Twelve Stories of Kansas City's Intriguing History

The stories that make up the complicated, fascinating and oftentimes confusing history of Kansas City have become a large part of my life. 

This journey started four years ago, but the journey of writing a blog commenced in April 2016. I had no idea what I was doing (and sometimes still feel that way) and who would even read what I was writing. In that time, I have slowly worked my way past the territory of south Kansas City where my research started.  I began to receive emails, phone calls and inquiries on different pieces of Kansas City history.

I get my best ideas by talking to people like you.

Twelve stories have been thoroughly researched and written with attention to detail. I wanted to ensure that I was doing this city justice- I want to give everyone a chance to feel as if they are transported back in time and feel a part of this city we love.

Here it is- year THREE in review! Click on the link to view the stories in case you missed something along the way!

June 2018- The McGees of Kansas City: A Pioneer Legacy. You’ve likely heard of McGee St., but do you know the history of this namesake? One of the first families to move into the future site of Kansas City, James Hyatt McGee and his wife, Eleanor packed up their children and moved in 1828 to Jackson Co. This story follows the history of James, Eleanor, and their son, Allen Burr Harrison (A.B.H.) McGee. Before Kansas City developed around James’s 1,000+ acres, they built the first brick house, farmed the land where the Crossroads and Southwest Blvd. now stands, and used real estate to build a true legacy of early Kansas City greatness. To read about A.B.H. McGee and see never-before-seen photos selflessly allowed to be published by the McGee family, click here!

July 2018- Kansas City’s First Amusement Park Illuminated the East Bottoms. What began as a business venture by brothers looking to entice thirsty customers to their brewery, Electric Park was a showstopper back in its day. Started by the Heim brothers in 1900, Electric Park, also known as “the white city,” featured some interesting amusements at the turn of the century. A beer garden, the Loop the Loop, the promenade, “Alligator Joe,” fresh beer pumping into the park directly from the brewery, various vaudeville acts and a large electric fountain with live acts in the center were all features of this park. The only thing the Heims couldn’t control was the lack of land in the East Bottoms. To read more about Kansas City’s first Electric Park, click here!

August 2018- Meet Me in Electric Park! I was turned onto the idea of writing about the first Electric Park after traveling to the East Bottoms to interview Andy Rieger for a story on the history of J. Rieger & Co., a pre-prohibition whiskey house started by his great-grandfather in 1887 and resurrected in 2014 (to read the story about J. Rieger, click here!).

Rieger had taken over the old Heim bottling plant in the East Bottoms. Cramped in a small office in their warehouse, I asked Andy if he had any other stories he thought I should research. He immediately blurted out, “Electric Park.” It turned out that Andy had some serious plans to rebrand the East Bottoms and tell the history of Heim, J. Rieger and Electric Park as they expanded their operations. In this blog, I continue the story of the Heim’s hope to build a larger Electric Park at 46^th and The Paseo- in operation (albeit dry of booze) until 1925. Included in this story are various postcards, photos and attractions that graced the south side of town and inspired Walt Disney. This also follows the incredible story of my friend, Andy Rieger and his revitalization of Electric Park and the East Bottoms, which is to open in July 2019! To read about the second Electric Park and Andy’s electrifying plans, click here!

September 2018- Early Kansas City Was Influenced by Four McGee Brothers. I’ve developed a personal relationship with the McGee descendants in Kansas City, and they have been an invaluable asset to me as I piece together our city’s early history. After I told the story of their direct descendant, A.B.H. McGee in June, I knew I wasn’t finished with this family. Each of James Hyatt McGee’s sons had an impact on how our city grew. Here, you can read about Fry P. McGee, one of the fourteen original founders of Kansas City and his ambitions to spread slavery to the west; Mobillion W. McGee, a man who had an idea to redraw the boundaries of our state line; and Elijah “Milt” McGee, early developer of the area that now is in the heart of downtown and past mayor of the city. These men along with two other brothers were colorful characters that made up the ambitions of so many southern men at the time. To read about the McGee brothers, click here!

October 2018- First Robbery, Then Murder: Martin City’s Bank the Scene of Heists in the 20s. Sometimes stories fall right on my lap- what should be a simple article for the newspaper turns into something much bigger the more I dig into them. That was the case when it came to piecing together how bank robberies went down in the 1920s, and they look quite different than what we would see today! This story showcases how one small-town bank was the scene to some big-time criminals that intertwine stories of murder in Kansas City, a shootout in Spring Hill, Ks., and an insanity plea followed by an escape from a mental hospital. I just can’t make this stuff up! To read more about these hardened criminals, click here!

November 2018-  The Curious Case of the Thanksgiving Date. When I decided to write about the history of Thanksgiving, I thought it’d be easy. I will eat my words now. :) The best part of this story was being able to learn more about how the date we celebrate Thanksgiving directly affected our old “border war” rivalry between Mizzou and KU (go Tigers!). But did you know that the date for Thanksgiving wasn’t really even solidified nationwide until 1941? To read more about the controversy of what date we celebrate, click here!

December 2018- Imagining the Christmases of the Past Through Food and Community. As I research old pioneer families in Kansas City, I read hundreds of articles and primary sources from those that left manuscripts behind. I always try to save little tidbits of information that could come in handy later, especially as it applies to holiday celebrations. I have been fascinated with how these pioneers used to celebrate Christmas. In this piece, I use old stories told by John C. McCoy’s daughter, Nellie, recipes shared from local pioneer families and some of the earliest holiday recipes across the nation to interconnect what a true 19^th century Christmas would have looked like. To read about Christmas traditions and the food served, click here!

January 2019- Civil War History Marked in Stone. Recent history shows us that some are ready to tear down monuments that may not be considered “politically correct.” We saw this when a monument smack-dab in the middle of Ward Parkway, standing incognito in city parkland, was blasted all over the news for its connection to the Confederacy. Unlike cities to our south, Kansas City doesn’t feature any large monument on public grounds paying homage to the “Lost Cause.” But one monument on private property was erected to pay respect to Confederate soldiers buried with no name and those with direct connections to the Battle of Westport. To read about this monument, click here!

February 2019-  An Ode to the Darker Youngers. I first learned about this unknown story of heroism and determination while reading through the Federal Writer’s Project Slave Narrative collection. I had certainly heard the last name “Younger” in local history, but I had no idea that there is irrefutable evidence that shows that Cole Younger’s grandfather fathered some of his slaves, including one man named Simpson “Sim” Younger. After being given his freedom, Sim was able to break down barriers that were created with racial segregation. A powerful poet, talented baseball player, and a man willing to sue for his basic rights as a man, Sim Younger is a part of Kansas City history that has been forgotten throughout the years. To read about Sim Younger, click here!

March 2019- Historic Paseo Boulevard: How Did We Get Here? If I’ve made a name for myself recently, it certainly wasn’t because of my writing- it was become of my activism! I never thought in a million years that I would use my words and my voice to help save a piece of local Kansas City history. The Paseo Blvd., designed by German landscape architect George Kessler, was the very foundation of Kansas City’s parks and boulevard system. As part of the City Beautiful movement, The Paseo became the street that defined Kansas City as a town of beauty. Under the pressure of the SCLC, the city council voted 8-4 to change the name of The Paseo in January 2019 to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. By March, we were collecting signatures to have the name change stopped. And now, due to our efforts, the city will be able to vote in November to decide the fate of The Paseo. To read about the history of The Paseo and how the name change happened, click here!

April 2019- Fr. Bernard Donnelly: “The Builder” of Kansas City. Often referred to as Kansas City’s first historian and “the builder,” Fr. Donnelly’s appointment to the edge of the frontier changed the course of one fledgling city that wished to grow from the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. The area was first settled by French Catholic families that helped erect a church known as St. John Francis Regis (or “Chouteau’s Church”) in the 1830s. When he came to the area in 1847, the Town of Kansas was less than ten years old and had many challenges. Fr. Donnelly had training as a civil engineer and was able to work with city officials to transform the future of Kansas City through his visions carved out of the bluffs. To read about Fr. Donnelly’s contributions to early history of our city, click here!

May 2019- Kansas City’s Terrifying Tornado in 1886 Claims Dozens of Lives. No one could see it coming; it looked like it was just going to rain. Before the city could even get inside their homes, businesses and schools, the winds and rain began and a cyclone emerged from the sky. Buildings constructed in haste were no match to the winds and horror would be found underneath the rubble. Thirty lives were claimed in the 1886 tornado that hit the very heart of the city- and most of the deaths were children. To read about this tornado and see photographs of its destruction, click here!

The Podcast! Kansas City: 2, States, 1 Story. My newest “job” is recording a podcast! Co-hosted by 610 Sports radio personality, Bob Fescoe, this podcast is a great way to listen to us discuss some of our fun local history in a low-risk way. We love to joke around and make history fun! Even if you aren’t familiar with podcasts (I’m still learning, too!), this is really, really easy to subscribe to through your phone or online. With an iPhone or Android, you can download the free Radio.com app and then search for the podcast by name. That’s it! Then, you can listen as you work out, clean your house, have a cocktail outside or cook dinner! We will release a new episode around the 15^th of each month for you to enjoy. Here are some links to our first podcasts. Just click on the title to open it up and take a listen!

Episode 1: The Border Wars! 

Episode 2: The Paseo

Episode 3: The Founding of Kansas City

Bob Fescoe and me!

That’s it- another year in review! I am so deeply humbled by all of the support that I get from each of you. If someone would have told me four years ago that my blog would lead me to writing a bimonthly column in a newspaper, have me pursuing a second masters in history, and have me recording a podcast, I would have never believed it.

That's in addition to being a full time teacher and still bartending once a week. :)

A lot of people ask me how I keep up.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Never throughout history has a man who has lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” It is my hope that my passion for our past continues to invigorate you- that you are able to look at our city with a renewed, fresh perspective as you are transported back into time through these different stories of our past.

Cheers, readers. I couldn’t continue this calling without the comments, questions, likes and shares from you all. As I continue, I am satisfying my own hunger to learn, preserve and impart these stories for years to come.

*Please search The New Santa Fe Trailer on Facebook and LIKE the page so you don't miss any of my blogs, articles, podcasts and updates! 

The Curious Case of the Thanksgiving Date

Pilgrims with flat-topped hats adorned with fashionable gold buckles - Native Americans half-dressed and ready to shake hands with these newly-arrived white men- both groups sitting down at a perfectly dressed outdoor table to break bread. Those are the images that most people have of the beginnings of a holiday that now focuses on family and giving thanks for what fortunes we have.

This was only further enforced when we school children traced our little hands and fashioned the outline into turkeys. We then whipped out the Elmer’s glue and colorful construction paper to make headbands with limp “feathers” attached.

Oh, we all did it.

This isn’t very PC today, but we all wore those proud crowns topped with unfortunate stereotypes.

History tells us that the first Thanksgiving, an autumn harvest festival, occurred in the fall of 1621 among about 50 Pilgrims and around 90 Wampanoag Indians. But our history books in high school- and our teachers in grade school- really got the whole thing wrong. The real origin of Thanksgiving is up for interpretation.

Yes, what we credit with the first Thanksgiving was originally a three-day celebration attended by men. No, not families. Men. We think of Plymouth (correctly spelled “Plimoth”) and Pilgrims. We think of them inviting a Native American tribe to dine with them. And of course, we think of turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberries.

And pie. Lots of pie.

Truth be told, feasts of thanks celebrating the autumn harvest had been celebrated for centuries. There is even record that the Spaniards in North America held a small autumn feast well before these Pilgrims in Plimoth. That’s why Virginia, Texas, Florida and Maine affirm they are the birthplace of the “first” Thanksgiving.

"First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1914)

Confusing, right?

What we do know is that these fresh-off-the-boat men in 1621 did dine with the Wampanoag Indians; the tribe even brought four deer to the celebration. We also do know that cranberries, native to New England, were served. But there is no evidence that turkey made it to the table.

No pie, guys. There was no pie. Pumpkin and squash were in the diet, but a traditional pumpkin pie wasn’t prepared nor had it really been created yet.

Unlike other holidays, the date of Thanksgiving moves on the calendar every year. And have you ever thought it odd that a nationally-declared holiday is on a Thursday? Just like the controversial birth of our Thanksgiving, the significance of the holiday and the date it is celebrated has morphed over the years.

The first “official” Thanksgiving holiday proclamation was declared by George Washington. He called for a “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to be observed Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789. But the meaning of this date wasn’t attached to Pilgrims at all. Washington was simply wishing for Americans to pay homage to a fledgling nation after the Revolutionary War was won. And, at the time, Thanksgiving was more of a religious holiday than a turkey and gravy one.

It would take 75 years exactly for another national declaration of Thanksgiving to be added to the calendar. During this period of time, individual states and territories would decide when to designate a day of thanks. Sometimes this day of thanks didn’t even fall in November. For example, in 1857, Missouri’s governor Robert Stewart “fixed upon Thursday, the 31st day of December, as a day of Thanksgiving throughout the State of Missouri.”

Abraham Lincoln, Oct. 1863

To no surprise, the next time there was a national declaration of giving thanks on a specific date didn’t happen until our nation was at war again. After the victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Oct. 3, 1863 that we “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving.”  

The country was severed in half during the Civil War. Locally in the Kansas City area, the state line was a battleground between the North and South. Another battle less critical was brewing. In 1864, president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis threw a curveball and appointed Wednesday, Nov. 16th as the day of “rebel thanksgiving.”

Jefferson Davis invited people of the Confederate states “to assemble on the day aforesaid, in their place of public worship . . . [and] that He restore peace to our beloved country, healing its bleeding wounds and securing to us the continued right of self-government and independence.” This put the Confederate turkey day the day before the date suggested by President Lincoln.

Liberty Tribune, Nov. 11, 1864

Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me at all.

Northern newspapers responded to the announcement of a rebel Thanksgiving with a stiff opinion of the makeshift holiday for the South. The Cleveland Daily Leader wrote, “We fear that Mr. Jefferson Davis has mistaken the inspiration of the devil for that from above, and mistakes the amount of strength and inspiration which yet animate the people of the South.”

Roosevelt on Thanksgiving
Courtesy of Library of Congress

It went on to suggest that the South “can then give thanks for the reelection of Abraham Lincoln.”

Dannnnnggguuh.

More confusion on the official date of Thanksgiving occurred in 1939. The Depression era had depleted the nation’s economy, and just like today, the sales during the holiday season was a make-or-break for many merchants.

Traditionally, the fourth Thursday in November was the default date across the country as appointed annually by the president since 1863; however, the fourth Thursday would land Thanksgiving Nov. 30, 1939.

The concern was that losing extra shopping days between turkey day and Christmas would be harmful to the economy. In response, President Theodore Roosevelt was pressured to issue a proclamation declaring the third Thursday the “official” Thanksgiving, moving the date to Nov. 23rd.

Kansas City Star, Oct. 31, 1893

The response nationwide was one of havoc and confusion. In addition, it threw a bombshell on football schedules set a year in advance. Locally, one tradition was in danger of being lost and had Missouri and Kansas up in arms- again.

Traditionally at the time, the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas played their rival football game on Thanksgiving day each year- the most celebrated rivalry west of the Mississippi.

The Border Wars were far from over, and some would argue that they've never really ended.

And to add more insults to the stereotypes, the winner of this "Turkey Day Battle" was rewarded with an "Indian War drum traveling trophy." Starting in 1937, MU's Kansas City Alumni Association with the help of Kansas University Letterman's Association presented an authentic Indian drum each Thanksgiving to the winner.

Top photo: 1893 KU football team
Bottom photo: 1893 MU football team
Courtesy of KU/MU Archives

They wanted to keep it "real," so they commissioned the Osage Indian tribe to make it... since they were the original "landowners" in Missouri and Kansas.

How appropriate.

On a side note, the trophy allegedly disappeared only to resurface in the 1980s in a Columbia, Mo. basement, tucked away forgotten in midst storage boxes.

The first matchup between football teams happened October 31, 1891 in Kansas City at Exposition Park at 15th and Montgall. According to the Kansas City Star, “Society was represented by many of its best known devotees.”  The beginning of the modern-day “border wars,” the Jayhawks were able to secure a 22-10 win over the Tigers.

The Thanksgiving date was used for the Border Wars game starting on November 30, 1893 at Exposition Park in Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City Star reported, "Out at Exposition Park this afternoon there will be a wondrous blending of college colors and college yells. . . The pretty girls and the girls not so pretty will be there in force."

Wow.

Kansas City Journal, Nov. 24, 1898 

To add insult to injury, the article continues, "To be sure [the women] don't understand the game, but there will be plenty of men on hand to instruct them in foot ball ethics and tell them when to applaud."

Well, it was a different era. Let's just be glad we have made strides in the past 125 years - I know plenty of women that know more about football than most!

3,000 people packed the small stadium, a record crowd for the day, and Mizzou was able to secure a 12-4 win over the Jayhawks.

A weird score, right? Well, touchdowns at the time were worth four points and the extra point was worth two.

Border War football games continued to be played in Kansas City (once in St. Joe) until 1910 where each team took turns hosting the other on turkey day.

Leavenworth Standard, Dec. 1, 1893

In 1939, it was KU’s turn to host the Tigers in Lawrence, but the confusion over the date had things on hold.

Because President Roosevelt’s proclamation truly only affected the the District of Columbia and territories belonging to the United States, it was up to the governors of each state to decide when to celebrate the day.

The MU-KU game was scheduled to be held on Nov. 30 on the date everyone assumed would be Thanksgiving.

This had the governors of each state deciding whether to follow President Roosevelt or hold to the generally-accepted fourth Thursday in November. And just like the Border Wars, Missouri and Kansas chose two different sides.

Governor Payne H. Ratner of Kansas declared, “The Thanksgiving day of November 30, 1939, which is fixed in the calendar and upon which so many people have made definite plans will be retained in Kansas.”

The cover of Time Magazine in 1939

Missouri governor Lloyd C. Stark signed his declaration in August and announced, “We will have only one Thanksgiving day in Missouri. That will be the date set by the President of the United States.”  

This created a pretty serious headache for the two states’s largest universities. If the Thanksgiving Border Wars game between MU and KU was played on Nov. 23, KU would have to change its class schedules. If Mizzou had to play the Thursday after their holiday vacation, they would miss class and attendance at the game would be affected.

A solution was reached; the game, traditionally held on Thanksgiving day, was moved to Sat., Nov. 25 “because of the two conflicting turkey dates in the two states.”

Mizzou won 20-0.

The Tigers and the Jayhawks continued their matchup on Thanksgiving day until the early 1950s.

Due to the chaos leading up to the 1939 Thanksgiving, President Roosevelt gave advanced notice when he designated Thurs., Nov. 21st (the third Thursday in Nov.) the official Thanksgiving for 1940. He declared the date in October 1939.

Congress passed a law Dec. 26, 1941 giving us a “unified Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November.” Thankfully since then, there has been no confusion as to when we gather to give our thanks across the nation.

This piece is dedicated to my friends, Mizzou Tiger Cristin Blunt and Kansas Jayhawk Tim Reidy :)

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Time Magazine 1893 comic shows the nation's new love of Thanksgiving day football