Historic Photos of Kansas City

By Lara Copeland

By the mid nineteenth century, Kansas City was an important trading center for the westward movement. Through the late 1800s, two World Wars, and into the modern era, Kansas City has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity through the strength and resolve of its citizens.

This volume, Historic Photos of Kansas City, captures this journey through still photography from the city’s finest archives. From the Civil War, to the turn of the century, to the building of a modern metropolis, Historic Photos of Kansas City follows life, government, education, and events throughout Kansas City’s history. This book captures unique and rare scenes as depicted in nearly 200 historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9781618586452

Book preview

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF

KANSAS CITY

TEXT AND CAPTIONS BY LARA COPELAND

A southward view of Union Station railroad terminal and much of the downtown Kansas City skyline, circa 1940s.

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF

KANSAS CITY

Turner Publishing Company

200 4th Avenue North • Suite 950

Nashville, Tennessee 37219

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Historic Photos of Kansas City

Copyright © 2006 Turner Publishing Company

All rights reserved.

This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006906273

ISBN-10: 1-59652-289-5

ISBN-13: 978-1-59652-289-3

Printed in China

09 10 11 12 13 14 15—0  9  8  7  6  5  4  3

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

PRE–CIVIL WAR TO THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (1800–1899)

KANSAS CITY AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY (1900–1919)

FROM COWTOWN TO THE METROPOLIS OF THE SOUTHWEST (1920–1939)

WORLD WAR II THROUGH THE MODERN ERA (1940–1970)

NOTES ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS

A night view of Union Station and the downtown Kansas City skyline.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This volume, Historic Photos of Kansas City, is the result of the cooperation and efforts of many individuals, organizations, institutions, and corporations. It is with great thanks that we acknowledge the valuable contribution of the following for their generous support:

Saint Luke’s Health System

Hotel Phillips

First Federal Bank of Kansas City

Kansas City Public Library

Missouri State Archives

We would also like to thank the following individuals for their valuable contributions and assistance in making this work possible:

Mary Beveridge, Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library

Laura Jolley, Missouri State Archives

PREFACE

Kansas City has thousands of historic photographs that reside in archives, both locally and nationally. This book began with the observation that, while those photographs are of great interest to many, they are not easily accessible. During a time when Kansas City is looking ahead and evaluating its future course, many people are asking, How do we treat the past? These decisions affect every aspect of the city—architecture, public spaces, commerce, tourism, recreation, and infrastructure—and these, in turn, affect the way that people live their lives. This book seeks to provide easy access to a valuable, objective look into Kansas City’s history.

The power of photographic images is that they are less subjective in their treatment of history. While the photographer can make decisions regarding what subject matter to capture and some limited variation in its presentation, photographs do not provide the breadth of interpretation that text does. For this reason, they offer an original, untainted perspective that allows the viewer to interpret and observe.

This project represents countless hours of research and review. The researchers and author have reviewed thousands of photographs in numerous archives. We greatly appreciate the generous assistance of the archivists listed in the acknowledgments of this work, without whom this project could not have been completed.

The goal in publishing this work is to provide broader access to a set of extraordinary photographs that seek to inspire, provide perspective, and evoke insight that might assist people who are responsible for determining Kansas City’s future. In addition, the book seeks to preserve the past with adequate respect and reverence.

The photographs selected have been reproduced