batting championship.

system.

illion m 1 $ t u b , n w o d s t u h s Philharmonic

ce r e i f r o f e g a t s e h t s t e s s i . h s T e i n a p m co

U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Jimmy Carter los-

leases radial:

in the Soviet Union rethe atmosphere, kills

31 persons

ntaminates land for

miles aroun

idwide, the effect is ex1erations to playout.

1987 V Federal Ju

Russell Clark orders in-

In March 1984, a corm!>ination of rain and temperature that remained at freezing created an ice storm that brought downtrees and powerlines. Someresidents were withoutelectricity for weeks. Power saws were in great

creased taxes

+r area residents to pay for

saw to help remove icy branches from a car.

Panhandle Eastern leaves town. Later, Armco pares its steel operation, laying off

1983

es re-election as president to Ronald Rea-

clear Powe!

Y Cuba's Fidel Castro allows more than

Y Kansas City area residents Carl Civella, Carl DeLuna and Charles Moretina are

100,000 Cubans to leave his country

convicted of skimming $280,000 from a

from the port of Mariel. Most head by

Las Vegas hotel and casino.

boat to the United States.

Y Four Royals baseball players — Willie

Y Television’s “Dallas? broadcast in 91

Aikens, Willie Wilson, Vida Blue and Jerry

countries, breaks all ratings records with

Martin — plead guilty in Octoberto

the episode answering,“Who shot J.R.?”

chargeslinked to use ofcocaine.

¥ Ex-Beatle John Lennon is shot to death

Y Reagan denounces the Soviet Union as

bya fan outside a New York apartment building.

the “evil empire” and launches his Strate-

1985

gic Defense Initiative, a futuristic defense

Y The R.H. Sailors & Co. proposesa high-

950 workers. Y Kroh Bros.,a long-established Kansas City area real estate firm, files for bank-

system.

rise development near the Country Club

ruptcy.

gan.

1981 Y Shortly after Reagan’s inauguration,

Hyatt Regencyhotel collapse onto the crowd below. More than 100 people die.

Y Prince Charles and Diana Spencer are wed in a sumptuous ceremony atSt.

Paul's Cathedral in London. Y Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Y Reagan is shot and wounded as he leaves a Washington hotel.

Y Pope John Paul Il is shot and wounded in Rome.

500,000 copies.

Plaza;it meets stiff opposition, particular-

1984

Iran releases U.S. hostages.

¥ At an evening tea dance on July 17, the skywalks in the lobby of Kansas City’s

demand; these men had only a hand

Y Pop superstar Michael Jackson and his brothers begin their Victory Tour with three concerts at Arrowhead Stadium in

ly from residents of the area.

Y TheJackson Countyprosecutor establishes a task force to shut down drug

houses, now said to number 70.

Y The Royals come from behind to win

July. Tickets cost $30.

the American League West champi-

are nominated by the Democratic Nation-

onship, the League Championship Series and the World Series — thelast over the

Y Walter Mondale and Geraldine Fe rraro

al Convention but are swamped i n the

presidential election by Reag an and GeorgeBush. Republicans are helped by falling unemployment and favorable infla-

tion rates.

Y Rap music spreads ac ross the country. The album “Run-D.M.c” sells more than

St. Louis Cardinals.

Y Scientists announce discovery of a hole in the ozone layer, which blocks ul-

traviolet rays from Earth.

upgrading Kansas City schools. YW The Presbyterian Church (USA) revers-

¢sitself at the last minute, choosing Louisville, Ky., as its new headquarters instead of Kansas City. In the same week,

Jay sas Kan the er aft s ond sec na Are er mp Ke of or flo the on d pte Celebration eru

hawks won the NCAA men’s basketball championship. The Jayhawks’ star player, Danny Manning(left), hugged Chris Piper and other team membersas television

announcers rushed up for interviews and cameras clicked away. metropolitan area,

Y A Pan Am jetliner bound for New York explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 270 aboard.

Y Prozac,a new drug to treat depression, is introduced nationwide.

the , ces pri er low y rpl sha by d rre Spu Y the market for fax machines booms in United States.

V The Dow Jones Industrial Average loses more than 20 percent of its value, . rn tu wn do et rk ma e id dw rl wo a ng spurri

1988 V In April the torture-slayings by mid-

n gi be la el rd Be A. rt be Ro nt de si re town g coming to light. He confesses to killin

gs ba in es di bo r ei th ng fi uf st and six men for garbage collectors.

s n’ me AA NC y ar rs ve ni an th 50 e th At ¥

basketball tournament in Kemper Arena,

the University of Kansas Jayhawks defeat for s er on So ma ho la Ok of ty si er iv the Un the national championship.

cmo De e th s at fe de sh Bu Y Republican

1989

r e b m e t p e S n i d e n e p o The Woodlands h t i w d n a g n i c a r d n u 1989 with greyho g n i t t e B . g n i c a r e s r o in months began h a p t u b , s r a e y y l r a e was heavy in the e h t h t i w y l d i p a r d e tronage declin i. r u o s s i M n i s o n i s a c g of esident. r p r fo s ki ca ce an g n i l t t a b s a t k ity E C s a e s n a K x e i S ¥ e e S e s a ee

r u c c o h c i h y t c a p ee os e a e d n a ana

the i e e e , ty e Ci e s a s n a K

unt o c e ar es us ho ug dr 0 50 an th Y More ed in Kansas City. ng ci ra ers ho d an gdo s d n a l d ¥ The Woo . ty un Co e t t o d n a y W n i track opens

, y c t p u r k n a b s e r a l c e d s e ¥ Braniff Airlin . s r e k r o w l a c o l 0 0 2 , 1 s t i idling mostof

y l l a u s u , n w o r h t r e v o is ¥ Communist rule d n a n r e t s a E t u o h g u o r w:ithout blood, th ikes a reef r t s z e d l a V e

a

of e t a n o i l l i m 1 1 g off Alaska, droppin a g n i l u o f d n a r e t a w crude oil into the . e n i l e r o h s f o s e l thousand mi

OUR PAST IS HELPING DEFINE pete meh bel res... n the eve of Kansas City’s 100th birthday in 1950, two journalists

wrote a history book titled City of the Future and saluted a place

Tm

where the forward movement never stopped

Here stood a community with a

“habit of forgetting the past...and living

almost altogether in the future,” wrote Henry C. Haskell Jr. and Richard B. Fowler. Back then they saw Kansas City speeding beyond the naughty era of machine politics. city still free and unafraid. A city still looking ahead!” Then came the eve of Kansas City’s sesquicentennial, the 1990s

And the past, for better or worse, refused to give up

English.

Consider one week in November 1996 Federal agents had just fingered Missouri House Speaker Bob Gri ffin for peddling influence in a city already stung by reports of City Council members taking bribes. The new film “Kansas City.” an ode to the wide-open town of director Robert Altman's youth, rivaled the HBO mov ie “Truman,” which had a special show ing at Independence’s Englewood Theater. Closer to downtown, drive-by vandals fired bullets into the walls of a packed casi-

PZ

no

a

Was it just us — or had the calendar flipped to the 1930s?

TheVirtual '90s, of course, were anyt hing but the Depression. The circumstances were light-years apart. But th e people had not changed mu c h And just as the town Thx mas J Pen dergast ruled wasn’t all vice and villainy,

the Kansas City of the ‘90s found success reuniting with its old self , After all, it was the same wee k in November 1996 when hi story — embodied

in a broken-down train depot — finallylinked the suburban masse s in a cause to Overturn neglect of the urb an core. On that driz zl y Election Day, some would even say, the Kan s as City Spirit stumbled back after a long, fitful nap.

5

i

Aboveleft: Exhibit designers gathered

around a model of Science City in September 1997,

s k e e w y l n o n o i t c e l e With the crucial wa e r h t m u e s u M y t i C s a s n a away, the K t o gl n i k r a p e h t n i l a v i t s e Science City F

0 0 0 , 0 1 n a h t e r o M . n o i of Union Stat tober 1996 c O e t a l in p u d e w o h s e l p o pe

t s o o b o t t n a e m t n e for the rally, an ev o N e h t n o x a t e t a t s i for the b

’ E T A T S I B ‘ R O F Y R O T VIC taxs le sa r ei th e e is is ra ra to = d ge re ur in two states were

five counties

type c vi ci y b d le bb co gn Ar An unprecedented campai

e esa one-eigh th of 1 cent at the mon ey woul dhelp h t d e s i m o r p x e l p eae etro m ne ceded $2 $ 00 milil1 project slated to exce from all corners of tl Cit) , y t i C e c e n c e n i e c i s c S o t i n i on Ssttataiotnion co) nvert Uni

lion.

or 1 u a t S S n o i n n io U In > y t Old, e: mp j

—_—

e c n o e the city >

‘itv’s

veearabG

herculean hub, now a symb« |

Kansas City

wo dN JN

Previous page: “Missouri River No. 7” by John

Slot machines were back. Real grass at the ballpark, back. Jazz, corruption, Quality Hill, “traditional values,” short hair, huge cars, even the case for neighborhood schools — all seemed to be swinging back

O

nd Park,

indidate B

)

H

t

notone S

j

'

tion

tte tax

(

Kansas

I

‘

said

(

J

{

1 County

{

1

t

)

and Missouri were as polarized as

voters said yes. Sixty percent of

County,

yes. Clay County,

yes. Only

Vr

own county,”

acknowledged one

But I felt enough compassion for Union Station, I

agair

ear later,

when the new jazz museum and ) Leagues Baseball Museum returned at least a twinkle of life to ANG Vine streets. And in the next year, 1998. voters agreed to restore fet i ndmark so neglected that officials had cordoned off vhole thing unsafe

POM |

cx

:

I

is i

{

Platte

should take care of its oll

K

yes.

of tax cuts and old-fashioned

exceeded the hopes even of the campaign’s

Jackson County

(

polling places were newer, the

choice was a 73-year-old Kansan

of

“

7

Cyn

the

and

people ‘

)

City Hall's m nese

ints

rooms across Kansas City more than 1,000 swapped ideas for improving the town. Nur ses and and neighborhood leaders.

They huddled on behalf of

N to construct the first citywide mast er plan since 1947

FOCUS Kansas

Vantec their

conference

City

sessions confirmed the tug of the past. Residents

streetcars back, their schools back They wanted to walk to tores and ic cee--cr creeam shishops. They: pine: d for community police, a

niittc “cl nf cepmtt p hed b} y Chhiieef Steven Bisho p in which officers Wol ild keep watch over specific neighborho

ods

The Negro Leagues Basel above, andthe Kansas (¢ becamethe centerpiec« ment efforts at 18th and

um, fuseum elopreets,

oncethe heart oftheblac ghborhood. At the baseball museum, a statue ofballplayer Josh Gibson drewtheattention of 3-year-old Daniel Betts and

his father, Clintel Betts, of KansasCity,

Kan., in 1997. Visitors to the jazz muse-

umin 1998 applaudedthe musicin the Blue Room, right.

There, jazz artifacts

are displayed in vertical cases and under glass table tops. Driving force behind the 18th and Vine redevelopment was Emanuel Cleaver, methodist minister and mayor of Kansas City from 1991 to 1999.

Cleaver

o, ag ry tu en -c lf ha a om fr es cu k oo “t ts p or e r S U C O F f o s e m u l o v Fully nine

The Star said rther u f n e v e k c a b d e n e k r a h e r o v a e d n e r e h t o n a still es cr r e p o l e v e d d, oo st s a s n a K f o n Tow 1 c l o e h t e r e h w d i r g On thet yarrow e v o b a e s o r at th s g n i d l i u b t

e firs th f o e m o s g in or st re by ts n e m t r a p a t f o l d g e n i it m o c s a w , l e t o h 1 s 60 the the 18 , e s » u o H c fi ci Pa t n a c a v g rn o l e h t n e v E . s f the bluf n e v e s , 99 19 r e b m e v o N n e p c k to o a r t n o s a w n o i t a Hoscieence City < it Union St rthday i b h t 0 5 1 ’s ty i C s a s n a e K a e r o f e b months

Kansas City

problem. Teens c ommonly w ound upin the mi dd le of the killing — either 4S perpetrators or as Vi ictims. A nation al gang summit” convened in Kansas City. Young rivals f ro: ™m Los Angeles to Newark, NJ., forg ed a truce: Put down our knives and fi ght for economic freedom.

Catch phrases, maybe. But as the de cade clicked on and the population grew older, violent crime receded to levels unseen in three decades.

MIXED MESSAGES

Family, community and harmonyprevailed as idea ls to uphold,if not to Practice. Between the opposing worlds that Kansas City nowreflected —

Catch phrases of 1990s society: Family and community. Consensus. Town hall meetings to promotea

one urban and one suburban — fewerthan half ofa ll children south of the river lived in two-parent homes.

meaningful dialogue. Harmonyin a World ofDiffer-

ence. Or, as TV spots of one local organization asked, “Is it good for the children?”

CUPCAKES AND KIDDIE COPS

Where else but home, then, would families be feasting on Thanksgiving? As turkeys browned in 1996 — just weeks after the bistate election — odd wisps appeared in the noontime sky over Armour Hills. Children stopped playing and gazed up from back yards. Skywriting! A plane barely visible from the ground swept across the blue, and its message stretched across the south side:

Richard Rhodescalled the spread-out metropolis “Cupcake Land.” A place “well-scrubbed and bland,” as the author described his hometown in a 1987 essay. A city once fueled by the sweatof farmers and the soot of locomotives nowwas defined by spotless kitchens, built-on garages and

“pristine curb spaces...where cars in urban neighborhoods would be parked.”

Rhodes, who would soon win a Pulitzer Prize for a book on the atomic

bomb,profiled a polite but passionless place where standing ovations were routine. A place waryofrisk takers. A place proud to conform andbe average, where marketing companiesflocked to test new products. His critique was gross in its generalities and hardly appreciated bylocal boosters. But longtime residents could relate.

“STATION CASINO.”

The area’s fifth floating casino put Super 7 Black-

jack in a shopping-mall setting. It soon made room for 18 movie screens,

mimicking a metrowide explosion in megaplex theaters. Wh ile Mom and Dad gambled, kids could play video games at the child-c are outlet, whose mission statement was: “To open ‘New Horizons ’ ofself-esteem and potential for thelittle people entrustedin our care...” So many phrases. Like most ofthe '90s gaming spots, St ation Ca sino hugged the north bank of the Missouri River. The North! and finall y shed its low profile and flexed its reside. ntial muscle enough to help K ansas City enjoy a slight jump in population from 1990 to 1996. Moreth an 100,000 Kansas Citians now lived north, compared with 340,000resid ents southof theriver, It was up north where the city eyed the future, and in so doing, fell back on graft ofthe past. Politics and Northl and development swayed in an illicit dance that cost two City Council m em bers their positions. Mi ch ael Hernandez in February 1995 confessed t o taki ng $70,000 in bribes to cut real est deals. He would take a colleague , Chuck Weber, down wit h him after agreeing to wear a body recorder in c hats with Weber.

Both had locked arms with the financial empire of Fran k M organ, who : eon associates had a phras efor their political

nations" — while prose cutors called the payment

The Argosy Riverside Casino, top, floats in a protected cove on the Missouri River. Slot machines drew customers, above, to the October 1996 opening day

“Kansas City was a paradise once, or so it seemed to me when I was a boyin the years just after World War II,” he recalled. The city of Rhodes’ memory rural a from ng spru mass n urba rous vigo was a

of the FlamingoHilton Casino,floating

in its own pond neartheriver in

KansasCity.

landscape. Only the fine homes and manicured lawns south Mr. n’s fictio to home — Plaza Club of the Country Rhodes y -burl hurly the d defie — ge Brid and Mrs. felt in his Kansas City.

the at orted unesc city the roam did “t could and boards wash hung es “Ladi . wrote he age of eight,” and noons after y sunn on s chair of over the backs Hot sellers far from Downtown: These

in s 90 19 e lat e th n i up homes popped

ly ve ti ac st mo e th of e on , od wo dg We

Ro l ro Da r pe lo ve de of ts ec oj pr sought drock in Shawnee.

summer on hair, th -leng waist their wash

ts.

d calle le peop and out came lawn chairs

. s d r a y t n o r f s s s o ’ y r t i C ac s a s n a K d e n e t e e w s d n ,a d n a L e k a c p u C e, os ar s b r u b “And then the su ” ? n w o t y m to d e n e p p a h ll he e h t t a h W . . l u o s n s w e n e iv at rn te Jain- spoken urba al e h t r o 97 article f

19 n 4 1 e m a s e h t d re e d n o w k n a r F ee

e e e a o

e o s a >

_ < — = — — ————— ed m a l b k n a Fr , o g a c i h C p o r living 19 l e v e d rban

bu u s y l r e d r d o of e able in s n e s ind y t i t n e d i s y it t ! © s a s n a orey, histe yst K e: s ’ y t i e c e e h : t n ! e gur i f t n a c i f r g i n t s ig ingiIe-1mK s

t p m i } 1 c i bar r a b e h t n n i e r t o e a b Da t{tle t | o i n r a e m t t c Une s

|

oe

varrior

in

nt e u l f f a , d a e l hols c i N s w o l o l the first to fo » W his n i d were e v r e s b o i b u s i K a l o o g .d Tali owned »5 e S U 0 1 |o lock of i pat nile from one b:

uon a n i g a m i ) r a m u h f the ;

iilies red Dy

the

wrole

part “A : s nd n o i aa t a I l , e r e e d i s t n rac s , o a n e e t a n o t e > e e r r t t S s t s 3 1 and 3 d r a v e l u s e B d o o inw L n e e w t e b s r e v w ericé a l m A n a by c i r f A e t i he el t f o 1 t s o m s . e . c . n s e e d c i rs res len o t s a p s p a s p p ha d r a v e l u o 3 n o t > n Be d n a t e e r t S h t 7 2 he intersection of us revealed a

Heavyrains through s

the most widespread ne lea

5

U.S. history. In Kansas City, wade Seas of its channel and inundated Sout cy Cree :

vard on July12, right. In ensuin West Bo.) ul Kansas and Missouri rivers -

2 Ww

bare

wt

% tks, »

in their banks at Kawsmouth, hea d wig,

Missouri overflowed in smal] comm, but the

such as Parkville, second from beg UNitieg

Riverside, bottom. There Interstar as fp a 2635 Wa

knocked out of commission,

was spared the Moines, Iowa,

sissippi River

severe fl i by co!

» the area = Des cae

+1 elsewhere on th ie Misso,

a cens 0 9 9 1 e h T t s u r c t e p p u k c a l b e h t o t omee ry hs u t ul n o e c i e THK e r h t , w o n d S n A . 0 7 9 1 e c n i s y t i n i c i v e h n t i e g n u l p n o i t a l u p o p 10 percent 2 . r a e y a 0 0 0 , 5 2 $ n a s th s e l g n i n r a e d e rt po re ds ol ur househ et, e r t S h t 7 2 f o h t r o n t s u j p u w e r g o h w , ce Ri E. In 1992, Star rep« ster Glenn s i h n i s e g n a n l c d e d r o rec d n a n o t ; n e B d n a h t returned to an apartment at 7 eee

old neighborhood

-Rice ” s, an di In d an s y o b w co or y m r a | c e y a l p n e r d l i h ps Fifteen years ago...c coe f e o n o i s r e v a ’ , s p o thearea play ‘dealers and c

“Now children in wrote. c an , s g a b c ti as pl n i s ug dr e k and robbers. In this game kiddie dealers carry fa

. ps co ie dd ki by ht ug ca n e h w get frisked and spread-eagled d d of ow 4 ccr e e e a w o r a d an ce li po al re 60 n ee tw be e er th ed ar fl ly ar ne In 1996 a riot g n u o y e n o d e d n u o w d t sho an ice Pol residents heaving bottles and bric ks.

the in t au wt dre ns sio ten As . cer ffi ano at gun a d nte man who allegedly poi m. cal for led cal lly sfu ces suc r yo ma ck bla t firs ’s ity ec th ed, days that follow But,” Cleaver added, “we can't ignorethat there is something awryin the community

Hestressed that “this is about drug dealers,” not race PAST DENIALS

In the busy world of today,” according to a promotional booklettitled ‘Kansas City,” “many do notstopto lookat the past, but are wrapped up body and soul in the future.” That booklet hit the shelves in 1888. The authors thought it “astonishing to note how many of the citizens...are almost entirely ignorant” of the city’s history.

Local historians were still saying it a century later. The mantra ofcivic lead-

ers had been “progress.” Often, progress and the urge to prop up a modern

image trumped a fascinating history.

In the 1940s, progress meant a reform-minded city government dedicated to purging boss politics, which had brought so much bad press to Kansas

City.

The movement succeeded, but local jazz died. When the reformers cleaned up Kansas City politics,” essayist Frank

wrote in 1997, “it cleaned upits culture, too, ev entually transforming it from

an agriculturally grounded sin city into a fantasy land for the aspirations of

the middle class.”

195 In the » 19 50s and , 60s, prc gress meant freewa y travel. The downtown loop

ams e r t : s d e d o o l f t a h t s n i s rain l a i t n e r r o t y b d e s i r p r u s = - 2City mA c = n o y m e = h t ven of e s , g n i d o o l f e h t n i ad d e = n e a o a = y t i e C s a s n e Ka h T . k e Cn e r C h s u r B f o e g d i r spect b was Ar

e e um rowhead Stadi

e v o b a , k e e r C y e k r u T

360

1990s: City of the Future

cars , e l a d e s o R n I . g n i because of lightn

ee food a1 nd c onvenie

;anchor tenants

lenc re: . Kmart a cee stores nd Payless Cashways ba of thest ckeed

As GloveCr r rr, ema

K »pPping ce nter

out 2 as

> confid en t that new tenants wou ld sign, that comMerce would pre vail. that red eveloped homes would follow, midtow Umers gazed at n ol dtheir field of drea ms and called it

ine% d

‘the crow sanctuary.”

LESSONS FROM HISTOR Y In heherr 19199797 bo ok. W-hy History Matters, Universi ty of: Wisconsin professor Gerda Lerne exp lained how the past serve “ emer d * as a necessary anchor” for understanding human natu re and theroots of f oublic problems

“History can link people,” sh e wrote “It encourages us to transcend thefinite span of ourlifetime by identifying with the generations that came be -

fore us and mez ‘suring Our Own action s against the generations that will fol-

low.”

What we learn from Kans. as City history is that the most pressing civic problems of the ‘90s — crime, racial division, drugs anda declining urban

core — are very old problems

In the Civil War, visitor Charles Monroe Chase wrote to a friend that Con-

federate bushwhackers were so ruthless here, no road leading to the city

Was safe. “Constant insecurity for life and property,” Chase penned. “Revolvers are everywhere readyto go off in short notice.”

Narcotics? In a 1917 address to the Cham-

obliterated old town structures anderased from the map a winding avenue on the west cliff of Quality Hill — Kersey Coates Drive, namedafter the town builder. The metro area as of 1995 boasted moreinterstate highway miles per capita than any other U.S. city. It also had the suburban vista that accompanied such distinction, but no room for Kersey Coates Drive. In the 1990s, progress meant the Glover Plan. Carefully sewn together by Councilman Jim Glover, the goal was to build a discount shopping center where tattered housing and adult bookstores

stood, near Linwood and Main Street. The plan relied on a catch phrase, “tax-increment financing.” That meant diverting some taxes generated by the new businesses to pay for project costs. To sw eeten the deal, the city dangled a chunk of undeveloped real estate in popu lar Westport. Developers eager to reel in the Westport site stepped forward. The council approved the Glover Plan in 1993, and bulldo zers cleared 33 acres near Linwood and Main. Officials declared victoryafter ye ars of fail ed plansfor that intersection. Fewcivic tears were shed over the brownbrick remains of Milton’s Tap Room, the vintage jazz club at 3241 Main. By 1999 the Westport portion of the packag e buzzed with a giant grocery, a videorental outlet and othe r retail symb ols of the boomingtimes. But the Linwood and Main site remained an urb an moonscape, save for a fewfas t

y of the Future-

|i

Hoping to improve the neighborhood, a group of people from the area of 27th Street and Benton Boulevard gathered in November 1997 to hear the Rev. John M.Miles, minister of the Morning Star Baptist Church, inveigh against the opening of a liquor store in an empty storefront.

.

ber of Commerce, H.R. Ennis declared that “morally Kansas Cityis rotten” thanks to the peddling of heroin, cocaine and morphine. “There are a number ofbeautiful girls in the Reformatory who have gone down to

this awful habit,” said Ennis, who as head of the local welfare board interviewed inmates. “They want you to get after these jackals who sell the drugs.” In a passagethat could have been spoken 80 years later, he cited “peddlers (who) at blocks or corners regular have to seem which they can be found at certain times.” attracCitians’ Kansas flight, urban for As ever keen been has suburbs the tion to

the from up wafted odors foul first since the . stockyards.

Back in the 1920s an East Coast journalist

named

Shaemas

O’Sheel

marveled at

. — as open for appetite Kansas Citians’ residents many so of perhaps , byproduct, ‘ coming from rural areas.

_ d o o w n i L at ct ri st di n a l The Glover P d e r a e l c s a w d n a l e r Main streets, whe . r e t n e c g n i p p o h s a f o anticipation

= South ‘out suburbs the that Sa Ses Citian rhe Kansas every ae i ne e every of “It is thefirn n faith ; : but an the most bea attract together close living Fe ites e d l Sa l al A “ . d o o w a e L e r o f e b s e d a c de

Kansas City

ee

:

363

1990S: WHO WE WERE

CHIEFS

¥ Kansas City population (1990). Foreign-born: 3%

every 100 females.

Ons of the late ‘ 60s and early "70s but mo stly

435,146

Chiefs, proud ch ampi

Black: 29% ¥Y Male/female ratio: 91 males to

losers until the arri val

¥v Averagelife expectancy: 76 years. ¥ Common professions: Govern-

of General Man ager Carl Peterson and he ad Coach Marty Schot tenheimer in 1989. By t he

ment work, agribusiness, health

care, data processing ¥ National rankings: \« ing-card production, m miles per capita; seco center and wheat!

ing ct ra tt fa lo goa e th th wi ts, sea d ad to 97 19 in Kemper Arena was expanded and keeping major sporting events.

es us ho ent rtm apa the en Ev n, tio ula pop y’s Cit as ns Ka of on cti insignificant fra must be set back in lawns.”

mty co ori eri ry inf ssa ece unn y oll “wh ’s ity thec d at zle puz 8 192 l in hee O’S

plex.”

And in a paragraph that foretold our love affair w ith interstate pave-

ment, he wrote that the “greatest delight” of Kansas Citians “is to jump in the car and go somewhere. Just going is the main thing..,.this itch for movement.”

Yv Common causes © in local records: |! cancer, stroke, accia:

Y Adults 25 and olde degrees: 22% Y Prices: $5.99 per po City strip steak; $15! disc recording; $17 f seat at Kauffman Stac Birkenstock sandals;

domestic sport-utility an household incom« v Popular diversions:

Movement. Division. A sense of inferiority.

Add to those traits one that marked thecity sinceits fur-trapping days — a zeal for profit

History suggests that these make up Kansas City’s genetic code. They'll probably help define thecity's personality, its potential and its problems in the future

reeway reest rail xducer,

listed case, -ollege Kansas npact| box 00 for )fora

:medi50.

2 the

Internet; children’s sox Slues gamand Jazz Festival; garden) bling; mall walking; country line

dancing; e-mailing; tailgating at

Chiefs games.

WES

‘REMEMBER THIS’

Oneother trait repeats itself in the history of Kansas City, and this might be our best hope Good people

Sir George Campbell of Londonnoticed it more than acentury ago.In his

studies of race relations in the United States, Campbell was puzzled to find

whites and blacks co-existing in Kansas City with “surprisingly little shouting

or slanging.”

The New York Times covered the 1900 Democratic National Convention at Convention Hall — rebuilt from ashes in 90 days — and said: “In every wayin their powerthecitizens have laid themselves out to be not only courteous, but genuinely friendly.” To wit, a jeweler on the Fourth of July unlocked his shopto “loan” eyeglasses to a New York er who broke his pair in a parade.

Even during the 1985 World Series, visitors heaped praise. When one asked a cabbie to drive him to an American Express office to cash a check

the driver flasheda roll of bills and asked how much he needed. Told by the

364

1990s: City of the Future

n April 13, 1994, the words Orr Wide Web” appeared ina Kansas City Stararticle for the first time. By year’s enda virtual army of alien phrases had crept into the lexicon — “Home page” in November 1994, “search engine” two weekslater. TheStar madeitself available in cyberspace in early 1996. The newspaper also launched a community directory, kansascity.com, through which Web browsers could check local hotel rates, scan schoolclosings or even join a “live chat” with then-Royals manager Bob Boone.

of his career capped a star ting turnabout. Not so hapPY Was the situation on the other side of the Truman Sports Complex, where the baschall Royals struggled to find good players and a new owner after the death of Ewing Kauffman.A comPlex succession plan even tually led to the planned sale 10 a NewYork lawyer, but c ynly after he gathered several prominent local investors

Joe Montana for the last tw oyears

0 OFS

sc n 199(

Pe pis

©

! buses — an

suppose:

be a great

ominous

to what was

decade | School !

© Kansas City t. The federal

on, by busing chil-

schools, m

| one disappoint-

to

PLACE ewaspects of Kansas City life in the final years of the 20th century changed so dramatically as the workplace.

reverse a legacy

of segregat

dren

WORK-

accidentally

left on ©

court plat

LIFESTYLES

it Kansas City

nagnet-theme“

ment after another. New buildings, ad blitzes

and a price tag exceeding $1 billion ushered in a few years

of high hopes and some posi-

eek

Peterson

carly “90s the te am was winning and the gam es were Consistently selling out. Th e acquisition of the famed qua rterback

| in greet-

oth

a

A Sports fans re-

ANcwed their obse s. S10N with the football

MANIA

tive press nationwide. But all

the trimmings failed to buff up thedistrict's administrative image. Three superin-

lhe marchto the suburbs continued north,east, south and southwest. In Johnson County, subdivisions gobbled up woodlands and farm fields. Home and job were linked by miles of ever-expanding interstate highways (Above: Interstate 35 at the 151st Street overpass in Olathe.

tendents lost their jobs in the ‘90s: George F Garcia, Walter Marks and Henry Williams. Test scores stayedlow. The most damaging blow to the district's dreams came from a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permitted the state of Missouri to stop providing fundsfor the desegregation plan. Traumatic budget cuts followed.

iE ete eee on

area workers earned their living at homeat thestart of the 1990s, according to the census. Within cight years the estimated number of homebased businesses zoomed past 90,000.

The spread of home com-

puters made “telecommuting” possible for workers who still answered to a boss. As for the boss himself — well, make that “herself” Nationwide, women business owners skyrocketed from

million in 1997, according to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners.

of the student population, U.S. District Judge Russell G.

ing.

the work force to 32 percent. About 21,000 Kansas City-

402,200 in 1972 to nearly 8

With minority children making up nearly 80 percent

Clark stepped away from the case. The focus of the school board switched to curriculum basics and teacher train-

In 1969 more than 20 percent of local employees worked in manufacturing. By the end of the 1990s their ranks were expected to fall below 10 percent, Conversely, service employees in that time grew from 17 percentof

r a c , s r a c t e e r t s f o se i u g e h t n i s e s u b , s y e l *s trol h t i w e m o Kansas s , y t i c e h t h g u o r h t s r e t u m m o c ried men and

narration.

Imposing

for the law umofArt the forma its lawn. ! Hall, they detractor

ittlecocks” were design ed f the Nelson-Atkins Mus e. ling a whimsical touch to ign of the museum and he sculptures atop Bartle > gained defenders and

assenver that tha that tha was we unnecessary, 4 passenger the cabbie excused himself to search out a phone bookfor the nearest address “I don’t think you'dsee that in many cities,” the passenger told The Star

They've endured floods and fires, blizzards, heat waves, crime waves

andwar, these good people. They have symbolized and celebrated the American story. They're the most reliable workers in America, ac cording to a 1994 study the in eism absente ng compari , Statistics Health for Center National bythe

The aging American Royal building was

replaced in 1992 by the new American Royal complex, left.

366

1990s: City of the Future

33 largest cities. Philan of les Chronic the by one this study, 1994 They give. Another givcapita per in largest 50 s country’ the among thropy, rankedthe city 11th ing to major charities. tour to Station Union at up lined they And onthe first Saturday of 1998 a signed They there. were s Hundred time. last one depot ted dilapida their until capsule time a in sealed be to s memorie down jotted and sheet guest here, from camp boot Marine to “I went read: will city the year That 2099.

” Summit. Lee’s Evans, A. Phillip Sept. 1966.

all it what ing wonder too, there, was 7, age Moore, Adam yed Wide-e

science a as up this all fix to going “They're meant: flis mother explained: ” . s i h t r e b m e m e r o t y center. So tr . e g d e l p s i h s a w ” , l l i w I , K O “ . e n e c s e h t n i k Adam too

Kansas City

307

a: oe eete t e S s d o o l f start s r u o p n w o d mer

1990

the Midwest in Juneand July Although

VY Kansas City voters approvethe expar

jevees hold at Kansas City, some suburbs

Y On Dec. 3, New Mexico climatologist Iben Browning predicts, a major earth

ring along the New Madrid fault in south-

woohew

east Missouri Although thousands of

man Yasser

gawkers descend on the Bootheel to

ter Yitzhak ¥ Brett, the

watch, no earthquake occurs.

Y Fight pupils areleft on Kansas City

his last gan Vv Morgan

school buses at various times in theyear.

One, kindergartner Angela Terrell, spends

City’s skylis indictedfo

more than 30 hours after the driver forgets to check for sleeping students and

Y Heavy rains flood the Blue River in

O Chair.s House lawn, PrL ime Mini

¥ Steven Bishop is sworn inas police chief on June 14 and promptlyfaces a

son headquarters. in the Kansas City arca

!s' greatest hitter, plays 4 andretires.

dianans offered the college athicuc over

© empire shaped Kansas he 1980s but who was

igging in the '90s, dies

Vv Anexpa

Bartle Hall, topped by

sculptures.

5 in September.

newAfrican Plains exhibit.

1998 ¥ Eleven persons die in areawide flood

Y TWA emerges from bankruptcy organi-

ing after a heavy rainfall Oct. 4

of Missouri voters approveallowing casi-

Y Black South Africans, allowed to vote for the first time, sweep Nelson Mandela

zation,

¥ City voters approve funds to renovate

gosy, opens i

Riverside. Four more will

licemen. He begins a campaign of suspen-

ed thefirst black mayor of KansasCity.

the Missouri State Penitentiary

sions to bring it to a halt.

Y TheKansas City stockyards holdsits

son City.

last cattle auction Sept. 20.

¥ In the November election, 64 percent

in Jeffer-

to thePersian Gulf.

leaders of Ukraine and Byelorussia de-

no gambling on riverboats. In the race for

into the presidency.

¥ Kansas City voters on Nov.6 approve

clare Soviet Union dead on Dec. 7.

president, Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas

limit of two terms for mayor and council

Mikhail Gorbachevresigns as Soviet pres-

beats Republican incumbent George

VY Underthe leadership of Newt Gingrich and his “Contract With America,’ Re-

members

ident weekslater.

Bush andathird-party candidate, Texas

billionaire Ross Perot.

Y Federal regulators in March seize Home Savings Association of Kansas City,

a keypart offinancier Frank Morgan’s fi-

368

1990s: City of the Future

Los Angeles police beating Rodney King,

an all-white jury exonerates four white officers in April. The verdict sets off three days ofrioting centered in south Los Angeles.

¥ In late September the Royals’ George Brett makes the 3,000th hit of his long career as his new bride, Leslie Brett, looks on. Y The $34 million new American Royal Arena complex is completed. Y In October, Morgan is indicted in fed-

1993 Y Ewing Kauffman,

ae

multimillionaire owner

of the KansasCity

Y The Kansas City school district desegregation plan, a court-ordered $1.8 biltion, is ruled excessive and too costly by

benefactor, dies.

Y In April the Kansas City Chiefs get famed

tana in a deal with the San Francisco ‘49ers.

1995

lion, decade-long effort to improve educa-

Royals and charitable

quarterback Joe Mon-

publicans in November win control of the U.S. Housefor first time in four decades. Theyalso win the U.S. Senate.

1992 Y Despite amateur videotape showing

newspapers, the Walt Disney Co. sells Tre

increase, reopens. Thousands tourits

ict. 8 at

City Country Club, where helearned to

Y Deciding it isn’t interested in running

follow, luring tens of thousands of gamblers each year.

Y Serial killer Bob Berdella «

¥ Tom Watson resigns from the Kansas

andVinedistrict

in the UnitedStates

¥ On March 26, Emanuel Cleaveris elect-

Y Boris Yeltsin, president of Russia, and

employees and others die; hundreds more are injured.

gro Leagues Hall of Fame open in 18th

Y The Kansas City Zoo, doubled insize as a result of a Kansas City property tax

rash ofaccusations about brutality by po-

a cease-fire.

,

Y The Kansas City Jazz Museum and Ne

Ridder, second-largest newspaper group

nancial empire

and in three days, with Iraqi forces thoroughly defeated, President Bush declares

Neweatlnance ante wea a

centives

1994 slaying ofhis wife and friend

‘rst riverboat casino, the Ar-

on Jan. 17, signaling the start ofthe Gulf War. The ground attack begins Feb. 24,

sight group more than $50 million in in

Starandother publications to Knight

YW The area’

1991 ¥ US. warplanes and missiles strike Iraq

since 1952. will move to Indianapelis in

Y OJ. Simpsonis acquitted Oct. in the

2

man HenryBloch, who is Jewish.

¥ The NCAA announces that its 250per

sign a peace accord.

eral court on charges ofbid

play golf, over its exclusion of business-

crm

and Israeli P

1994 « Kansas City Mayor EmanuelCleaver took to the streets to point out this one overgrown weeds.

gust. U.S. sends troops, armor and aircraft

Representatives and two local union bead

Oct. 24.

polic ¢ misroute a missing persons report.

¥ Iraqi troops enter Kuwait in early Au-

Caught up in the probe have been a for mer speaker af the Missoun House af

sha w s e v a r g 0 0 5 n a h t cemetery of more es away

quake has a 50 percent chance of occur

businesses.

Bully in a swoepung WNVveNogatan af pa y atts and other public OCOTrTUPpHIOR Als

and outstate towns find flooded homes a . o , M n i d r a H y n i t n . and downtowns I

sion of Bartle Hall

mid-May, damaging 600 homes and 102

< ouncH menther m three ve an pyecaats

Kauffman

Y With the ground saturated by heavy winter snow andlong spring rains, sum-

the U.S. Supreme Court. The district begins cutting costs, closing schools and eliminating “magnet” themes. Y The federal office building in Oklahoma Cityis shattered April 19 bya bomb planted byterrorists withties to

central Kansas. One hundred sixty-eight

1996

Y The Walt Disney Co. buys the parent companyof The Kansas City Star, Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Y The FFA, whose thousands of youthful

un co e th ss ro ac rs te ap ch om fr s te ga le de try had convened in Kansas City since therga al nu an s t i ve mo to s de ci de , 28 19 ing g to Louisvsvilillele,, KyKy.. in ate culst bi a e v o r p p a 5 . vy No n o rs te Y Vo

nd use a n io at St n o i n U e or st re tural tax to

it as part of Science City. a d l i u b o t n a l p a s e l i f . p r o C t ¥ Sprin m e 0 0 5 , 4 1 g n i s u o h s r world headquarte . k r a P d n a l r e v O n i t e e r t ployees on 119 th S . e d o c P I Z n w o s it e v a The “campus” will h

1997

ity C s a s n a K d r i h t e ¥ In October th

the Liberty Memorial

¥ After years of scarching for a new owner, theinterim board running the

Kansas City Royals approves sale of the team to Miles Prentice, a New York

lawyer — but only after Prentice digs up lots of local investors

t en id es Pr at th s on ti sa cu ac by ed cl ¥ Fu t ou ab on ti si po de t ur co a in ed li n Clinto

ky, ns wi Le a c i n o M th wi ip sh on ti la his re s he ac pe im s ve ti ta en es pr Re of e us the Ho

him.

1999 ve mo re to t no s e t o v te na Se . US e ¥Y Th ice f f o m o r f n o t n i l C t n e d i s e r P

cted e l c ts s e n r a B o d l a W y a K 6 l i r ¥ On Ap man to o w t rs fi e h t , ty Ci s a s n a K mayor of

, er ov on ti ec cl e h t h t i W . st po e occupy th es. rn Ba y a K ed ll ca e b to s k s a e sh

Kansas City

369

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS y or st hi er ch ri r fa a r fe of on gi re is th d an ty Ci ansas on ed rk ba em we en wh ed in ag im us f yo an than is project in early 1997. We are indebted, therefore, to all the people who gave us wise guidance and ng li al rr co of sk ta e th em th t ou th Wi y. wa e th g on al l se un co the story of this fascinating part of the world would have been impossible. William S. Worley and Lawrence H. Larsen ofthe history faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and several other scholars helped us with our focus and our perspective, and in our sometimes frantic search for quick

and credible resources. At the Kansas City Public Library, Katherine Long's staff

in the Special Collections Department wasgreatly helpful, retrieving items indefatigably. In particular, Stuart Hinds

proffered excellent advice and tips and did yeoman’s work makingillustrations available for publication; Sara Nyman provided much sound advice. David Boutros of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection provided an immense amount ofinsightful and informed advice about word and image resources. Early on, his review ofthe state of pre-bridge-era images kept us from wasting time ona field that is photographically nearly barren. He also kept us skeptical about images and their descriptions. Finally, his technological skill made scores of images available for publication, sometimesafter last-minute requests. His associates, Marilyn Burlingame, Bettie Swiontek, and Jennifer Parker, offered wonderful

suggestions.

Alan Perry andthestaff of archivists and volunteers at

the National Archives and Records Administration, Central

Plains Region, were instrumental in directing us through stacks upon stacks of World War Il documents relating to Kansas City’s war effort. Historian Charles N. Glaab, the expert on Kansas City’s early railroads, kindly agreed to read the chapter on The Bridge from his home in Ohio. Worley and Boutros also agreed to read sections ofcertain chapters.

A somewhathidden treasure in area historical resources is the Wyandotte County Historical Society and Museum in Bonner Springs. John Nichols had scores of excellent suggestions about resources for words and illustrations. His

jjto y it il ab r ou to ys ke re we e dg le ow kn d an enthusiasm lustrate several chapters, particularly that on World WarI.

Henry Adams Thomas Hart Benton An Ameri-

can Original. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989

isass t ea gr of re we er hl ku im Le y Am d Teresa Gipson an

Arthur N Alkire, ed. Men ofAffairs in Greater Kansas City. Kansas City: Kansas City Press

at s on ti ec ll Co l ia ec Sp y ar br Li s ol ch Ni er ll Mi e th tance at

Club, 1912

ch ar se re s y’ et ci So al ic or st Hi e at St as ns Ka e th JMKC. At

answered all our seeminglyinterminable requ: Hundreds of readers of The Star offered the

tips and much-needed encouragement

months that the newspaper published its material, Kansas City Millennium. Onlyi:

could we havefinished such a lengthy proje:

tent reader support, eagerassistance fromsi! brarians, and barely a harsh response from letters and e-mails made clear that a great nt ple want us in the “news” business to caret:

events of the past.

The management of KCTV, Channel5, wz

with its time and the commitment of reporter !\.

gents Press of Kansas, 1978,

Judith S. Baughman, ed. Amer ican Decades: , 1920-1929. New Yo rk: Gale Research, 1996 ,

Museum

Warren A. Bec!

Atlas ofthe A of Oklahon

‘ments,

he 18

id Ynez D. Haase. Historical

rican West. Norman: Univ ersity 'ss, 1989.

V WasFor Victory: Politics ture During World War I. urt Brace Jovanovich, 1976,

John Morton

and Ameri

of this s City

San Diego:

-onsis-

and li-

©. The of peo-

Victor Bondi. « Detroit: Ga:

merican Decades; 1970-1979, earch, 1995.

Robert L. Brat History of*

(aming the Mighty Missouri: A sas City District Corps ofEngi-

neers. Kans: neers, Kans

nsider

nerous

sell Kin-

saul, who each week through 1998 prepared versions of the Millennium seriesfor the station’s Saturday night news broadcast. Kinsaul and KCTV’s photographers were pa-

: U.S. Army Corps of EngiDistrict, 1974.

Carolyn Glenn Ruskin Hei: Fugue Book

wer. Caught Inthe Path: The ‘ornado, Kansas City: Prairie 07.

Alan Brinkley.

«< Unfinished Nation: A Concise

History of the AmericanPeople. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997 A. Theodore Brown. Frontier Community: Kansas

City to 1870. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1963.

tient and enthusiastic and provided visual items that aided notonly the broadcasts but also this book.

A. Theodore Brown and Lyle W. Dorsett. K.C.: A History ofKansas City, Missouri. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Publishing, 1978.

At The Star, Derek Donovan, Janelle Hopkins and the

rest of the staff of the library provided invaluable help. Once the material was gathered, production lay ahead. Thestaff of The Star’s imaging, paginating and engraving departments pitched in to help produce this enormous and, for a newspaper company, unusual product. We also thank the management of The Star for the opportunity to dothis project — andto allow usthe time to doit right.

Ezra Brown, ed. The Railroaders. New York: Time-Life Books, 1973.

Janet Bruce. The Kansas City Monarchs: Champions ofBlack Baseball. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1985.

Cab Calloway and BryantRollins. OfMinnie the Moocher & Me. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1976. Theodore S. Case, ed. History ofKansas City, Missouri. Syracuse, N.Y.: D. Mason, 1888. Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City. Where

To our families and friends go our deepest thanks for

enduring more than twoyears of our historical obsessions.

These RockyBluffs Meet: Including the Story of

the Kansas City Ten-Year Plan. Kansas City:

Rick Montgomery Shirl Kasper Monroe Dodd

Kansas City, Mo., Chamber of Commerce, 1938. Octave Chanute and George Morison. The Kansas

of n me gi Re e th f to un co Ac an th Wi , ge id City Br

s od th Me of n io pt ri sc De a d an r, ve Ri ri ou the Miss

D. : rk Yo w e N r. ve Ri at Th in g n i d n u o F Used for

Van Nostrand, 1870. \

370

Acknowledgments

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Fiona Courtenay-Thompson and Kate Phelps,

a : rk Yo The 20th Century Year by Year. New

Denominational Schisms and the Coming of the

ONNET 10 the

Amencan Civil War Macon, Ga.

versity Press, 1985

Ss Harvard Press,

1996

Robert G Athearn. Jn Search of Canaan: Black Migration to Kansas, 1879-80. Lawrence: Re-

center in Topeka, we received good photographic guidsMi of y et ci So l ica tor His e at St e th At ff. sta e ance from th r ou er sw an to k ic qu s wa am th So e Fa , ia mb souri in Colu

queries. Denise S. Morrison at the Kansas City

nd Soctal Disorder fromthe fy,

Enc F. Goldman. Rendezpous wi th Destiny A History of Madern American Reform, New York Random House, 1977

berg. Because | W as

York: New Dire ctions, 1963,

Geonge Fuller Green. 4 Gondense d Historyofthe Kansas City Area: Its Mayors and So me VLPs

=

William J. Dalton, The Li

Kansas City: Lowell Press, 1968

nelly, Kansas City

E Conception,

Mercer Un

culs 'y: Cathedral of the¢ Imma Immaculate

Katherine and Richard Greene. The Man Be bind the Magic: The Story of Walt Disney. New York:

1986,

Jonathan Daniels , The Man of In dependence

Viking, 1991

Columbia: Universit y of Missouri Press, 195 0 Dow DeAngelo. What About Kansas City! Kansas

Joy Hakem. A History of US. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995

Dory DeAngelo and Jane Fifield Flyn

David Halberstam The Fifties. New York: Villar d Books, 1993,

City: TwoLane Press, 1995,

y

n. Kansas

CityStyle. Kansas City: HarrowBooks, 1990, Bernard De Voto. Across the Wide Missouri. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Go., 1947 .

Joyce C. Hall with Curtiss Anderson. When You Care Enough. Kansas City: Hallmark Cards Inc.,

Maitland A. Edey, ed. This Fabulous Century:

7900-1960. New York: Time-Life Books, 1969,

Roy Ellis. 4 Civic History ofKansas City. Spring-

field, Mo.: Elkins-Sawyer, 1930,

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2

in Missouri during the American Civil War.

New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. :

, 1994.

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ae Ne eee eee William E. Foley and C.

David Rice.

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Rice.

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— oS

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rapesrinienicbypsiewes ober A ae

Summer Saunterings Through Picturesque Col-

orado. Baltimore: Lord Baltimore Press, 1900.

Vanessa Northington Gamble. Making A Placefor

Ourselves: The Black Hospital Movement, 1920-

1995. 1945. New York: Oxford University Press,

:

Gilbert J. Garraghan. Catholic Beginnings 17

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sity Press, 1920.

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‘Tom Jackman andTroy Cole. Rites ofBurial. New York: Pinnacle Books, 1992.

:

. 1888 er, dtk Boe & Lonas : City s oe Lonas Kansas City:

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lackson

al Records orice Hist e

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1934. Il Press, se ity: d a e

:

Donal

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Intimate Portrait

r twa Pos in ily ioe Fam ass -Cl dle Mid e e sae imerica,

AaronAsher Books,

N. Kimball. Midwest Research Institute:

ae Recollectionsofthe First 30 Years. Kansas City: Lowell Press, 1985.

a

bine oe

eae Berkeley: University of eae

soy.

Penn. to ls Hu J. y nc Na d an en rs La H. Lawrence i ouri Press of MiMss et

ty argeast! Columbia: Universi de

;

rete Policy in the Growth ofa cae

Metropolis. Lawrence: Univers rahe!

County

Kansas City ne - oe

Emma Abbott Gage. Western Wanderings and

. Glaab. Kansas

:

Co., 1877, reprinted bythe Jackson County

Kone se

Urbana: University ofIllinois Press, 1983.

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:

i

Chouteaus: River Barons ofEarly St. Louis.

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SS, 1984.

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'

Gearge WW. Hilton. The Cable Gane Ambrica

go: Donnelly & Sons, 1908.

Robert H.Ferrell. HarryS. Truman:A Life. F

wate

Charles E. Hoffhaus. Chez les Ganses: vim Centuries at Kawsmouth, Kansas City; Lowell

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eee

te Future, Kansas City: Frank Glenn Publish Saker ete ee

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; mbia:

192 HenryC. Haskell Jr. and Richard B. Fowler. City of

,

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Gale Research, 1995.

i

sLroqgRaAPHY Women g n i k r o W s t n e m e Kathy Peiss. Cheap Amus rk, o Y w e N y r u M n o C e h t and Leisure in Tee rn-of 1980, , s s e r Ps y t i s r e v i n U emple

Philadelphia: T

as City, s n a K r e t a e r G f o s e h c Pen and Suntight Sket as s n a K . s i l o p o r t e M e v i s America’ Most Progres ca 1912 ., Co g in at tr us Ul n a c i City: Amer rom Old Kansas City i

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pendence, Mo.: Herald House, 1992. Ernest Mehl. The Kansas City Athletics. New York: Holt, 1956. Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman, Walt in Wonderland. The Silent Films of Walt Disney.

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versity Press, 1994.

Giles Carroll Mitchell. There is No Limit: Architecture and Sculpture in Kansas City. Kansas City: Brown-White Co,, 1934,

Richard L, Miller. The Rise of Truman. New York: MeGraw Hill, 1986, W. HLMiller. The History ofKansas City. Kansas City: Birdsall ancl Miller, 1881. Maurice M. Milligan. Missouri Waltz: The Inside Story ofthe Pendergast Machine by the Man Who Smashed It. New York: C. Scribner's Sons,

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Jane Mobley and Shifra Stein. Kansas City: Heart

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Communications, 1994, Howard N. Monnett. Action Before Westport, 1864. Kansas City: Westport Historical Society, 1964.

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Nell Irvin Painter. The Exodusters: Black Migration toKansasAfterReconstruction. New York:

Knopf, 1976, - Jami Parkison. Path to Glory A Pictorial Celebra-

tion oftheSantaFe Trail. Kansas City:

Highwater Editions, 1996, RobertPearson and Brad Pearson. TheJ.C.

Nichols Chronicle. Kansas City: Country Club

oundation, F ty Ci s a s n a K ie or st Hi Kansas City:

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nd a ty Ci s a s n a K : n w o T s m' William M. Reddig. 7 ‘o rsity of e v i n U ; a i b m u l y e C . d n e g e L the Pendergast Missouri Press, 1986.

arab Wal, S m a i r o m e M n J . ed , d e e Laura Coates R udsonH : ty Ci s a s n a K . .. es at r Co e l ter Chand

Kimberly, 1897. f the ro i o m e M A : s n i b a C n r e d o ,M James L. Rice 97. 9 1 s, es k Pr w a h w o M : o g e i D n a Sixties. S

e Mississippl. th nd yo Be , on ds ar ch Ri D. rt Albe ng, 1867. Hartford, Conn.: American Publishi lebration of Ce A s: rk pa ll Ba st Lo r. te it .R ceS en Lawr

, ng ki Vi ; rk Yo w e N , ds el yFi ar nd ge Baseball's Le 1992.

Collection A ty Ci as ns Ka es Li re He y. nd Sa a Wild

g of Our City’s Notables and Their Final Restin der Ine., Places, Kansas City: Bennett-Schnei

1984.

. ie nz Ki Me . d D ar ch dRi er an rm hi b Sc m a L ry Sher At The River's Bend: AnIllustrated History of KansasCity, Independence& Jackson County, Woodland Hills, Calif; Windsor Publications Inc, in association with the Jackson County Historical Society, 1982.

Sherry Lamb Schirmer. Historical Overview of the Ethnic Communities in Kansas City. Kansas

City: Pan-Edueational Institute, 1976. Robert Serling, Howard Hughes’ Airline: An Informal History of TWA, New York: St. Martin's Marek, 1983, G.P. Shultz. Gully Town: A Novel ofKansas City, Bonner Springs, Kan.; Shadow Mountain Press, 1990, Mare Simmons. On the SantaFe Trail. Lawrence; University Press of Kansas, 1986,

Upton Sinclair. TheJungle. New York: Doubleday,

Page & Co., 1906,

James L, Soward, Hospital Hill, Kansas City: Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation,

1995. Shifra Stein and Rich Davis. All About Bar-B-Q, Kansas City Style, Kansas City: Pig-Out Publications, 1997, Loren L. Taylor, ed. Ethnic History of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kan.; Ethnic Council,

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Kathleen Hegarty Thorne. The Story ofStarlight Theatre, Fugene, Ore: Generation Organiza-

tion, 1993.

pearl 1. Young Octave Chanute, 1832-1910, San Francisco: Hdw, Stone Aeronautical Books,

y Rela. M of s d n a H y n a M e Th e Tanis C. Thorn the Lower Misn o s an di In d n a tions: French

1903.

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william H. Young and Nathan B, Young Jr. ¥ Kansas City and Mine, Reprint by a bof Afro-American Genealogy Interest Coalition,

1996.

Here in ht Rig . ine Bod t Wal and as om Th cy Tra

& Co Ine., day ble Dou k: Yor w Ne River City,

1997.

George Brown Tindall and David E. Shi, America: 1997.

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e Hundred On ts d an y Cit sas Kan Walter P. Tracy.

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P Tracy Pub-

lishing, 1924,

Far er, New y M m o r s f e g a s s e M n. li il Tr in Calv York; Farrar, Straus & Giroux,

va L. Atkinson Study in Gro

¥)

1971.

wre,

sidney L, Bate

1997.

Brian Burnes. '

1 Voice: An Uarrow

United Telecommunieations 1p American Success Story. Kans

main: Uni-

US Sprint. Focus Kansas Cis A 24

four Heart-

Through 196°

1998.

| History

landPortrait. Prairie Village, ar

Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1995,

Thomas Webb, Information for Kanzas Immigrants, Boston: Alfred Mudgeand Son, 1857. William A. White. Autobiography ofWilliam Allen White. New York: Macmillan, 1946,

icine Without Method." Uni-

Sansas City Star/Times and its

Devel

\Iniversity of Kansas thesis,

weaned:

ball Lecture, April 20, 1995.

;

1994

Fredrick Spletstoser, “A City At War; The Impact

sion for Urban Development.” Charles M. Kim-

i

—

Thomas Ditmars. “Social Composition of the Kansas City Missouri Public High Schools.” Kansas State Teachers College thesis, 1929, HR. Ennis. “TheIllegal Sale of Narcotics in Kansas City.” Address to the Chamber of Com-

Robert A. Kipp, “Crown Center: An Emerging Vir

\

ped

oe sei

City Style.” University of Missouri thesis, 1940,

1983,

University of Missouri Press, 1993.

a8

Darryn Snell. “Struggling Against Defeat: Race, Class and Biracial Unionization among Kansas

area,” University of Missouri-Kansas City thesis,

ofArt: Culture Comes to Kansas City, Columbia:

of Kansas

Dwayne R. Martin, “The Hidden Community: The Black Community of Kansas City, Missouri,

During the 1870s and 1880s." University of lowa thesis, 1982.

ee.

Mary Norris Munroe, “Opposition to the Pencler>

City, Kan,, Packinghouse Workers.” University of Missouri-Kansas City thesis, 1993, of the Second World War on Kansas City.”

William E, Unrau. “Indian

City Region.” Lecture given June 9, 1996, at the

Kansas City Public Library. Patricia Youmans Wagner. “Voluntary Associations

in Kansas City, Missouri.” University of Missouri-Kansas City dissertation. 1962, the of s ion ect oll Rec nal rso “Pe l, nal Wor C, Frank Battle of Westport.” Lecture, Oct. 21, 1939, Native Sons Collection.

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

accel

aad convr enti eon,|

, entertainment, entered

Daniel Serda, “Kansas vestock Timeline.”.” UniUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City, ak an :

Christine M, Hupman, “Homebound Heroies: The struggle of working women during the Second World War, with examples from the Kansas City

Kristie C, Wolferman. The Nelson-Atkins Museum

aeanne “is

mcitae Lecture, Midwest Re-

1948,

souri Press, 1989,

‘

sh o

:

Spirit ip

us. Court ot Appeals

iiteS

Daniel Serda “Boston tieacnes nt

, nty Cou tte ndo Wya of ry sto “Hi , mer Ham F J. t Clin Kansas.” Colorado State State University thesis,

William H. Wilson, The City Beautiful Movement in Kansas City, Columbia; University of Mis-

:

search ma re series, z

10, 1955,

Mrs. T. F. Willis and Mrs, W.S, Bird. Housekeeping and Dinner Giving in KansasCity, Kansas City: Ramsey, Millett & Hudson, 1887.

: ertat

Session. House Report 4174,

Jenkins, other records

Jae a - pe ohe- hee. ag

City.” University of Kansas dissertation, 1997. JM. Greenwood. “Robert T. Van Horn.” Address to the GreenwoodClub of Kansas City, March

City; Wilborn andAssociates, 1991.

‘Congress,

“Kansas Geipliacs Outlook.” Missoun, ae Labor pacin

ne facies

Dani pote a

Kevin Fox Gotham, “Constructing the Segregated

Chris Wilborn. Wherethe Streetcar Stops, Kansas

Kansas City, Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1990, William S. Worley. The Plaza, First and Always. Lenexa, Kan.: Addax Publishing Group, 1997.

a

merce of Kansas City, Dec. 19, 1917.

Carrie Westlake Whitney. Kansas City, Missourt: Its History andIts People, Vols, 1-3. Kansas City; SJ. Clarke Publishers, 1908,

William §. Worley, /.C. Nichols and the Shaping of

Kansas State University,

Robert Burns Dishiman, “MachinePolitics, Kansas

Kim Marie Vaz, ed. Black Women in America.

Ciaeee Kcass, Tama acl: Sh

-

gh fies::

of Westerners, Dec, 10, 1957.

Books, 1989,

i: ori ist Troublles in Missouri, Labor “Investigation of

City's Feonomyin the ” University Missouri-Kansas wn .

Mildred G, Cox.» Me dl of ey Be ginnings at ; mouth ty Corral Kawsmouth..” | ectu1reto th e Ka ns Ci 0 157as ,

Harrow

Charles L. Wood, The Kansas BeefIndustry. Lawrence; Regents Press of Kansas, 1980,

ee insas City’s Livestock Trade

‘WalkwaysCollapse.” NationalBureauofStan-

Hi eae story ’ Theater - ‘Kansas Da rel a eRiley, “Com ann sin tion: K a mun l G. nity in Tre nm

Coverage of |)“ ivil Rights Movement

Books, 1990,

William E. Unrau, The Kansas 17 of the WindPeople, 1073-1875 versity of Oklahoma Press, 1990

Louis Jeanes Rieu ceeas

versity of Miss \/i-Kansas City thes is, 1972,

hing,

Kansas City: Andrews MeMee!

sphaag

issouri-Kansas City thesis, 1995,

and Packing, ! ustty, 187041914: A Regional

aces, 1910-

1919, New York: Gale Resear Robert Unger. The Union Stato

* University

_ in Kansas City, Missouri”

AND LECTURES

. Norton, WW k: Yor w Ne y, tor His A Narrative

Vincent Tompkins, ed. American |

Kansas in er “Theat Peck. of Kansas

City.” Kansas ‘Kansas ieee ee tegal beef “Investigation of the Kansas City Hyatt R

e a e np Oy e n u R sa S DIS ES, ae 14 ERTATIONS 1%! Rhodes. “tt Finatty THESES,

1970.

Foremost Men, Kansas City: W.

Clifford Nees: “Quality Neighborhood.” Kansas = ‘The History of a Mo, 1962, Paper + oe

repon, February

County Cour, os

dn

a

i

Kanan

sa ae

a e

oe

vee

- 3

se ee ee , =

BieA

a

_ son, i 19 47 . s a e g3 — 8 “Minutes e 1900 Deo mocratic National Gon atte

1 Coll eee a

: Public Library, Kansas City

seaRecs, s :

"Our Negro Population,” BoardofWelfare repo by Asa Manin, SpecialCollections,Miller

Nichols Library, University of City, 1913.

7

rds Kansas City, Mo., City Plan Commission reco Karsas City, Mo., Department of Civil Defense records and “Kay-Cee Cee-Dee” newsletters Jackson County, Mo., plat books.

s rd co Re . on gi Re ns ai Pl l ra nt Ce , es iv ch Ar al on ti Na of the War Manpower Commission, Fair Eme ployment Practices Committee, € Yfice of Pric Administrator, US. Army Quartermaster Depot

U.S. Census reports. US. District Court records.

HISTORICAL ARTICLES, ESSAYS AND PERIODICALS Lester B. Baltimore. “Benjamin F. Stringfellow: The Fight for Slavery on the Missouri Border.” Missourt Historical Review, October 1967 Lela Barnes, ed. “An Editor Looksat Early-Day Kansas: Letters of Charles Monroe Chase.” Kansas Historical Review, Summer 1960. Martha Lykins Bingham. “Recollections of Old

Times.” The Westport Historical Quarterly, September 1971

David Boutros. “The WestIllustrated: Meyer's Views of Missouri River Towns.” Missouri Historical Review, April 1986. Albert Castel. “Order No. 11 and the Civil War on the Border.” Missouri Historical Review, 1963. . “Kansas Jayhawking Raids Into Western Missouri in 1861.” Missouri Historical

Review, October 1959.

r 1974 e b o t c O w e i v e R l a c Histori

t a o c e w r o r r e T r o f lyst Charles F. Harris. “Cata s City, a s n a K n i n o s i r P s ' n e lapse of the Wom

5. 9 9 1 l i r p A , ’ w e i v e R l a c i Missouri Histor rt” o p t s e W d l O f o s e i r McCoy Haris. “Memo nA e h T n ”i y o C c M c a a s I ape! me Dees ed by the h s i l b u p s e l c i t r a , y t i C s nals of Kansa 21-1926. 9 1 , y t e i c o l S a c i r o t s i H y e l Missouri Val f i nitspoo L l a r u t a N e h T “ . n a d H n o Charles Desm ka, 1854. s a r b e N s a s n a : K n o i s n Slavery Expa

68. 9 1 g n i r p , y S l r e t r a l u a Q c i r o t s The Kansas Hi ts in s Commercial Amusemen'

Alan Havig. “Mas Hisri ou ss Mi ” I. r Wa d rl Wo re fo Kansas City Be

torical Review, April 1981.

Misin s er wk ha ay “J w. lo rk He se Ro de ar eg Hild

souri, 1858-1863.” Missourt Historical Review, October 1923.

Olive L. Hoggins. “A History of Kansas City Churches.”Series of newspaperarticles in the Kansas CityJournal-Post, 1927-1930.

R. Douglas Hurt. “Planters and Slavery in Lite Dixie,” Missouri Historical Review, 1994. “Kansas City Bridge,” unsigned article in Harper's

Magazine, Aug. 7, 1869.

ChetA. Keyes. “The Story of Convention Hall.” Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 1964. Lew Larkin. “The Other Side of Tom Pendergast.” MissouriLife, Jan.-Feb. 1978.

LawrenceH. Larsen. “Kansas City: 100 Years of

Civie Research Institute. “Kansas City Public Affairs Bulletins,” 1930-1935.

Austin Latchaw. “The Enchanted Years of the

Mildred C. Cox. “The Town of Kansas.” Work paper in the Native Sons Collection, 1957. Lyle Wesley Dorsett. “Slaveholding in Jackson County, Missouri." Missouri HistoricalSociety Bulletin, 1963-64.

Michael Fellman. “Emancipation in Missouri.” Missourt Historical Review, October 1988. Paul W. Gates. “The Railroads of Missouri, 1850-

1870." Missouri Historical Review, October 1931.

Charles S. Gleed. “The Central City of the West.”

Cosmopolitan, May 1900.

Pierre and Renee Gosset. “Life in America — as

seen by Visiting Europeans.” U.S. News & World

Report, Jan. 1., 1954.

Stage.” Series in The Kansas City Star, April

ber 1888.

for Stock or a Holding Cc ompany.” Nebraska History, Vol. 64, No. 4, 1983

Thomas C. Wells. “Letters of a Kansas Pjjoneer.” KansasHistorical Quarterly, May 1936, Edwin H. White. “Rebuilding Convention Hall: he Life of a City,” Spec An Episode ial varument, Kansas City Collections Public

Ann Davis Niepman. “General Orders No, 1] and Border Warfare During the Civil War.” Missouri Historical Review, October \971-July 1972,

Hugh O'Neill and John M. ‘ A Citythat is Finding I's azine, November190

Shaemas O’Sheel. “Kansas the Continent.” The Nex 1928. Dorothy Penn. “George

No. 11.’ ” Missouri His

le. “Kansas City —

Library, 1°

World's Work Mag-

he Crossroads of lic, May 16,

William H. the Civil lene of Ka sourt Hist

gham’s ‘Order

Richard R. W Usable Pas

view, April

Kansas Cil May 1960

1946. Lewis W. Potts and Geor, Bridge Building: The KansasCity, 1867-1869 Review, January 1995 G.K. Renner. “The Kansas

Tauck. “Frontier Sridge at writ Historical

News periodi

‘sat Packing In-

G. Malcolm Lewis. “William Gilpin and the Con-

ceptof the Great Plains Region.” Annals of the Association ofAmerican Geographers, March

1966,

Historical Review,

Lloyd Lewis. “Propaganda and the Kans asMissouri War.” Missouri Historical Re view, October 1939.

Robert W. Lewis. “The Harry S. Tru man Sports Complex: Rocky Road to the Big Leagues,”

Phillip R. Rutherford. “The ArabiaIncident.” Kansas History: A Journal ofthe Central Plains, 1978.

Special Collections Department , Kansas City Public Library, 1977,

Kevin C. McShane. “The 19 18 Kansas City Influenza Epidemic.” Missouri Historical Review.

Terence W. Cassidy Collection.

Department.

;

Robert Van Horn. “To the Loyal Legion.” Kansas

ness Week, The Kansas Citian,

University of Missouri-Kansas City:

Kansas City Public Library, Special Collections

Great Plains, Vol. 23, No. 4, 1990.

(Chicago),

Western Historical Manuscript Collection,

the Historical Society of Jackson County.

in KansasCity, 1870-1900.” Heritage ofthe

Kansas Cit

The Kansas City Star, The nes, American City, The Baffler

ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

Edward L. Scarritt. “Founders of Methodismin This Community.” The Annals ofKansas City, December 1923.

Files on Charles les E.p Keamey

k

Kersey Coates, jy, nar cy, Theodore s, Case,

:

D

Pets ofJonatha in Pull 5

Lykins and Martha Lykins Johnston beingham Colhlection ¥

Sv

Native Sons Collection

Thomas J, Pendergast jp Papers Robert \, ne 4n Hor Papers.

University, Ithaca, NY:

Turmer Family Papers

Region Plains Central Archives, National Kansas City:

ae

:

Special Collections Department.

“The Hidden Army” and other war-related films and videotapes,

Kane

it, Kansas Cj

eee

oy

ieee ae Kansas CityEnterprise, Western

Rana aa xonsnasBoCityrderPoStastr, Thand e a ‘ourna l, ThNe e Ka The Kansas CityCall.

co

ae . a Kansas City telephone century census tracts

Much material also was gathered from:

Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library,

University ofMissouriKaenssas City

tee Historical Society & Muse-

State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia. ;

Maps and photographs,

j

Vertical and clipping files on numerous

Westport Historical Socieny

subjects

Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka: I

Comell

Housing expediter records(rent control during

Clippingfiles on Rumerous subjects

Public Library:

Rare and Manuscripts Collection,

Pratt & Whitney records,

ic Nichols Shik

el

Pitch Weekly, Time, U.S. News & World Report.

zine, November 1987.

Edwin D.Shutt. “The Saga of the Armour Family

miniscences of Thoma s B. Bulity.” The Bulletin of the M issociety, July 1962, id A. Theodore Brown. “The idyof Historical Traditio ns in ntington Library Quanterly 23 .

Kansas City Journal and Journal-Post, The Kansas City Post, Ingram’s, Newsweek, The

Richard Rhodes. “Cupcake land: Requiemfor the Midwest in the Key ofVanilla.” Harper's Maga-

Henry Schott. “A City’s Fight for Beauty.” World's Work Magazine, February 1906. Floyd C. Shoemaker. “Missouri's Proslavery Fight for Kansas, 1854-1855.” Missouri Historical Review, 1954.

A Missouri Merchant Re calls

The Kansas «\ty Call, The Kansas City Business Journal, Karsas City Corporate Report, The

W.C. Scarritt. “ John C. McCoy, Pioneer,’ and the Early History of Jackson County.” Read before

1935.

in the Civil War,” The Westport Histoi

Harmon Mothershead. “The Stockyard, a Hotel

of Broadcasting in Kansas City.” Missouri Historical Review, July 1988.

“Through the Eyes of a Medical Student.” Missouri Historical Review, July 1994.

October 1968. Howard N. Monnet. “The We stport

Charles Dudley Warner. “Studies of the Great West.” Harper's New Monthly Ma gazine Octo-

cal Review, October 1930.

William James Ryan. “Which CameFirst? 65 Years

Business.” Kansas City Business Journal, Fall 1991.

eee anid Nancy, )) Hulston:

frage in Missouri,1867-1901.” Missour Pistons

dustry Before 1900.” Wi October 1960.

Kansas City Stock Yards Co. “Kansas City Stock Yards and Packing House Interests,” 1897.

Sit George Campbell. “White and Black in the United States: Kansas.” 1879. Special Collections Department, Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri-KansasCity.

Monia Cook Morris. “TheHistory of Woman Suf.

eee

records.

Robert Wake. “Pendergas t is Freel; An Inside Sto, Story ofKansas City After the Clean-y P:”Series in Liberty Magazine, Sept. 7 - Oct. 5, 1940

terly, September 1971.

sac McCoy Papers.

John C. McCoyCollection. Kansas City Museum:

Letters of Lafayette A. Tillman,

County Hi

_=

:

Kansas Collection, Universi

braries

=

si

Kansas Li

i.

Harry S.Truman Library, National Archives and

Recorts Administration.

Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department.

Liberty Memorial Museum & Archive.

Kansas City Economic Development Oral History Project.

Marr Sound Archives, Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Yesterday' y s Children: Growing Up P in Kansas City, 1900-1950.

Regional history website of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Illinois State Historical Society Library,

Springfield, I:

Pierre Menard Collection.

Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

NOTES

oy C e M n i v l hn Ca o j of ts val accoun eir h t m o r f n on w rs pe The Coy, are dra His e e al M St c aa Is , anc) hie father ye at the Kansas

John Calvin Mc-

CHAPTER I:

R E V I R E H T BEND OF

anco r F f o s r e n e l d e v a i The recently trans os aoa

r t u o B d i v a D y D e l b a l i a v a Chenoa, mace l o C t p i r c s u n a M al ic or tern Hist

the waft at the Wes s CHY a s n a k K e i r s n e s s i M f o y t fection at the Universi e h T . r e t p a h c is th 1 e ranc were of central iunpo e r r e i P e h t f o t r a p are h c i h w , r e t t e l l a n oryg i e h t at s e v i h c r a e h t re i Menasd Collection, a ield f g n i r p S y, ar be Li y t e i c o nos Sate Hisuorical S te Uniouri Sta s s i M l a r t n e C f o y e Willian E. Fol

al Manu-

oks o b p a r c s s y Co * y o C c M . n o ti script Collec

— *del of Old Harris left an engage nic early Westport in an 3 le, s a s n e a K f o s l E Anna e h T n i d s e h ublis p o 2 n , w t r o o T p t e s h T e “ W , pomt e r e h t s i t s e r e nt ’ a c i g o l o e a h City io of i c d Ar n a l a v i h c r A y r mina i l e r P s a a n a K investigation.” by Adair 2 » generously shared his Craig Crease of Shawne ce its a r t s u p l e h to ‘Trail

knowledge of the Santa Fe

Kansas City

d n a l u f p l e h o s l area. _ A

ant n u in e c n a t s i s s a e l b lua versity provided inva teau

u o h C e h t f o y r o t s i h d e gling the complicat hael Coleman of

her Mic fasnily of St. Louie. Fat

the

rously e n e g h p e s o J 4. -5 ty Ci s Diceese of Kansa ers tt le f o s n o i t a l s n a r t d n a shared early records other f o s n o i t r o P . h t u o m a w a K written by priests at

c i l o h t a C t n a t r o p m i e h t n d i letters are reproduce of t u o g n o l is h e i h w , n a h g Beginnings, by Garra cesan o e i d m u l o v o w t e h t e is l b a l i a print, Alser av

ndt Mara r y B h t o r o D y h b t i a F y B r a F s i history, Th ra anal others. g the early n i d n a t s r e d n u n i p l e l h a i c Of spe

es at i t i n u m m o c s i t e e c m a r d e x i m French and

’ Chez les s u a h t f o s H e l r a h C e r h e t w u o Kawem y RefM s o d n a y H n a M e s h ’ T e n r o h a T i n , a s T Canse t n i M e h T s ' e c i R d i v a D lations and Foley and

Cheuteaus

ntation by e s e s r e p i r e e r S u h t t c e u L o m s w a K A

e h g t n i d n a t s r e d n u n i l u f p l e h y l l a rau was expeci

Un

i

ae

of s n a i d n I t n a r g i m e e h t f e o c n a t r economic impo

Kansas,

CHAPTER II:

BIRTH OF A CITY

‘The idea that Kanwas City was not the place of destiny early boesters had claimed was first advanced by the scholars Richard R. Wohl and A, Theelore Brown, whe led the important History of Kansas City Projects, financed by the Rocke-

feller Foundation and the Kansas City Association

of Trusts and Foundations in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Several works that emanated from those projects were of invaluable assistance in _writing thischapter. Chief among them was an un-

Independence ned i a t b o s a w e f i r t s ormon M e h t n o n o i t a m Infor and . l o V , t r u o s s i m ‘ f o ess’ A F History y

from McCandl . t r u o s s i M n ri a W n Mormo 8 3 8 1 e h T s ' r u e u LeS

: I I I R E T P A H C D E D I V I D Y T I C A

er, 45 l l u P . B n a h t a n o J . v e The letters of the R itten r w er ll Fu t u o b a r e p a p d well as an unpublishe

n r e t s e W e h t m o d r e f n i a t b o e r e , w by Larry G. Gray

inent t r e p o s l . A n o i t c e l l o t C p i r c Historical Manus ished in the l b u r p e l l u P h t w i e w i v r e t n i n was a

Karuas City Journal-Post May 15, 1927. The First

d e y a r l a s h u s o r e n e y g s t i a C s n a h K f c o r u t h is C pt Ba

sw s e h d n p n a a r g o t d o e h n p i a t n o k c o at o th b p a r c s ns i k e y i L t t n a o M i n t o a m r o . f s g n n I i p p i r l c e p a p

d n s a n i k n y o L t s n h o J e h t n di un fo s Bingham wa

C, as M H n o W i t at c e l m l o a C h g n i s n B i k a y h L Mart ns of Old o i t c e l l o c e e, R “ s cl ’ ti m a ar h g n i B well as in

y. Times,” in The Westport Historical Quarterl Information on Kansas City churches in the Civil War was taken from Olive L. Hoggins’ “A History of Kansas City Churches” and Rev. WM. Leftwich’s “Martyrdom in Missouri.” A 1992article in Christian History magazine explained the division of American churches before the war. Particularly helpful in understanding Bleeding Kansas and the border war were Michael Fellman’s “Inside War,” as well as several articles in the Missouri Historical Review, especially Hurt's “Planters and Slavery in Little Dixie,” Fellman's

“Emancipation in Missouri,” Harris’ “Catalyst for

Quarterly and Kansas History: A Journal of th e ll = “a ful, esp lp he e r e w so al ns ai Pl l Centra y ¥ Ch e o r n o M s le ar Ch of s er tt Le Barnes’ “The # .” nt de ci In ia ab Ar he and Rutherford’s “T nsa City tg Ka m o r f ht ig fl s y' Co Mc in John Calv e at the K bl la ai av s, er tt le s hi in recounted nan, ce ac 's rn Ho n Va rt be Ro State Historical Society s in “to a w ty Ci as ns Ka of on ti pa cu of the Union oc Jour. e h T r fo e ot wr e h hich the Loyal Legion, w

are related r a w e th of s e i r o m e m ’ nal. Laura Coates description 's tt ri ar Se d n a m a i r o m e in Reed's In M

s of Metf er nd ou “F in is rs ie ld so d e d of woun aras in The Annals Of K ty” ism in This Communi

tory of is “H , is es th s ' r e m m a H m o r City. A chapter f : nsas,” Wyandotte County, Ka about old Quindaro

provided inf

on

ins re ma re rt po st We Before Monnett’s Action

gagen n A . rt po st We o! le best account of the Batt Wornall’s in d n u o f s i on ti ing first-person recollec tpon s e W of le tt Ba 1 «! s on ti “personal Recollec in the Native Sons Colle:

CHAP. + IV: THE BF. Charles Glaab's “Kans

offers an extensivehistor

road activity. It was inva!

OGE , and the Railroads” the city’s early rail-

ie in producing this

the Kansas City Enchapter, 45 was microfiln erce, mm Co of l va j n er st We e Th d an se ri rp te

»/=re taken from TimeSen. Benton's remarks the Life’s The Railroaders. Sic description of

ely from rg la n aw dr s wa ok lo a er rWa l vi Ci town’s

ura the accounts of Albert D. Richardson, La

Coates Reed and Theodore Case. The section re-

garding William Gilpin and the “Great American e cl ti ar s’ wi Le m ol lc Ma G. on y il av he ed li re n” se De Geoan ic er Am of n io at ci so As e th of ls na An e th in graphers, March 1966. Much information on Robert Van Horn was ob-

tained from his papers at the Western Historical te ma ed id ov pr so al h ic , wh on ti ec ll Co pt ri sc nu Ma rial about others lobbying to build the bridge. Construction was detailed in The Kansas Cily Bridge, by Octave Chanute and George Morison; KC UM at k uc Ho W. F. ge or Ge d an s tt Po W. s wi Le further helped us understand the design. Ellis’ Civic History, Chapter II, provides some

af d an re fo be ty vi ti ac ss ne si bu of es pl am ex e th of ter the bridge.

ae CHAPTER V: ROWDY TIMES

Much of the anecdotal material in this chapter

Terror; The Collapse of the Women’s Prison in

speech, “A Mediey of Beginnings at Kawsmouth.”

Expansion: Kansas-Nebraska, 1854,” Castel’s “Or-

came from articles in The Kansas City Times,7 Kansas CityJournal and, beginning in 1880, Thi

souri.” Several articles in The Kansas Historical

chronology of crimes ofthis era, The activit

der No, 11 and the Civil War on the Border” and Dorsett’s “Slaveholding in Jackson County, Mis-

detailed in Louise Jean Rietz’s thesis on the

Kansas City Evening Star. The Police Di ment’s major event log provides a gene

Le ri

;

Y's cabhe car histery

theater. Theletter secking women to move to K Not Found in y or st Hi i ur so is “M in s ar pe ap ty Ci Textbooks,” Missourl Historical Review, 1944, Pa. ary a tricia Youmans Wagner's thesis on volunt ills of the ciations documents many of the social

‘

‘Wilham and Nathan Young's Your Kansas City

:

PW

time. The first chapter of William Reddig’s Tom, e a y Cit e Th se, the on s he uc to so Town al

Native Sons hePOMS of the Becedat ane the Annual

rks are in Special

F

sion provided useful material on Annie Ch stories of her rise to fame — as well as hob PPoty of

VanethsseaN.Gambhe'Pend att and Mine,an Ourselves d

1914. , Helpful in wriwritting about the eth7nic commu-

Wyanofdottthee y ofview HistlorOver bnicorica 's Et“Hist Taylormer's y wey,reSchir titCount

ver taken from an 1887 © tce’s fall — can befoundin a varie d Unite the of ds recor and s” nitie Commu c Ethni e ee in n 4174 Repo e Hous as y ra of roads Cross s ood' Garw ding inclu texts, ry histo Census. States Serial i the of ls Nicho R. John 2502. pier Futhe of City r's Fowle and ll Haske and ica Amer ee m o o d ee od deecs cudy prac um Muse County f jure. Public WelSCRNDS WE fare's eof the Recreation Depann“Report e1911-12

CHAP = VI: COWTOWN

The resear"

-! Daniel Serda, Eva L. Atkinson

's excellent article, “Mass

two-volume

Secondaat nee ete

Commercial Amusements in Kansas City Before

vk fieee

World War 1” in the Missouri HistoricalReview. Al-

nd ies

provided a substantial frame-

packing ind).

Flynn's Kansas City Style. Equally helpful were the vivid History a ee and DeAngeloTheandCity Beautiful Mo

work for cha’; writings of I 1899/and of

- published work paper by the lite Mildred C, Cox

entitled “The Town of Kansas,” as well as her Kansas City,” Hart's “The Natural Limits of Slavery

e are nicely qu mi Co e tr ea Th e th d an ll Ha > k Fran

Cowlown.

the growth of the early mea_ Ehtlich's Kansas

the plants in Gage, who toured « wonderful outsiders view of

observations were borrowed

from his His

Jutches ofthe Cattle Trade. The

boy Hall of

provided addition research on

McCoy. Exce

. Flynn's Kansas City Style and ‘Wagner's di in Kansas Ciy, Missourt" Voluntary Associations

ian Wilson's Kansas City and William Worley’s J.C. Nichols and


War s le e fi l i f al i on gi re e _ h mt o r f ed was obtain Cormt''ss Co enent Preidsid Commission and the» Pres

Manpower

Records of s. ce ti ac Pr nt me oy pl Em ir Fa on ee mitt g SG in us ho , on ti ra st ni mi Ad e ic Pr of ce fi Of the diter, shedfascinating light on the local housing shortage in World War II.

CHAPTER XI: THE TOWN THAT TOM RULED

ed a The National Archivesstaff also arrang showing ofthe propaganda film “The Hidden

This chapter echoesthree books on the Pendergast era: Tom's Town byWilliam Reddig, The Pendergast Machine byLyle Dorsett and the morere-

Army” and provided us tapes of speeches and documentary videos ofthat era. Their files on the

Army Quartermaster Depot in Kansas City were

SO 408 «© =

from “Whizzo, OI!’ Gus and Me,” g Kepr mentary

Daniel Serda’s research into the 1951 fl

vided the excerpt f pre > Od r o m t h e i A r m y ; e n g ineer. | ; ; book. The final c S log. hapters of Brown, and Pp, Orsety’.

Us r r someinsight into the raci al K.C. offe Shifting of

1950s neighborhoods, as does Any ne

SOn's

paper, “SSchaool Segregation and Desegregati in . o n City

Kansas

.

Census records for 1950 and 1960 were f ~ the source of information re irding the Mov ement ind towar away from the inner ci d Johnson lid-Amer County. Frank Lenkof |

Council compiled som

CHAP™

WINDS ©!

Tn the mid-1990s, bs

sertations shed overdu tory of housing seg

“Constructing the Segr “Landscape of Denial the University of } Rhodes’ thesis, “It Fin scribedthe 1968riot. TheIlus Davis Pape Manuscript Collection ¥

is data.

ica Regiona l

XIV:

ANGE sity of Kansas dis.

® Kansas City’s hisKevin Gotham' s y,” and Schirmer' s | in this chapter, At

ansas City, Jo e] ppened Here” deWestern Historical

primary importance helpful as well in reconstructing many « in this chapter, inHulston manage to mine fresh material from a stoThe chapter also benefited from two master's rytold many times. Two early master's theses — cluding the story of the rt. The papers also theses spotlighting Kansas City in the war. one by Robert Burns Dishman, another by Mary revealed changing attitud ward race and eduFredrick Spletstoser’s “A City At War” and ChrisNorris Munroe — examine the machine from opcation. tine M. Hupman’s “Hometown Heroics” pulled toposing angles. Additional details surfaced from inThe important 1947 “Master Plan for Kansa gether an array ofresources that documented the s terviews with Rahe Russell, Matt Devoe and other City” is available at the Kansas City Public Library, city’s economic and social changes, many of area residents whoshared their impressive memowhich were cited in the chapter. Examples ofcivil Special Collections Department, as are records of ries. defense activities were obtained from records of the Civic Research Institute and Urban Renewal Pendergast’s swaywith black voters was highthe local Department of Civil Defense andits documents. Figures from Census Tract No. 61 lighted in Larry Grothaus’ article, “Kansas City newsletter, “The Kay-Cee Cee-Dee.” Other inforwere generously shared by Worley of UMKC. Blacks, Harry Truman and the Pendergast Mamation came from back issues of The Star, The Also essential were records of the City Plan chine,” in Missouri Historical Review. Numerous Times, The Call, and The Kansas Citian, a ChamCommission and Robert Kipp’s 1995 lecture, Works examine Truman's friendship with Penderber of Commerce publication. “Crown Center.” gast; David McCullough’s Truman is among the Numerous contemporary newspaper articles best. CHAPTER XIII: were used, especially to detail highway construcCity Plan Commission records of the 1930s protion and historic demolition. Also deserving menvided telling data on building activity, housing THE BIG LEAGUES tion are two newspaper series: “OurCity in Racial patterns, relief cases, locations of “Negro Mark Birnbaum, Geraldine McCu Disne Hawkins, Ferment,” which appeared in The Kansas City Star tricts,” and blocks having “outside or notoilet Pr eston Washington and Manuel and faRuperto andTimes in September 1968 and “Color of the cilities." Additional economic statistics Aguirre kindly allowed us to inte were rview them at tapped from U.S. Census reports and a Class,” a Star report on school desegregation publength in 1998, Some informatio 1947 study n related to their bythe Federal Reserve. The Civic Research lished in May 1994. stories came from documents th Instiey provided (such tute’s “Public Affairs Bulletins” provided Historical overviews of the decade were drawn as the Winn-Rau development helpful brochure and deed analyses comparing Kansas City with from Brinkley’s The Unfinished Nation, from A other comto Birnbaum’s home in Prairi e Village) and from munities. Transcripts of the Kansas People and A Nation by Norton and others, and City Museum's their high-school yearbeoks at the Kansas City Economie Development Oral History from the 20th century series, American Decades. Project revealed what scores of area residents remembered Kansas City’s induction into big-league baseball about the Depression. is chronicled in Ernest CHAPTER XV: THE WORLD Mehl’s The Kansas Cit y AthDescriptions of the jazz scene were drawn from cent Pendergast’, in which authors Larsen and

Nathan W.Pearson's collection oforal histories, Goin’ to Kansas City; from Young and Young’s Your Kansas City and Mine, and from period arti-

378

The number of childre n Stricken by polio c ame from the Kansas City Health Department. Examples of local Tv sho ws for children wer e taken

Source Notes

EE

WAS WATCHING

Special thanks go to Worley, who suggested we

examine records of the Prime Time campaign t0 understand business attitudes of the 1970s. The

Kansas City Area Development Coune il provided

videotape of oneof its ads

The Snoopy visit and other details re . Barding the Kansas City Council were drawn from co uncici l} minutes, available on mi4crofilm at City Ha ll Instrumental to und erstanding dey,

clopment of the sports complex w ere the “Report to the Jack son County Court” and Lewis' "The Harry

S. Tru-

man Sports Complex.” Both are at the Sp ecial Col p De a ns r io tme lect

nt of the Kansas City Public Li-

brary Records of student activities at UMKC, including efforts gin a gay rights Organization, are at the W Historical Manuscript Collection.

Mos!

rary fi

Alt relativ helpf tectu

Schir: ley’s in Ri City

His from 1 People

chapter depended on contempo-

er accounts,

‘condary sources on local history are fer the 1960s, these books proved

h's Kansas City, Missouri: An Archiry, Brown and Dorsett’s K. Cc

IcKinzie's At the River's Bend, Wor@, Thomas and Bodine's Right Here and DeAngelo and Flynn's Kansas 'verviews of the decade were drawn y's The Unfinished Nation, from A \ Nation by Norton and others and

Septemn ber 1 No y ember 1989 and “FFs rank's Town,” an examina tion of Frank Morg an's develpment e

SHOGTAPT

ER XVI:

AND SURVI VAL Information

on the first Su spected AIDS death Nabih Abdou a nd co: rrobo-

“ gation by the Nationa l Bureau Kansas City's €conomic ac tivity in the 1980ss was S par partly tly tracked thro

ugh The Kansas City Busines ale's e anr cai; lsacJso”urans nua al rankii ings of e: mployers, re. » Construction projects etc, , Matters related to the K seemaat ee oae nsas a C ite y Schoeo!l Di Di

strict

Jenk : ins, etalal.s Vs. State rom Market Informati on

Per accounts, from fedt

of Missouri, et, al.) and Services’ “Magnet School Su: rsvehye.” Sailes R. T. Crum pley of The S;tar preae os article on the Kro B h rothers and Rick : Im of The Star contribu ted material about the yatt collapse.

From hundreds of newspape arti r cles relied upon for this chapter, two Kansa Cit S s y tar series stand out: “Racismin Kansas City, pu ” blished from

1990.

mpire published Ma rch 4 to March 9

Cc HAPTER XVII: CITY OF THE FUTU RE

With a nod to Henr y y Haskell and Rich: Fowler's City of the Fu ture, this chapter a most as much on old Tesources as on recent newsSpaper and magazine anic J records. snicies and goveesmnens CTh has rles Monroe C_hase's let ters remarking on local violence during th vil W; the Kai nsas Hise torical e Review e summera 1960. A text of H R. Ennis Dec. 19 , 1917, Speech to the Chamber of Commerc e, Tegarding narcotics taf-

ficking, appeared in the cham ber's magazine, The Kansas Citian : Shaemas O'Sheel’s essay on K ansas City appeared in the May16, 1928, iss ue of The New Republic. Richard Rhodes’ essay ap peared in Harpers magazine, November 1987. Al fred Taligoola

Kusubi’s 1993 thesis, ‘Voices of Raci al Disharmony in Kansas City,” was obtaine fro d m the Miller Nichols Library at UMKC

sOURCES

e ple an s un ar br hi , ss in iv ch ar of s n e To the dow

ok o b is th tt ne ic at tr us ih r fo d te ac nt co tographers to ke li ly ar ul ic rt pa 'd We . ke uc in at gr r we extend ou

the of s r e b m e m r he ot d n a s nd Hi rt ua thank St ty Pub Ci as ns Ka , nt me rt pa De s on Special Collecti at the f af st s hi c! an s ro ut Bo el wi Du fhe Libewry, ancl

rt Ma — on ti ec ll Co pt ri sc nu Ma al ic or Western Hist

nnifer lyn Burlingame, Bettie Swicntek arc Je cins and the Purker Derek Donowan, Janelle Hopl as al rest of the staff of The Star’y library were h our ug ro t th en ti pa d n ve a ti ep rc pe l, fu lp he s y wa

hours of research

Photographs and other illustrations are from the files of The Kansas City Star library, except as noted here.

The following sources, which were used for many images, have been abbreviated

§€/KCPL: Special Collections Department, for-

merly the Missouri Valley Room, Kansas City Public Library WHMC; Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-Kansas City

KSHS: Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka

WyCoHSM: Wyandotte County Historical Society & Museum, Bonner Springs, KCM: Kansas City Museum, Kansas City,

Missouri,

SHSMo: Stite Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia.

Livre I

Archiv es, it seu es 40 (J

me, Saint-Jero on His Weap

de t r a p e D “ , a d a Quebec, Can: ton g n i h s a W , ys ectiot l l o ‘ ¢ h p a r g o n torical Phe raries b i L y t i s r e v i n U State 1, Gift of e k s a r r b b e e J N , a h Oma , m u e s u M t r A n 16. Josly on i t a l e n u o F t r A Enron sibe K e w o n i w i S , The Star , s e m a E e v a D 17. Map: wi KSHS A S N A S K , t n 2 e m t r a ons DepF i t c e l H e C l a i c e p S 19. Maps: City Public Library al 50 c i r o t s i H t r u o s s i M death 1 notice: sau ea his ¢ au te ou Ch 20,

, 7 s e m a E e v a D : p a M ; s i ciety, St. Lou

22-23. SC/KCPL.

vi, WHMC Page 2. Dave Eames, The Star.

3. Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY. Gift of the Coe Foundation.

4. Courtesy Richard B. Scudder, 5. Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis. Mme. Rene Auguste Chouteau (nee Marie Therese Bourgeois), Auguste Chouteau and Pierre La-

clede MHSCollections; View ofSt. Louis lithograph by Plater, E.W., delineator, 1836,

4, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mortis K, Jesup Fund, 1933 (33.61). Photograph copyright 1988 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

22-23. SC/KCPL.

24, KSHS

nistra i m d A s d r o c e R d a n s e v i h 25. National Arc tion, Central Plains Region. 26. Monroe Dodd, The Star. ne ral e G ; Fe a nt Sa at n va ra Ca e th 30-31, Arrival of

blic LiResearch Division, The NewYork Pu s; on ti da un Fo en ld Ti d n a x no Le r, to As y, brar ails Tr er ti on Fr al on ti Na ; le tt bo e n i w d n s a el Barr

; ave Center, Independence, Mo.; terrain view D

Eames, The Star,

13-14, “Plan de Westport”: ASJCF, St-Jerome 1602

116-117. SC/KCPI

62-63. WHMC

118. SC/KCPIL

64-65.Street scene: WHMC; Coates; sc/jec ‘PL, 68-67. All except second from left: WHMc.

Jim Beckner, Lee's Summit; “Bloody Bill” Anderson: SHSMo; Confederateflag courtesy Jerry Vest, Kansas City, Kan. Flag photographs by Keith Myers, TheStar,

42-43. Map: WHMC; group portrait; Kansas City

Journal clipping, scrapbook ofAlice Greife, courtesy First Baptist Church of Kansas City, Mo,; schedule: Journal of Commerce, SC/KCPL,

44-45. Lithograph: Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis; portrait; WHMC; handbook: SC/KCPL.,

46. BorderStar of Westport, SC/KCPL. 47. Bushwhackers: SHSMo; rifle: KSHS,

Louis; Fort Union; SC/KCPL,

53-56. Headlines: Journal of Comme rce, SC/KCPiss

54. Keith Myers, The Star,

55. Price; Strauss Portrait ‘ Court esy of the

Curtis; KSHS.

:

.

are SEM, row; Kansasme ¢ ll a bottom + Parks

; je . P anor 1orama:ye KSHS. 120-121.

and Recrestions eee Board of

243: WyColis

244-245. WyCoHsM

247. SC/KCPL

126. Top . ‘ PI4‘ i right: Terence W, Cas

178-179, Top: WHMc iia Chelsea eaaes Special Col-

SC/KCPL, haxtom right: WyCoHSM 249, University of Missourl-Kansas Chy Archives

72. Dave Hames, The Star

973. Plan drawings: WHM¢ 75. SC/KCPL.

sic

KSHS,

82-83. Cards; KCM, illu

84-85. WHMC; bottle: |

sy City Union

Mission; census; 5¢

89. Portrait courtesy (| thers in Missouri,” ilerease Institute

90. N.C. Wyeth, "The Jai

fulsa, Okla-

\, Kearney, MO,

93. Remington: P1975.123.2, “Remington While in Kansas City,” unknown artist, ca, 1884, copy-

right Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas,

94. Upperleft: WHMC,

95. SC/KCPL, 98-99. SC/IKCPL.

100-101. Upperleft; WyCoHSM; right: SC/KCPL, 102-103. McCoy: KSHS; Map; Sanborn Map Co, Collection, Kansas Collection, University of

Kansas Libraries; photo and drawing of workers, WHMC; cans: KSHS.

104, Cowboys: Wallace Kansas Collection, Kansas Collection, University of Kansas Libraries; 105. WHMC.

106. Upperleft and upperright; WHMC;bottom: KSHS.,

ation, Wendy Yang, TheStar.

108, Dave Rames, TheStar. 109. Lower right; SC/KCPL.

110. KSHS,

112-113. Horse and mule market: WHMC.

181

-

;

ind bottom: $C/KCPL,

133

L,

y 134

aecenter and A right: row, SC/KCPL.- lowright: SC/KCPL;

oF

246. WyColism

iranics,

Memorig

¥ Memorial Museum & Archives

+ Liberty Memorial Museum & Archives

185. Swope: SC/KCPL.

131

37 140

—

182. SC/KCPL.

hy

Star. OPE:

:

che

ae

NOM,chet: Dave Bemnes, The

186. KCM Nh,

lop: Johnson County . 187. Top: Museum.

194. SC/KCPL,

send: WyCoHSM,

142,

; 195. Top two photos: J.C. Nichols Scrapbooks, WHMC,

itive Sons Archives, WHMC.

196. Top: J.C. Nichols Scrapbooks, WHMC.

1a

dge: WHMC; program: KCM.

197. Top: Used by permission of the University of

146

149

photo: KOM,

3.

kson County Historical Society,

Native

&

Sons

soa

Archives,

Missouri-Kansas CityLibraries, Special Collec-

tions Department, bottom: SC/KCPL.

Bolom: WyCoHSM.

152. Ja 153.1

:

t WHMG,

151. ‘iar, Currency;

180. Libeny

nite

ai

ames, The Star,

#

Hames, The Star,

oe

81. Top: WHMC; Chari

oll, 0127.1544, The 71 of American History a) homa.; Jesse James Mi

lection,

427, i

76-77. Divers; WHIMC

111. SC/KCPL, § ; ; me

119. KCM

242. Top and bottom WyCoM SM, middie Wilbom & Associates

176, Movie Poster: SC/KCPI 177, Top: SC/KCPI, :

107. Painting courtesy American Hereford Associ-

52. Bingham, George Caleb - Order No, 11, oil on linen, SHSMo,

171, Bottom: s ¢ KOPL 172-173, | pper left an d

124-125: Ce ons: Dave Rames, The Star, re ane cable: Terence W Cassidy Collection,

poster: KSHS,

Dred Scott: Missouri Historical Society, St,

170, sC/*KOM,

71, SC/KCPL

WHMC; portrait; SHSMo

40-41. John Brown: KSHS; Union flag courtesy

SouGe

174-175, SC/KCPL

92. Map: Dave Eames, 7he

38. Mormons; State Historical Society of Missouri,

STRATIVe

122-123. Panorama: SC/KCPL; The Patch: KSHS

35. Memorandum: WHMC, 36. Jackson County Records Center,

Cis

68-69. WHIMC

91. Proclamation; SIISMc

50. SHSMo.

Dave Eames, The Star.

60-61, WHIMC

32-32. Dave Eames, The Star.

8, Letter; Pierre Menard Papers,Illinois State His-

10-11., Dave Eames, The Star. 12-13. Shawnee, Osage, Delaware: SHSMo, Kansa: KSHS; map and contemporary figures:

Kansas Libraries

86-87. Lobby and port

27. Top: SHSMo

48-49. Map, poster, Free State Battery: KSHS;

KCM,

§8-59.. Veterans reunion; Wilborn & Ass0Clatey

80. Walnut 1920s: WEIS

7.Illustrations: Dave Eames, The Star, receipt: Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Chouteau Maffitt Collection.

torical Library, Springfield, Illinois; pelt and hat:

§6-57.. KSHS, Topeka

79, Map, ticket; WEIM(

37. Border Star advertisement; SC/KCPL, HU, SC/KCPL

i

Hue

oF

154. WyCoHSM. 155. KCM.

‘Truman Library

252. Courtesy Black Archives of Mid.

208. WHMC.

253. Top right: Courtesy Dave Bames

258-259. SC/KOPL

264. Left: Courtesy Manuel Aguirre

160. Top: SC/KCPL, bottom: WHMC.

219. Bottom right: SC/KCPL.

161. Photos: WyCoHSM.

224. Courtesy City Union Mission.

162. The Kansas CityJournal, Periodicals, Kansas

226, Bottom: Jack Wally Collection, WHMC.

5

se Kansas City Spirit, 1951 by Norman Rockwell

with John Atherton Courtesy the Halimark Fine

C

so Collection, Falk

cask Carta

Oty, Missourl

266. Counesy Mask

28" S/KOML

inc.

te

:

271. Boaom fight: Johnson County Museum.

272: Top and right: SC/KCPL.

— 286. Dave Eames,

wee Star. The

293. Photo by Jim Overbay. KCM.

y

228. Jack Wally Collection, WHMC.

163. Missouri ey Society, St. Louis,

230. Map: WHMC; photo: SC/KCPL.

164-165. SC/KCPL.

233: Top: SC/KCPL.

166-167.Illustration: Kansas City Post, Periodi- 234-235. WyCoHSM. cals, KCPL; suffragists: Jackson County Histori-

236-237. Photo: WyCoHSM.

cal Society,

240. Photo: WyCoHSM. 241. WyCoHSM.

The

294. Bottom: Copyright Warner Studio Collection,

214-215. Jack Wally Collection, WHMC

5

s