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"Kansas
City had its beginning away back in the ’30’s, when the “turtle backs”
carrying the advance guard of civilization slowly ascended the Missouri
River, at length reaching the Junction of the Kansas River, where the
foundations of the present City were laid. The growth was slow until
1856, and in fact until after the Civil War. Then the small settlement
began to grow into vigorous young manhood.
In
1860, the population was only 4,018; in 1870 it had increased to 22,000.
Then in 1875 began a tremendous boom and real estate values commenced to
mount skyward. This lasted for several years until the panic time, when
Kansas City felt the depression along with the whole American West.
In
1890, however, the population had grown to 132,000. In 1900 it was
163,000, and at the present time the population is upwards of 200,000, and
with the population of Kansas City, Kansas, lying on the opposite bank of
the River there is a population of over a quarter of a million souls.
Kansas
City is situated on the right bank of the Missouri River, just below the
mouth of the Kansas. The conformation of the City is very irregular, a
high bluff having an altitude of 300 feet dividing the upper part of the
City from the lower bottom lands where the stockyards and wholesale houses
are located. The combined cities cover an area of 40 square miles.
Kansas
City is chiefly noted as second largest live stock market in the world.
Its annual receipts amount to about 6,000,000 head of stock valued at
$120,000,000. The rapid growth of the city has been due chiefly to its
vast interests in this industry. Of the stock received the packing houses
consumed in 1902[,] 52.8 percent of the
cattle, 98.8 percent of the hogs, and 62.6 percent of the sheep.
Kansas
City possesses also an important place in the grain trade of the United
States. In 1903, over 38,000,000 bushels of wheat were received, over
16,000,000 of corn, over 6,000,000 of oats, half a million of rye, and
over a quarter of a million of barley. It is the largest primary wheat
market in the United States, hard winter wheat of the same variety which
made the Black Sea country famous growing to perfection in this empire.
Kansas
City has 2,000 factories with $50,000,000 invested and employing about
50,000 people. The sale of agricultural machinery here exceeds that of
any other city in the world. The railway facilities are excellent, 22
railways having their termini [sic] here, and
extending to all parts of the United States.
Kansas
City has eighteen banks with a combined capital and surplus of $10,000,000
and a deposit of $80,000,000. With characteristic enterprise Kansas City
has laid out a magnificent park system covering 1,834 acres, 215 acres of
parkways and 26 miles of boulevards. The Paseo is a magnificent parkway
and has added much to the beauty of the city. Swope Park is a magnificent
natural extent of landscape. The City is well and substantially built.
Among the notable buildings are the Customs House, City Hall, Court House,
Board of Trade, Convention Hall, Willis Wood Theatre, New England
Building, American Bank and New York Life Buildings."
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Post Office And Custom House
The new Custom
House is the architectural feature of Kansas City. It is built of
Georgia granite with a magnificent golden dome, which looms up from
every point of view. The building occupies the block from Eighth to
Ninth on Grand Avenue. Work was begun on this structure in 1892 and
it was turned over to the government in June, 1900. |
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Court House, Missouri Avenue
The Jackson
County Court House is a splendid structure of Warrensburg sandstone,
occupying the square bordered by Missouri Avenue, Fifth Street, Oak
and Locust Streets. The building is 147 by 255 feet, five stories
high. Work was commenced on this building in 1888 and it was
occupied in 1892 and cost $500,000. |
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City Hall
The City Hall is
an imposing building of brick, artistically trimmed with sandstone.
The building is 120 by 175 feet, four stories and basement.
Construction was commenced in 1890 and it was turned over to the
City three years later. The cost of this fine structure was
$300,000. Just east of the City Hall is located the market house,
200 by 400 feet, costing $40,000. This is being enlarged at a cost
of $250,000. |
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Main Street and the Junction
North from
Tenth Street. |
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Pergola on the Paseo
The Paseo, with
its roadways and chain of parks, through the residence sections, is
one of the delightful features of Kansas City, and is constantly
thronged with visitors. It affords one of the most beautiful sights
in America. |
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Gladstone Boulevard
from Independence Boulevard
Kansas City is
justly famed for its boulevards. Among the leading boulevards are
Benton, Linwood, Armour, Admiral, Independence, Gladstone, Broadway,
Harrison. There are altogether twenty-six miles of boulevards. |
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Manual Training School
The Manual
Training High School was built in 1897, and opened to the public
September 5, the same year. The enrollment was 500, with corps of
sixteen teachers. The present enrollment is 1735, with corps of 78
teachers. The site of the building cost $40,000, the building,
$100,000, and the equipment, $60,000. |
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Auditorium Theatre
Built 1886. |
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The Board of Trade
The Board of
Trade Building was erected in 1887, of brick and terra cotta,
fire-proof construction. The cost was $640,000, exclusive of the
ground.
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New England Building
The property
of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Boston, Mass. Was
completed in June, 1888, at a total cost, including land, of
$500,000.00. The structure is strictly fire proof and is the largest
safety deposit vault west of St. Louis.
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Public Library
The Kansas City
Public Library was erected September, 1897, at a cost, for building
and furnishings, of $200,000; the ground at that time was valued at
$30,000, making a total of $230,000. The exterior of the library is
of Carthage stone. The interior is handsomely wainscoted with
varieties of marble and stone from different counties. The ceilings
and walls are frescoed. Two artistic stained-glass windows,
containing portraits of Henry W. Longfellow and William Cullen
Bryant, recall those two famous personages of Literary New England.
The capacity of the stack-room is 150,000 volumes; there are at
present 75,000 volumes in the library. The library also shelters a
public art gallery, on the second floor, and a public museum in the
basement. |
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Three Swell Kansas City
Apartment Houses And Hotels
Peristyle
Apartments, Quinland Flats, Ellesmere
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New York Life Building |
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Petticoat Lane
Eleventh
Street East From Main Street |
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A Drive In Kansas City’s New
1,300 Acre Swope Park
Swope Park
was the gift of Mr. Thomas Swope. It covers 1,354 acres of
beautifully laid out country side. It is a beautiful park of
diversified hills and valleys, meadow and woodland. Swope Parkway
unites the heart of the City with Swope Park. Kansas City’s Park
system comprises 1,834 acres of parks and the total cost of the park
system was over $6,000,000. |
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Burlington Bridge, Missouri River |
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Union Avenue. Railroad Yards
Some scenes in
Kansas City during the floods of 1903. The bridges across the river
were torn into shapeles[s] masses and
the lower portion of the city was flooded.
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Lake and Drive in Penn Valley Park
The Penn Valley
Park, in the southwestern portion of the City, affords many pleasing
views and is a favorite resort.
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Kansas City Stock Yards
Kansas City
stands second among all cities in the world in the magnitude and
variety of its packing house products. 20,000 persons are employed
in this industry directly, and it furnishes the source of livelihood
of 60,000 of its population. It is the great stock cattle market of
the world, collecting and distributing the stock cattle which later
keep busy the packing houses of other markets. It is the great
feeder mart where the cattle growers of the Southwest and the cattle
feeders of the Mississippi and Missouri valleys meet. In 1904, the
receipts of cattle were 2,000,000 head, of hogs, 2,227,000, of sheep
1,000,000. The total valuation of this stock was $90,000,000. |
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