Kansas City Chronicles

by Jackson, David W.

• ISBN13: 9781596299863
• ISBN10: 159629986X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-16
• Publisher: History Pr

Summary

From guerilla warfare and martial law to the elegant dresses of the Harzfeld's Parisian Cloak Company, discover how everything became up-to-date in Kansas City (including the phrase "up-to-date," itself, which predates the song in Oklahoma!). Watch as the Jackson County Poor Farm transformed into the state-of-the-art Truman Medical Center and learn why Old Westport is the real McCoy. Meet the resident mouse of the Laugh-O-Gram studio on Thirteenth and Forest, which took food from Walt Disney's hand as Mortimer before taking shape on Disney's drawing board as Mickey. In this collection of his best historical columns, David W. Jackson delivers a vivid portrait of the people, places and events that continue to shape this fascinating town. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 9
Before Jackson County (-1826)
A River Runs by It: Kansas City's Origins Carried on the Missouri River Current	p. 11
"Man Is Arriving, Man Is Arriving, Man Is Arriving"	p. 12
First Fifty Foundational Years (1826-1876)
Natural Mineral Springs Once Poured Local Flavor	p. 19
The Abuse and Acquittal of Rebecca Hawkins	p. 21
Log Courthouse Served as the First Seat of Justice	p. 23
Historic Red Bridge Crossed the Big Blue River	p. 25
Rediscovery of the Rice Plantation Cemetery in Raytown	p. 27
California Gold Rush: A Local Nugget of American History	p. 30
Gilliss House Hotel Registered the Far Western Frontier	p. 33
Poor Farm Is a Major Medical Center Today	p. 35
Frontier Justice and the 1859 Jackson County Jail	p. 37
Picnicking Under the Lone Jack Tree	p. 39
When Martial Law Reigned in Jackson County	p. 42
Alexander Majors's Dramatic Life as an Overland Commissioner	p. 46
Kansas City's Hannibal Bridge Laid Rails to Future	p. 48
Fifty Golden Years of Expansion (1876-1926)
Folly Theater's Majestic Standard	p. 51
Volker's Legacy Outlived Anonymity	p. 53
Corralling Jackson County's Prized Stockyard Business	p. 56
Bucolic Big Blue River Valley's Past and Future	p. 58
The Enduring Charm of Swope Park's Lake of the Woods	p. 60
The Day the Horseless Carriage Rolled into Kansas City	p. 62
First Telephones Rang a Bell	p. 65
The Birth of the Kansas City Zoo	p. 66
An Up-to-Date Hypothesis	p. 69
Priests of Pallas: An Alluring Festival	p. 71
Nelly Don Tried One On and Took It for a Ride	p. 75
African American Neighborhood of Steptoe Vanishing	p. 78
Independence Day in the Heart of America	p. 81
Some Unpleasant Happenings on Pleasant Street	p. 84
A Half Century of Triumphs Over Challenges (1926-1976)
Andrew Drumm's March to Make Life Better	p. 89
Disney's World of Hollywood Animation First Sketched in Kansas City	p. 91
Civilian Conservation Corps Relieved a Great Depression	p. 93
Winding the Clock for Jackson County's Two Nineteenth-Century Courthouses	p. 95
Lost Americana Returns Home	p. 99
Mary Minor Laird's Climb to the Tower	p. 101
Jackson County's Agrarian Past at Cedar Croft	p. 104
Veterans' Daily Life Stories Collected	p. 106
When World War II Prisoners of War Camped in Jackson County	p. 110
Sheraton Estates: Kansas City's First African American Suburb	p. 112
Harzfeld's Dressed Kansas City Elegantly	p. 115
The Planning, Planting and Propagating of Kansas City's Parks and Boulevards	p. 118
The Neck: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow	p. 119
Preserving the Past for the Future (1976-2026)
Harry S Truman's Civil Rights Legacy	p. 125
Kansas City Women of Independent Minds	p. 127
Protect Scenic Vistas While They Last	p. 129
The Jury Is In: Hotel President Exemplifies Kansas City Hospitality	p. 132
Growing Native Landscapes Honor Earth, Pioneers	p. 134
Old Westport Is the Real McCoy	p. 135
Conserving Cemeteries as Sacred Spaces	p. 139
Jackson County Counts: Counting America's Stories One by One	p. 142
Jackson County Historical Society's Illustrious Past and Glimmering Future	p. 145
Index	p. 149
About the Author	p. 157
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