Timeline of Kansas City, Missouri explained

The following is a timeline of the history of Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

19th century

• 1838 - Settlement named Town of Kansas.
• 1840 - City Market active.
• 1846 - Population: 700.
• 1850 - June 3: Town of Kansas formally organized municipality in Jackson County.^[1]
• 1853 - March 28: City of Kansas incorporated by Missouri.^[1]
• 1854 - Bleeding Kansas
• 1857
  • Chamber of Commerce established.
  • November 9 - Union Cemetery founded by a special act of the Missouri General Assembly, as the private corporation Union Cemetery Assembly^[2]
• 1860 - Population: 4,418.
• 1863 - August 13: The collapse of the Union Women's Prison kills four and maims several other women, which the pro-Confederate bushwhackers will cite revenge as a justification for the Sacking of Lawrence.^[3]
• 1864 - October 23: Battle of Westport.
• 1867 - March 1: First meeting of the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education.^[4]
• 1869 - July 3: Hannibal Bridge over the Missouri River opens, first railroad bridge across the river.^[5]
• 1870 - Population: 32,260.
• 1871 - Kansas City Bar Library Assoc. formed.
• 1872 - Elmwood Cemetery established.
• 1875 - Fetterman Circulating Library in business.^[6]
• 1880 - Population: 55,785.
• 1882
  • Kansas City Club founded.
  • First electric lights used in KC; implemented by KCP&L
• 1885
  • Kansas City Art Institute founded, later attended by Walt Disney
  • First overhead electric trolleys in the US used here.
• 1889
  • The city of Kansas City formed by merger of Westport and City of Kansas.
  • Kansas City Public Library building opens.
• 1890 - Population: 132,716.
• 1892 - Court House built.
• 1893
  • City Hall built.
  • Kansas City Athletic Club active.
• 1895 - Kansas City School of Law founded.
• 1897 - December 20: City workhouse castle opened, old workhouse abandoned.^{[7] [8]}
• 1900
  • July 4: 1900 Democratic National Convention held.
  • Federal Building constructed.
  • Population: 163,752.

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1903 - Automobile Club of Kansas City active.
• 1904 - Children's Mercy Hospital active.^[9]
• 1908 - City Hospital built.
• 1909 - Kansas City Zoo opens in Swope Park
• 1910
  • Hall Brothers in business.
  • Population: 248,381.
• 1913 - Cook Paint and Varnish Company in business.
• 1914
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Paseo YMCA^[10] open.
  • Union Station rebuilt.^[11]
• 1915 - Kansas City Polytechnic Institute established.^[12]
• 1917 - Rockhurst College opens.
• 1919 - Truman and Jacobson's haberdashery in business.^[13]
• 1920 - Population: 324,410.
• 1921 - Laugh-O-Gram Studio founded by Walt Disney
• 1922 - WPE radio begins broadcasting.
• 1923
  • Fairyland Amusement Park opens at 7501 Prospect
  • Laugh-O-Gram Studio files bankruptcy and closes
• 1926
  • Ararat Shrine Temple and Bagdad Theatre^[14] open.
  • Liberty Memorial dedicated to World War I veterans, opens
• 1927 - Downtown Airport opens, dedicated by Charles Lindbergh
• 1928
  • June: 1928 Republican National Convention.
  • F. W. Woolworth Building constructed.
• 1931 - Kansas City Power and Light Building constructed.
• 1933 - June 17: Kansas City massacre.
• 1936 - Holy Land Christian Mission founded.
• 1937 - Kansas City City Hall rebuilt.
• 1945 - K.C. native Harry S Truman sworn in as President of the United States after President Franklin Roosevelt's sudden death
• 1946
  • Linda Hall Library established.
  • William E. Kemp becomes mayor.
• 1948
  • Harry S Truman wins Presidential election
  • First national leadership conference of the Future Homemakers of America (FHA), now Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).
• 1949
  • Crest Drive-In cinema active (approximate date).
  • Richard Walker Bolling becomes U.S. representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district.^[15]
  • Industrial Bearings Transmission, now IBT, Inc. founded at 1625 Grand

1950s-1990s

• 1951 - July: Great Flood of 1951.^[16]
• 1954
  • U.S. Weather Bureau Severe Local Storms Unit relocated to Kansas City.
  • Paseo Bridge opens
• 1955
  • The city gains its first major professional sports team when the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League relocate to Kansas City
  • H. Roe Bartle becomes mayor.
• 1956 - First runway opens at Kansas City Industrial Airport, now KCI
• 1957
  • Kansas City Ballet founded.
  • Ruskin Heights Tornado (F-5).
• 1959 - Five KC firefighters killed in gas tank explosion on Southwest Blvd.
• 1963
  • The Dallas Texans of the American Football League relocate to Kansas City and become the Chiefs
  • University of Missouri–Kansas City established.
  • Ilus W. Davis becomes mayor.
• 1964 - Kansas City Repertory Theatre founded^[17]
• 1967
  • • • Kansas City Chiefs win American Football League championship and play in first Super Bowl, losing to Green Bay Packers Sister city relationship established with Seville, Spain.^[18]
  • Athletics relocate to Oakland at the conclusion of the season
• 1968 - April: 1968 Kansas City, Missouri riot.
• 1969
  • Kansas City Royals baseball team formed.,^[19]
  • Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl IV
• 1970 - Population: 507,330.
• 1971
  • Crown Center opens.
  • Charles Wheeler becomes mayor.
• 1972
  • Sister city relationship established with Kurashiki, Japan.
  • Arrowhead Stadium opens
  • NBA comes to Kansas City when the Cincinnati Royals relocate and become the Kings
  • Kansas City International Airport becomes the city's primary passenger airport
• 1973
  • Sister city relationship established with Morelia, Mexico.
  • Worlds of Fun opens.
  • Kauffman Stadium opens as Royals Stadium.
• 1974
  • Kemper Arena opens.
  • NHL comes to Kansas City with the establishment of the Scouts as an expansion team
  • Sister city relationship established with Freetown, Sierra Leone.
• 1976 - World Science Fiction Convention held.
• 1977 - Fairyland Amusement Park closes after extensive damage by windstorm
• 1978 - Sister city relationship established with Tainan, Taiwan.
• 1979 - Richard L. Berkley becomes mayor.
• 1980
  • Hyatt Regency hotel opens.
  • The Kansas City Royals win the American League pennant before losing in World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies
• 1981 - July 17: Hyatt Regency walkway collapse.
• 1982
  • Kansas City Symphony active.
  • Oceans of Fun opens
• 1985 - World Series won by Kansas City Royals with Manager Dick Howser
• 1986 - Town Pavilion hi-rise built.
• 1988
  • ACT UP chapter founded.
  • One Kansas City Place built.
  • Serial killer Bob Berdella apprehended as "Kansas City Butcher"
• 1989 - Sister city relationship established with Xi'an, China.
• 1990 - Population: 435,146.
• 1991
  • Kansas City Stockyards close.
  • Emanuel Cleaver becomes mayor.
  • Firefighters' Memorial Fountain dedicated at 31st & Broadway
  • Sister city relationship established with Guadalajara, Mexico.
• 1993
  • Sister city relationships established with Hannover, Germany and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
  • Great Flood of 1993
• 1994 - Bartle Hall Convention Center opens.
• 1995 - Sister city relationship established with Arusha, Tanzania.
• 1997
  • City website goes online (approximate date).^[20]
  • Sister city relationship established with San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico.
• 1998 - Sister city relationship established with Ramla, Israel.
• 1999 - Kay Barnes becomes mayor.
• 2000 - Population: 441,545.^[21]

21st century

• 2001 - Regional Kansas City SmartPort economic development group established.
• 2004 - Sister city relationship established with Metz, France.
• 2005
  • Penn Valley skatepark opens.
  • Emanuel Cleaver becomes U.S. representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district.^[22]
• 2007
  • Sprint Center (arena) opens.
  • Irish Museum and Cultural Center active.
  • Mark Funkhouser becomes mayor.
• 2010
  • Population: 459,787.^[23]
  • Paseo Bridge closed, demolished
  • Christopher S. Bond Bridge opens, replacing Paseo Bridge
• 2011
  • Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opens.
  • Sly James becomes mayor.
  • Population: 463,202; metro 2,052,676.^[24]
• 2012
  • Google Fiber service begins.
  • Kansas City Startup Village established.^[25]
• 2014 - Liberty Memorial designated National World War I Monument.
• 2015 - World Series won by Kansas City Royals
• 2019 - Quinton Lucas elected mayor
• 2020 - Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV
• 2021 - Chiefs lose Super Bowl LV
• 2023 - Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII
• 2024 - Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII

See also

• List of mayors of Kansas City, Missouri
• History of the Kansas City metropolitan area
• Timeline of St. Louis

Bibliography

19th century publications

• Business directory, 1866
• Book: History of Kansas City, Missouri . Theo. S. Case . Syracuse, N.Y. . D. Mason . 1888 .

20th century publications

• Book: Kansas City, Mo. . https://archive.org/stream/rlpolkcoskansass22rlpo#page/n53/mode/2up . Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, including a complete business directory of Kansas City, Mo. . 1908 . .
  • Kansas City (Missouri) . 15 . 661 - 662 . 1910 . . 1.
    • • Book: Rick Montgomery. Shirl Kasper. Kansas City: An American Story . 1999. Kansas City Star Books. 978-0-9604884-0-7.

21st century publications

• Book: Paul S. Boyer . Oxford Companion to United States History . 2001 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-508209-8 . Kansas City . https://books.google.com/books?id=SgtyKzBes6QC&pg=PA417 . 417 . registration .
• Book: David J. . Wishart . Encyclopedia of the Great Plains . 2004 . http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ct.000.xml . University of Nebraska Press . 0-8032-4787-7 . Cities and Towns: Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri .
• Web site: Kansas City (MO) . America's Big Cities in Volatile Times: City Profiles . 2013 . American Cities Project . Washington, DC . .
• Book: William S. Worley. Kansas City: Rise of a Regional Metropolis . 2002. Heritage Media Corp. .
• Book: James R. Shortridge. Kansas City and How it Grew, 1822-2011 . 2012. University of Press of Kansas .
• Web site: Mildred Ray. Kansas City Public Library . Armour Meat Packing .

External links

• Web site: Kansas City Public Library . Local History and Genealogy Research Guides .
• Items related to Kansas City, Mo., various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)

39.0997°N -94.5783°W

Notes and References

1. Book: Shortridge, James R. . Kansas City and How it Grew, 1822-2011 . 2012. University of Press of Kansas.
2. Web site: Union Cemetery . Kansas City Parks & Rec . August 4, 2023.
3. Web site: Collapse of the Union Women's Prison in Kansas City Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865. civilwaronthewesternborder.org. May 11, 2020.
4. Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.), July 4, 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
5. Book: Rick Montgomery. Shirl Kasper. Kansas City: An American Story . 1999. Kansas City Star Books. 978-0-9604884-0-7.
6. Web site: American Libraries before 1876 . Davies Project . Princeton University . March 5, 2014 .
7. News: . Ready for Its Hobo Guests . 3 . December 20, 1897 . July 19, 2020.
8. Web site: Taste & See KC: Kansas City Workhouse Castle becoming a ruin . Ben . Lawson . January 2, 2018 . April 14, 2020 . KSHB.
9. Web site: Kansas City, Missouri . . New York . Nonprofit Explorer . May 9, 2013 . Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei . November 30, 2014 .
10. Book: Nina Mjagkij . Light in the Darkness: African Americans and the YMCA, 1852-1946. University Press of Kentucky. 0-8131-2801-3 . 1994 .
11. Web site: Timeline . Union Station Kansas City . November 30, 2014 .
12. Web site: Member Institutions in Missouri . . Washington DC . October 30, 2014 .
13. Web site: Truman: Chronology . . Independence, Mo. . November 30, 2014 .
14. Web site: Movie Theaters in Kansas City, MO . CinemaTreasures.org . Cinema Treasures LLC . Los Angeles . March 5, 2014 .
15. Book: Official Congressional Directory . Washington DC . Government Printing Office . 1953 . Missouri . 2027/mdp.39015038055821 . Official Congressional Directory .
16. Web site: Kansas City Public Library . Local history & genealogy: Alphabetical List of Special Collections . November 30, 2014 .
17. News: History of the Rep. Kansas City Repertory Theatre. December 20, 2017. en-US.
18. Web site: Kansas City Sister Cities . Sister City Association of Kansas City, MO . kcsistercities.org . December 30, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141009123500/http://www.kcsistercities.org/sister-cities . October 9, 2014 .
19. Web site: Royals Timeline . November 30, 2014 . .
20. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/19970413060400/http://www.kcmo.org/ . City of Kansas City, Mo. . April 13, 1997 . .
21. Web site: US Census Bureau . State & County QuickFacts . Kansas City city, Kansas QuickLinks . Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 .
22. Web site: Members of Congress . . Civic Impulse, LLC . Washington, D.C. . March 5, 2014 .
23. Web site: Kansas City (city), Missouri . State & County QuickFacts . U.S. Census Bureau . March 5, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120423160756/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/2938000.html . April 23, 2012 .
24. Web site: 30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot . 2013 . American Cities Project . Washington, DC . .
25. Web site: Kansas City Startup Village . 2012 .