Kansas City has an interesting history which has seen it get incorporated thrice, each time with a change of name. In the early 1830s, John Calvin McCoy established the Westport Landing, an outfitting post and a boat dock for overland expeditions that thrived and flourished quite well. A couple of pf years later, in the 1850s, there was a group of around 15 investors who settled in the area, changing its name to the Town of Kansas. 1889 saw the last change to the city’s name, and it became known as Kansas City.
Kansas City sits at the border between Missouri and Kansas Rivers. Given its prime location, it attracted visitors quickly. The foundation of Kansas City is thanks to French fur traders who build settlement cabins along the Missouri River. In 1831, a group of Mormons from New York constructed the first school in the area. The establishment of the Westport Landing shortly afterward brought even more investors who settled in the area which became on annual event.
The American Civil war was an era that saw Kansas City get divided. This was majorly due to the fact that it was located right in the border of Kansa (a free state) and Missouri (a slave state). There were skirmishes like never before, and the decisive war that took place in October 1864 was one of the Civil War’s major battles west of the Mississippi River. In 1865, the railroad from St. Lois reached Kansas City, contributing majorly to its growth. The year 1870 saw yet another milestone for the city when a stockyard was opened. This move saw Kansas City grow into a major cattle market and a major center for meat-packing.
The early 20th century saw Kansas achieve even more growth thanks to the two World Wars. After World War II, Kansas City annexed neighboring land, increasing its size by close to five times more. Between 1920 and 1930, the Kansas City Jazz style of music emerged, and iconic saxophonists such as Lester Young helped put the city on the global map.
Today, in as much as the city’s reputation as a meat-packing hub has dwindled down, it remains a shipping and marketing center of an array of agricultural items, including dairy products, corn, and soybeans. It has numerous food-processing and grain storage facilities, making it a major distribution and rail hub in the US. This economic gem continues to thrive, with new industries sprawling at an impressive rate.
