Natural and cultural features of Kansas City, Part 10: 18th and Vine

Mutual Musicians Foundation National Historic Landmark, 1823 Highland Avenue, Kansas City (N39⁰5’25” W94⁰33’43”), is a two-story brick building dating to 1904. It was a center for the development of jazz of the Kansas City style; and became the western center of American jazz after the shutdown of the clubs and red-light district in New Orleans in 1917. Kansas City Style Jazz was one of America’s indigenous musical types, developed in the 1930s and extending into the 1940s. The musicians who played jazz were often trained at the Mutual Musicians Building, which served as a clubhouse and recital hall. The musicians were members of Musician’s Union Local #627. The song 627 Stomp, by Pete Johnson and Joe Turner (1940), immortalized the building. Notable musicians associated with the foundation were Count Basie, Bennie Moten, Jay McShann, George F. Lee, Hot Lips Page, Dick Wilson, Hershel Evans, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Baby Lovett, and Pete Johnson.

18th and Vine Historic District (N39o5’26” W94o33’46”) includes buildings on 18th, 19th, Highland, The Paseo, Vine, and Woodland, dating to 1885. This was the center of black commerce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was associated with the development of jazz music in the 1920s and 1930s. The Mutual Musicians Foundation National Historic Landmark is within the district. A bicycle lane separated from traffic runs along 18th Street and connects the 18th and Vine Historic District with the McGee Street Automotive Historic District in the Crossroads area.

Buildings on 18th Street:

  • Ethnic Art Gallery, 1514 East 18th Street, a two-story Italianate building dating to 1886.
  • Blue Room, 1600 East 18th Street, a two-story brick building dating to 1905. The Blue Room Jazz Club is operated by the American Jazz Museum.
  • Lincoln Building, 1601 East 18th Street, a three-story, Tapestry Brick Commercial building dating to 1921, now used for retail businesses. It also houses Kansas City NAACP.
  • Gem Theater, 1615 East 18th Street, a two-story brick building which dates to 1912. It was a movie palace and has been renovated into a performing arts theater. It is operated by the American Jazz Museum.
  • New Rialto Theater, 1701 East 18th Street, a three-story brick building dating to 1924.
  • Kansas City Call Building, 1715 East 18th Street, a two- and three-story building which dates to 1888; it has been occupied by the Kansas City Call newspaper since 1922.

Buildings on 19th Street:

  • Three one-story brick commercial buildings at 1510, 1514, 1516, and 1602 East 19th Street, dating from 1909 to 1927.
  • A two-story Italianate brick commercial building at 1600 East 19th Street, dating to 1890.
  • Sears Apartments, three two-story brick buildings at 1705, 1711, and 1715 East 19th Street, dating to 1910.

Buildings on Highland Avenue:

  • Grace Temple, 1812 Highland Avenue, dating to 1918.
  • Rochester Hotel, 1821 Highland Avenue, a three-story brick building dating to 1912.
  • Mutual Musicians Foundation National Historic Landmark, 1823 Highland Avenue, described above.

On The Paseo:

  • Holy Ghost New Testament Church, 1813 The Paseo, a two-story brick building with Neo-Classical detailing, dating to 1926.

On Vine Street:

  • Security Loan and Investment Company Building, 1816 Vine Street, a two-story brick building dating to 1922.
  • 1819 Vine Street, a two-story brick commercial building dating to 1949.
  • Site of Eblon Theater, 1822 Vine Street, dates to 1923 and was considered the finest Black theater. The current building is not the original structure and is considered non-contributing to the historic district.
  • Roberts Building, 1826 Vine Street, a two-story brick commercial building, no date.
  • 1827 Vine Street, a one-story commercial building dating to 1928.

On Woodland Avenue:

  • Centennial United Methodist Church, 1824 Woodland Avenue, a two-story Neo-Classical Style building built in 1928.

Attucks School, 1815 Woodland Avenue (N39o5’25” W94o33’38”), is just east of the 18th and Vine Historic District. It was placed on the National Register as the oldest school built for Black students in Kansas City. The 1905 building exhibits Colonial Revival and Dutch Colonial styles. Crispus Attucks was of Black and Native American descent and the first person killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770. In the 1800s, abolitionists publicized his role in the massacre and he came to be considered a hero of the Revolutionary War. The school is currently vacant (2021).

Blues Park (N39⁰5’19” W94⁰33’11”) is 5 acres on East 20th Street at Prospect Avenue, adjacent to the Burlington Northern Railroad. It includes basketball, baseball, and playground areas, with large cottonwood trees.

R.T. Coles Vocational and Junior High School (site), is described on a historic marker at 19th Street and Tracy Avenue, west of the 18th and Vine Historic District. The school was named in honor of Richard Thomas Coles, an educator in Kansas City between 1880 and 1930. The teacher and principal introduced new methods to educate African-American children with lifetime job skills, using a program providing instruction in skilled fields from the 5th grade through high school. He was principal at Pleasant Green School, which later became Garrison School. Programs in carpentry, house painting, blacksmithing, cooking, dressmaking, and millinery were included. In 1936, the Richard T. Coles Vocational and Junior High School was built at 1835 Tracy Avenue and named after the educator. It offered shop classes and programs in metal work, shoe conditioning, woodworking, and ceramics. In 1954 it became a general junior high school and in 1956 it was closed. It was demolished in 1965.

The Parade (N39⁰5’37” W94⁰33’45”) is a 21-acre city park bordered by Paseo, Woodland, Truman, and 17th Terrace. The Urban Youth Academy is within the park, and uses three baseball fields, including the Motley Family Field and Joe McGuff Field. The Parade Trail, which circles the park and is used for jogging and walking, is 0.3 miles.  The park contains the Gregg/Klice Community Fitness Center. The Parade is part of the Kansas City Parks and Boulevards Historic District, and the stone entry steps are a contributing structure to the historic district. The park was included in an 1893 park plan by George Kessler, and acquired in 1900.  It was envisioned as a centrally located tract suitable for military drilling and training. Prior to designation as a park, the tract was used for circuses and hot air balloon launching. The park originally contained a sunken field of 5 acres used as a summer athletic field and a winter skating rink. The Parade Park Maintenance Building, 1722 East 17th Terrace at Woodland Avenue (N39o5’32” W94o33’40”), within the park is also on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was recommended to be built out of native limestone in the Kessler report on the park and boulevard system of 1893. It was built as a general operating plant, machine, and repair shop for the park and boulevard system. It was designed to house horse stables, vehicle maintenance areas, and administrative offices. Today it houses the Black Archives of Mid America, which offers a repository of every facet of African American culture, including public materials documenting social, political, and cultural histories.

The Paseo between Independence Boulevard and 18th Street (1.1 miles) is part of the Kansas City Parks and Boulevards Historic District. It was part of the original George Kessler 1906 Parks and Boulevard System plan. The Rev. John W. Williams Memorial is in the median of The Paseo on the north side of Truman Road. The bronze statue was erected in 1991. Williams (1906-1988) is described on the statue as a fearless prophet, eloquent preacher, respected leader, loving husband, Christian statesman, faithful pastor, loving parent and world citizen. He was a civil rights activist and pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church from 1944 to 1983. The church is at the northwest corner of The Paseo and Truman Road. The Salvatore Gresife Memorial Plaza dates to 1968 and is in the median of The Paseo on a sidewalk connecting East 16th Street with The Parade city park. The stainless-steel sculpture adjacent to the inscription states that the memorial is dedicated to those citizens who believe in the principles of law, order, and good citizenship as best exemplified by Salvatore Grisafe. Grisafe was killed while trying to prevent the assault and robbery of two women. Bird Lives, the Charlie Parker Memorial, is on the southeast corner of The Paseo and 17th Terrace, commemorating the jazz artist. It was erected in 1999. Charlie Parker (1920-1955), was born in Kansas City and became a jazz saxophone player. He played clubs in Kansas City from 1935 to 1939. When performing with Dizzy Gillespie about 1945 in Los Angeles, he invented the musical style called bop or bebop. The nickname “Bird” was short for “Yardbird,” a term used for chickens, and could refer to the fact that he was free as a bird or that he ran over a chicken while on tour. The Paseo between Independence Boulevard and 18th Street (1.1 miles) is part of the Kansas City Parks and Boulevards Historic District.

Paseo YMCA, 1824 The Paseo (N39o5’25” W94o33’54”), is a four-story brick building with Colonial Revival influences dating to 1914. It is listed on the National Register because of its role in the social history of Kansas City’s Black community. It was the primary social center for Black citizens in the early 20th century. It remained important until integration of YMCA facilities in the 1960s and closed in the 1970s. The Negro National Baseball League was created in this building in 1920. It is now the Buck O’Neill Community Center.

Wheatley-Provident Hospital, 1826 Forest Avenue (N39o5’26” W94o34’10”), is a two-story limestone building built in 1902 and 1926. It was damaged by fire in 2018. This was the only private hospital available to care for Blacks in the era of segregation, and the only hospital providing training for African American doctors and nurses. It operated at this location from 1918 to 1972. The building is currently vacant (2021).

 

Natural and Cultural Features of Southern Kansas City, Part 2: Leawood, Overland Park, Prairie Village

southern KC Grandview Leawood

above link is to an orientation map of the area

This post includes parks in Kansas east of Metcalf Avenue and south of 71st Street.

National Historic Trail Sites

Santa Fe Trail Park (N38o59’54” W94o37’38”), 7727 Delmar Street in Prairie Village, features a disc golf course amid swales from the original Santa Fe Trail, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A National Historic Trails panel overlooks the trail ruts.

Weltner Park (N38o59’17” W94o36’31”) is at State Line Road and 78th Street in Prairie Village. National Historic Trail panels describe this location as the historic Nine-Mile Point, located 9 miles and 10 chains south of the mouth of the Kansas River. The first survey of the state line in 1823 indicated that the Santa Fe Trail crossed the state line at this point, after heading west from Swope Park area. The Santa Fe Trail was also surveyed a couple of years later, in 1825.

Johnson County Park

Meadowbrook Park (N38o57’42” W94o38’47”) is 80 acres on Nall Avenue at Somerset in Prairie Village. There are three miles of paved trails and three lakes, along with picnic shelters and a clubhouse.

Leawood

133rd Street shared-use trail extends from High Drive west to Nall Avenue.

137th Street Trail extends from Chadwick Road west to Nall Avenue.

143rd Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Aberdeen Street west to Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.

Brook Beatty Park (N38o58’18” W94o36’57”) is on Lee Boulevard south of Meadow Lane and opposite of the 86th Terrace intersection. The small park has a playground adjacent to a stream. Trees include sycamore, redbud, and baldcypress.

City Park (N38o55’52” W94o37’6”) is 78 acres at 10601 Lee Boulevard just south of I-435. The park includes an aquatic center, soccer fields, tennis courts, baseball fields, and sand volleyball. The Indian Creek Greenway crosses the park.

Gezer Park (N38o53’13” W94o37’44”) is 10 acres at 133rd Street and Mission Road. A parking lot is on 133rd Street opposite Pawnee Lane. The park reflects the geography of Israel and is named after the Gezer Regional Council in Israel that participates as a sister city to Leawood. The park includes water features representing the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and Jordan River. Other features are a vineyard, Havdalah Gardens, and the Golan Heights. A replica of the Gezer Calendar, dating to 1600 BCE, which was excavated from the Tel Gezer archaeological site, is also in the park. A walking trail which circles the park passes many of the features, including a playground. Trees include London planetree, columnar juniper, eastern white pine, dawn redwood, shingle oak, and swamp white oak. A shared-use path along 133rd Street borders the park.

I-Lan Park (N38o54’5” W94o38’53”) is 11 acres at 125th Street and Nall Road, including 2 shelters, a playground, and a restroom. The park commemorates the sister city partnership of Leawood with I-Lan, a city and county in Taiwan. A bridge in the city in Taiwan has been named the Leawood Bridge. There is a Chinese-themed shelter and a public artwork, the Cloud Gate. The Tomahawk Creek bicycle-pedestrian trail and a bicycle-pedestrian loop are in the park.

Indian Creek Greenway extends from the Missouri State Line upstream to Mission Road, where it continues west into Overland Park. The greenway is part of the American Discovery Trail.

Ironwoods Park (N38o51’38” W94o37’28”) is 111 acres at 147th Street and Mission Road. In the park are the Prairie Oak Nature Center, Oxford School House, and walking trails. The paved walking trails are in two loops making a figure 8. A spur walking trail leads from the playground west to Mission Road. A second spur is a shared-use path extending from the amphitheater parking lot north to Norwood Street near 143rd Street. To the south of a pond is the unpaved Raccoon Hollow Nature trail, which is about 100 yards long. Historical panels at the park describe the Black Bob Shawnee Reservation and the Oxford Schoolhouse.

The Black Bob Shawnee Reservation was 33,400 acres, located in Indian Territory (present-day Kansas) west of New Santa Fe. The Shawnee were removed from east of the Mississippi and established a town near the Coffee Creek and Wolf Creek confluence, which is today north of 179th and Antioch. Lands of the reservation were allotted to individual tribal members before the Civil War. After the Civil War, reservation lands were occupied by whites, leading to legal disputes. In the 1870s, President Rutherford Hayes ordered the Shawnee to move to Oklahoma.

The Oxford Schoolhouse was moved to Ironwoods Park from Mission Road and 135th Street, just to the north. The park was part of the historic Oxford Township, which was bordered by 95th Street on the north, 167th Street on the south, Black Bob Road/Lackman Road on the west, and the Missouri state line on the east. The township is famous for the Oxford Fraud, which took place during the Kansas statehood organization in 1856. In the election of 1857, there were 1,628 pro-slavery votes cast in the township. Most of the names were revealed to be part of an old Cincinnati directory. The Secretary of State would not certify the election and Kansas threw out the votes. This angered southern Democrats, causing a split in the Democratic Party, and leading to the election of Lincoln, the candidate of the Republican Party, in 1860.

Lee Boulevard Trail extends from Mission Road east to Leawood City Park, passing the Leawood Wastewater Facility.

Leawoof Dog Park (N38o55’59” W94o36’42”) is 8 acres accessible from Leawood City Park by crossing the bridge on the Indian Creek Greenway Trail.

Tomahawk Creek Greenway is 4.1 miles, extending from the Indian Creek Greenway at College Boulevard southwest to I-Lan Park. The trail continues into Overland Park. A spur leads from Tomahawk Park east to the intersection of 123rd Street and Mission Road.

Tomahawk Park (N38o54’40” W94o38’2”) is on 119th Street between Mission Road and Tomahawk Creek Parkway. It includes a playground and a section of the Tomahawk Creek Greenway.

Town Center Drive Shared-Use Trail extends from Nall Avenue to Tomahawk Creek Parkway.

The Herman J. and Ella B. Voights House (private), 2405 West 103rd Street (N38o56’30” W94o37’10”), is listed on the NRHP as an example of prairie-style architecture. It dates to 1923.

Overland Park

110th Street Trail leads west from Nall avenue to Lamar Avenue, passing by the Overland Park Convention Center.

135th Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Nall Avenue west to Lamar Street.

137th Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Chadwick Road in Leawood west to Lamar Avenue in Overland Park.

141st Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Lamar Avenue west to Metcalf Avenue.

143rd Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Aberdeen Street in Leawood west to Metcalf Avenue.

159th Street Shared-Use Trail extends from Mission Road west to Metcalf Avenue.

Beth Torah Park (N38o54’4” W94o39’27”) is 12 acres between Lamar Avenue and 127th Street. A greenway bicycle-pedestrian trail follows an unnamed tributary to Tomahawk Creek and passes the confluence with Tomahawk Creek. Access is from Lamar Avenue. Trees include hackberry, walnut, bur oak, chinkapin oak, black oak, sycamore, elm, and ash.

Creekside Park (N38o50’45” W94o39’7”) is 20 acres at 15599 Nall Avenue, between Nall Avenue and Lamar Avenue. Near Nall Avenue is a playground. One paved greenway trail extends from Nall Avenue or Reeds Street to Beverly Street and across it to a dead end between 156th and 157th Street. A second follows the creek to Lamar Avenue. The greenway trails follow a riparian area along Negro Creek and a tributary creek.

Empire Estates Park (N38o57’8” W94o38’22”) is 1 acre at 9640 Roe Avenue, between 97th Street and Catalina Street, including a playground. A riparian area and stream are behind the playground. Trees include pin oak, maple, and swamp white oak.

Foxhill North Park (N38o56’12” W94o38’8”) is 21 acres at 10600 Indian Creek Parkway, along the Indian Creek Greenway Trail east of Roe Avenue. It includes a playground and soccer field.

Foxhill South Park (N38o55’52” W94o37’58”) is 6 acres at the end of El Monte Street, providing a parking lot for the Indian Creek Greenway.

Green Meadows Park (N38o50’59” W94o39’31”) is 18 acres at 15401 Beverly Court, featuring a playground and 0.7-mile trail. The trail extends from Glenwood Avenue southeast to the greenway in Creekside Park, which extends to Nall Avenue. Access points to the greenway are Beverly Court north of 156th Street, 153rd Street at 152nd Terrace, Lamar Avenue between 153rd Street and 155th Street, and Glenwood Avenue at 152nd Street. The greenway follows a riparian area along Negro Creek.

Hawthorne Valley Park (N38o54’20” W94o38’31”) is 14 acres at 12300 Roe Avenue. The Tomahawk Creek greenway trail crosses the park.

Indian Creek Greenway extends from Foxhill South Park along Indian Creek to Roe Park, continuing through Nall Hills Park, James Place Park, and Pinehurst East Park, crossing under Metcalf Avenue. It is part of the American Discovery Trail.

James Place Park (N38o56’25” W94o39’40”) is 16 acres along Indian Creek between 103rd Street and Lamar Avenue. There is a playground and picnic shelter. Access is by following Indian Creek bicycle-pedestrian trail south of 103rd Street, adjacent to the entrance road into Promise and Indian Creek nursing facilities. Indian Creek Greenway Trail crosses the park.

Lamar Avenue Shared-Use Path extends from 150th Street north to 133rd Street.

Linwood Park (N38o56’56” W94o37’55”) is 3 acres behind the Reverend Robert and Shirley Meneilly Center for Mission of Village Presbyterian Church. The park includes a playground. Access is from 99th Street. Maple, sweetgum, and red oak trees surround the playground.

Metcalf Avenue Shared-Use Trail extends in four sections. One section extends north from College Boulevard north to 87th Street. A second section extends from the Tomahawk Creek greenway south to 141st Street. A third section extends from 147th Street south to 149th Street. A fourth section extends from 152nd Terrace south to 159th Street.

Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, 5801 West 115th Street, #106, is a partner site of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

Nall Avenue Trail extends from 159th Street north to Creekside Park, and 137th Street north to Indian Creek.

Nall Park south to 135th Street, connecting the Indian Creek Greenway, Tomahawk Creek Greenway, 110th Street Trail, 133rd Street Trail, and 135th Street Trail.

Nall Park (N38o56’18” W94o38’50”) is 13 acres at 10440 Nall Avenue, featuring a playground and soccer field. The Indian Creek Greenway Trail crosses the park.

Nall Hills Park (N38o56’20” W94o39’4”) is 28 acres at 5501 Indian Creek Drive. The park includes a playground. The Indian Creek Greenway Trail crosses the park. A historical panel to the south of Indian Creek near Nall Avenue describes John Nall, a 19th century resident of the area. Nall was a native of North Carolina who settled in Johnson County after 1859. His farm was locally famous for its fruit, and he sold peaches at the City Market. At the north end of Nall Avenue (at 49th Street) was the Shawnee Baptist Mission, where a magazine was published in the Shawnee language from 1835 to 1844. In modern times, major developments that have taken place along Nall Avenue include the headquarters of the NCAA and Sprint (now T-Mobile).  The Nall Hills subdivision was an early suburban development in Johnson County. The area is also the demographic center of the Kansas City Jewish community, with many institutions located along Nall. A second historical panel on the north side of Indian Creek near Lamar Avenue describes Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, for whom the street was named. He was a Mississippian who never visited the area. Lamar served in the Confederate Army. After the Civil War, was involved in the 1876 compromise that placed Rutherford B. Hayes in the presidency and ended Reconstruction in the South. He was secretary of Interior under President Grover Cleveland and served on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nottingham Downs Park (N38o59’24” W94o38’41”) is 14 acres between Lamar Avenue and 123rd Street. A greenway bicycle-pedestrian trail leads from Lamar Avenue just south of 125th Street north to 123rd Street, with an additional access at Walmer Street.  Scattered picnic tables are along the greenway, which features a riparian area with a rocky stream, a tributary to Tomahawk Creek. Trees include honey locust, hackberry, bur oak, swamp white oak, shagbark hickory, chinkapin oak, and walnut.

Osage Park (N38o58’19” W94o39’34”) is 6 acres at 87th Street and Lamar Street, including a walking path, playground, and shelter. A parking lot is on 87th Street. Trees include sycamore, sugar maple, swamp white oak, mulberry, pin oak, golden rain tree, hackberry, elm, red oak, walnut, ash, ginkgo, and white oak.

Pinehurst East Park (N38o56’32” W94o39’53”) is 12 acres at 10210 Glenwood Road. The Indian Creek Greenway Trail crosses the park.

Museum at Prairiefire (N38o52’55” W94o39’8”) is a partner site of Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

Prairie View Park (N38o59’43” W94o39’9”) is 2 acres at Outlook Street and 74th Street west of Nall Avenue. Access is from 74th Street and via a walkway from the end of Reeds Lane north of 75th Street. There is a basketball court, picnic shelter, and playground. A riparian area and tributary to Brush Creek are crossed by a bridge. Trees include red oak, white pine, hackberry, pin oak, and swamp white oak.

Regency Lake Park (N38o51’35” W94o39’40”) is 14 acres at 14800 Lamar Street, featuring a playground, picnic tables, fishing piers, and a ½ mile trail encircling the lake.

Roe Park (N38o56’22” W94o38’29”) is 41 acres at 10400 Roe Avenue, including a splash pad, tennis courts, soccer fields, and shelters. The Indian Creek Greenway Trail crosses the park, and a spur trail loops around the park and leads to 103rd Street.

Tomahawk Creek Greenway is 149 acres and extends from the Indian Creek greenway just south of College Avenue south to Tomahawk Park at 119th Street, Hawthorne Valley Park at Roe Avenue, and I-Lan Park at Nall Avenue. It continues southwest and crosses Metcalf Avenue.

Wilderness Lake Park (N38o50’15” W94o38’28”) is 17 acres at 16001 Rosewood Drive, including a playground, picnic tables, and a 0.6-mile trail which encircles a stocked fishing lake. Access is from 161st street and 163rd Terrace.

Prairie Village

Bennett Park (N38o59’24” W94o38’41”) is at 77th Street and Rosewood Drive, featuring baseball fields, a picnic area, a loop trail, and playground equipment. Trees include shingle oak, red elm, redbud, Siberian elm, serviceberry, ginkgo, and honey locust.

Ralph E. Carroll Memorial Plaza (N38o59’36” W94o37’50”) is at the northwest corner of West 75th Street and Mission Road, featuring a fountain and plantings. Golden rain tree, red cedar, and swamp white oak provide shade.

Franklin Park (N38o58’15” W94o38’21”) is 12 acres at Roe Avenue and Somerset Drive, featuring a picnic pavilion and ballfield. The park is part of the Prairie Village Arboretum. Trees include royal star magnolia, dawn redwood, ginkgo, Kousa dogwood, paper bark maple, Pacific sunset maple, constellation dogwood, honey locust, Kentucky coffeetree, serviceberry, red oak, hackberry, bald cypress, swamp white oak, pin oak, and shingle oak. A row of Osage orange trees extends through the center of the park. A shared-use path extends south to Meadowbrook Park along Roe Avenue and north along Somerset Drive to Mission Road.

Harmon Park (N38o59’18” W94o38’0”) is 18 acres at West 77th Place and Delmar Street, featuring a pool, trails, playground, tennis courts, and a community garden. Adjacent to the south is Santa Fe Trail Park (N38o59’54” W94o37’38”), 7727 Delmar Street, featuring a disc golf course. Santa Fe Trail Park includes swales from the original Santa Fe Trail, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A National Historic Trail panel overlooks the trail ruts. To the east of Santa Fe Trail Park is Skate Park (N38o59’22” W94o37’50), a skateboard area between the City Hall, art gallery, community center, and fire station. Trees include honey locust and maple.

Mission Road Shared-Use Trail extends from Somerset to 71st Street.

Porter Park (N38o59’45” W94o38’22”) is 8 acres at Roe Avenue and Tomahawk Road, featuring baseball, soccer, a picnic shelter, and walking paths. It is the former location of Porter School. With Franklin Park, it serves as the Prairie Village Arboretum. A trail along Tomahawk Road extends north to 71st Street. Brush Creek forms the park boundary on the east. Trees that may be viewed include shingle oak, chinkapin oak, overcup oak, American hornbeam, sycamore, London plane tree, white pine, Kentucky coffeetree, tuliptree, littleleaf linden, Jane magnolia, serviceberry, black tupelo, paper bark maple,  frontier elm, ginkgo, black walnut, sweetgum, redbud, golden rain tree, and sweet magnolia.

Roe Avenue Shared-Use Trail extends from Meadowbrook Park to Somerset Drive.

Somerset Shared-Use Path extends from Roe Avenue to Mission Road.

Talliaferro Park, formerly Meadow Lake Park (N38o59’12” W94o37’10) is at 2900 West 79th Street between Norwood Drive and Aberdeen Street, featuring a trail, picnic tables, tennis court, basketball, soccer, and baseball. Trees include honey locust and linden.

Tomahawk Road Shared-Use Path extends from Roe Avenue to Oxford Road

Weltner Park (N38o59’17” W94o36’31”) is at State Line Road and 78th Street, featuring basketball, volleyball, and picnic areas. National Historic Trail panels describe this location as the historic Nine-Mile Point, located 9 miles and 10 chains south of the mouth of the Kansas River.

Windsor Park (N38o59’54” W94o37’38”) is 6 acres at 7200 Windsor Street. The park is between Windsor Street and St. Ann Catholic School, featuring tennis, volleyball, picnic pavilion, baseball diamond, picnic shelter, and playground. A walking trail passes labeled trees and includes several bridges over a tributary to Brush Creek. Parking is along Windsor Street at Canterbury Street. Trees include black oak, American hophornbeam, American elm, American linden, Amur maple, baldcypress, black cherry, black oak, white pine, ginkgo, northern red oak, Nuttall oak, white oak, pin oak, shingle oak, mulberry, and Kentucky coffeetree.

Natural and Cultural Features of Southern Kansas City, Part I: KC and Grandview

Southern Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Historic Sites

Sites are listed under National Historic Trail Sites, National Historic Landmarks, southern Kansas City Parks,and Grandview Parks. An orientation map:

southern KC Grandview

National Historic Landmarks

Harry S Truman Farm Home, part of Harry S Truman National Historic Site, is at 12301 Blue Ridge Boulevard north of Harry Truman Drive, Grandview (N38⁰54’8” W94⁰31’51”), was the home of Truman’s grandfather, Solomon Young. Truman’s family first lived here when he was a child, from 1887 to 1890, and they then moved to Independence. When Young passed away, Truman’s family moved back to help operate the farm in 1905. Truman joined them and operated the 600-acre farm from 1906 to 1917, from age 22 to 33. Here he learned self-sufficiency, determination, optimism, courage, and the ability to work hard, all essential qualities for a president that he possessed as 33rd President of the United States. While at Grandview, Truman became postmaster and helped organize a lodge of the Masons. Truman left the farm in 1917 to fight in World War I and he moved to Independence after returning from the war. Truman’s farm policies were informed by his farm experience. Most of the farm was sold off as Grandview developed. The farmhouse dates to 1894 and had no electricity or running water. There is a hand water pump and other outbuildings on the 10-acre parcel remaining. The farm home is a partner site of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

National Historic Trail Sites

California, Oregon, and Santa Fe National Historic Trails share a common corridor through Jackson County between Independence and New Santa Fe. Trail sites on the Independence Route include Schumacher City Park (N38⁰57’22” W94⁰30’50”), Hart Grove (N38⁰56’58” W94⁰32’13”), Red Bridge (N38⁰55’33” W94⁰34’18”), Minor City Park (N38⁰55’26” W94⁰34’32”), and New Santa Fe (N38⁰54’25” W94⁰36’22”). Retracement trails have been completed at Hickman Mills High School, Schumacher City Park, Hart Grove, Alex George Lake, Red Bridge Road, and Avila University.

Hart Grove, Hickman Mills Drive south of Marion Park Drive (N38o56’57” W94o32’14”), was used as a campsite by trail travelers, located 10 miles or a day’s walk from Independence. Panels at the site explain that the area was the site of the town of Holmes Park, from 1870 to 1960. Nearby was Holmes Park School, which operated from 1916 to 1979 and was part of the Hickman Mills Consolidated School District, formed in 1902.  The Hickman Mills Trail and Three Trails Corridor Retracement Trail pass the site. West of Hart Grove, the Three Trails Corridor Retracement Trail crosses U.S. Route 71 and extends through a forest to the corner of East 98th Terrace and Parkwood Drive.

Hickman Mills High School grounds include a retracement pedestrian-bicycle trail along Old Santa Fe Road. The eastern end begins at Old Santa Fe Road at the eastern school entrance road (N38o57’47” W94o30’10”) and contains panels with an overview of the three trails corridor, the Blue Ridge, and Children on the Trails. The trail ends at Old Santa Fe Road at the western school entrance road (N38o57’35” W94o30’27”).

Minor Park (N38⁰55’26” W94⁰34’33”) is 235 acres on Red Bridge Road at Holmes Road. The park includes a golf course and the historic Red Bridge, now being used for love locks. Trail ruts from the Santa Fe Trail are visible east of the Blue River include 6 sites used between 1821 and 1865. The trail ruts are on the National Register of Historic Places. Red Bridge Road Trail is 0.5 miles from Holmes Road to the new Red Bridge, connecting with the Blue River Greenway Trail which goes under the bridge. The bridge contains interpretive panels and displays representing individuals with ties to the three historic trails. Panels provide information on James P. Beckwourth, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Felipe Chavez, Alexander Doniphan, Susan Magoffin, Alexander Majors, John Calvin McCoy, Amache Ochinee Prowers, and Hiram Young.

New Santa Fe “Three Trails” Swales, Madison Avenue at Santa Fe Trail (N38o54’25” W94o36’19”) includes swales extending through the New Santa Fe Cemetery. The swales are on the NRHP. An exhibit panel is in the cemetery parking lot. New Santa Fe is also a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour. Following the Battle of Westport, Confederate General Price’s wagon train moved past New Santa Fe and crossed the state line, heading south on the Military Road just to the west. Union troops in pursuit camped for the night near New Santa Fe.

Schumacher Park, 1 acre at 6201 East 93rd Street (N38⁰57’22” W94⁰30’50”), includes a Santa Fe Trail exhibit, and is a site on the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon National Historic Trails.

South of the intersection of Old Santa Fe Road and Blue Ridge Boulevard, the 3-Trails Bus Transfer Station (N38o57’11” W94o30’28”) contains panels on the 46-mile three-trails corridor and exhibits on Clara Brown, Biddy Mason and Emily Fisher. Clara Brown traveled the Oregon Trail to Denver and became the first black resident of Colorado in 1859. Biddy Mason walked from Mississippi to the Salt Lake valley in 1846, then in 1851 traveled to California. She petitions for freedom in Los Angeles and was granted freedom in 1855. Emily Fisher traveled the Santa Fe Trail from Franklin, Missouri, to Independence in 1836 and ran a hotel in Independence after she was freed.

Wieduwilt Swales, 85th Street and Manchester Avenue, Kansas City (N38o58’13” W94o29’53”), are a site on the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon National Historic Trails. The swales are on the NRHP.

Parks and Historic Sites of Southern Kansas City, Missouri

Agnes Playground (N38⁰59’35” W94⁰33’7”) is 2 acres on East 74th Street and Agnes Avenue, east of US Route 71. There are picnic tables, a ballfield backstop, and playground.

Arleta Park (N38⁰59’13” W94⁰33’36”) is 5 acres at 77th Street and Prospect Avenue. It is bordered by East 76th Terrace, Wabash Avenue, and East 77th Street. The park contains a 10-foot-wide bicycle pedestrian trail, constructed wetlands, picnic shelter, and playground.

Bannister Park (N38⁰56’56” W94⁰29’44”) is 14 acres at 9800 James A. Reed Road at Marsh Avenue. Bannister Park Trail is ½ mile at 9800 James A. Reed Road.

Bent Tree Park (N38⁰56’36” W94⁰27’13”) is 3 acres on East 98th Street and View High Drive. The park includes a ¼ mile trail.

Blenheim Park (N39⁰0’0” W94⁰33’56”) is 7 acres on Gregory Boulevard, just east of Forest Hill Cemetery. The park includes a 0.3-mile trail. Blenheim School, 2411 East 70th Terrace at Prospect, is on the National Register of Historic Places, dating to 1924.

Blue River Greenway Trail extends 3 miles from the Minor Park Tennis Courts (N38⁰55’5” W94⁰34’16”) south of Red Bridge Road north to 95th Terrace (N38⁰57’27” W94⁰33’38”). It intersects the Indian Creek Greenway Trail and the Red Bridge Trail along Red Bridge Road. It passes through Minor Park and Blue River Park and Athletic Fields. Trail accesses are at 99th Street at Shepherds Drive, 103rd Street at I-435, Blue River Athletic Fields, Alex George Lake (Jackson County facility) on Blue River Road, and Minor Park.

Blue River Park and Athletic Fields (N38⁰56’10” W94⁰33’58”) is 80 acres on East 104th Street at I-435, on the Blue River. This city park is leased from Blue River Parkway County Park lands.

Blue River Parkway County Park extends from Swope Park south to the Kansas State Line and includes Blue River Parkway between Swope Park and Blue Ridge Boulevard. Numerous mountain bicycle trails extend from the northern to the southern portions of the park. Minor City Park, Swope City Park, and Saeger Woods Conservation Area adjoin the park property.

  • Blue River Glades State Natural Area (N 38⁰58’55” W94⁰32’0”) is 18 acres on the east side of Blue River Parkway. Parking is on Blue River Parkway between Oldham Road and U.S. Route 71, 1.2 miles south of Oldham Road. A ½-mile trail leads through 200 to 300-year-old chinkapin oaks and scenic limestone outcrops. The Eddy-Ballantine Trail begins 100 yards to the south of the Blue River Glades Trail on Blue River Parkway and provides a 2-mile loop, connecting with the Blue River Glades Trail.
  • Blue River Parkway Mountain Bike Trails are maintained by the Urban Trail Company and extend from Bannister Road (N38o57’3” W94o33’25”) south to Alex George Wetlands (N38o55’51’ W94o33’41”); and Minor Park (N38o55’17” W94o34’16”) south to near 139th Street (N38o52’40” W94o34’54”)
  • Blue River Park and Athletic Fields (N38⁰56’10” W94⁰33’58”) is 80 acres on East 104th Street at I-435, on the Blue River. This city park is leased from Blue River Parkway County Park. The Blue River Greenway Trail passes through the park.
  • Alex George Wetlands (N38o55’52” W94o33’50”) is on Blue River Parkway north of Red Bridge Road. A trailhead for the Blue River Greenway Trail, a lake, and picnicking are within the park.
  • 118th Street and Lydia Parking area (N38o54’44” W94o34’31”) provides access to an old railroad bed trail along the Blue River which leads to a high bluff overlooking the Blue River.
  • Radio Controlled Flying Field (N38o55’2” W94o34’15”) is accessed from the Minor Park Tennis Courts parking lot off of Blue River Road.
  • Clair Schroeder Recreational Area (N38o54’15” W94o34’36”) is at 122nd Street and Blue River Road and includes soccer fields.
  • 128th Street and Blue Ridge Athletic Fields (N38o53’39” W94o34’34”) includes soccer fields
  • Brown Recreation Area (N38o53’ W94o35’) is on Blue Ridge Boulevard and features a canoe launch on the Blue River, along with a picnic shelter and ballfield.
  • Holmes Road Recreational Area at 14000 Holmes Road (N38o52’26” W94o35’14”) includes ball fields that are no longer used.
  • Polo and Kenneth Road Athletic Fields (N W) are on Kenneth Road at the State Line bridge over the Blue River to Kansas.

Cave Spring, also designated William M. Klein Park (N38⁰59’39” W94⁰29’0”), is 12 acres at 8701 East Gregory Boulevard at Blue Ridge Boulevard. The park is in both Kansas City and Raytown. The site was noted on the original survey of the Santa Fe Trail and was a trail landmark for emigrants. It is operated in cooperation with Jackson County Parks and Recreation and a private non-profit, which runs a nature center on the site. There are three loop trails which pass a small cave and spring, old cabins, creeks, and ponds. The park is a site on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, California NHT, and Oregon NHT.

Clark-Ketterman Athletic Field Park (N38⁰55’55” W94⁰29’49”) is 35 acres on East 107th Street and Skiles Avenue. There is a 0.4-mile trail.

Jerry Darter Park (N38⁰56’9” W94⁰31’18”) is 24 acres on East 105th Street at Hillcrest Road, just north of I-470. In the park is the Hillcrest Community Center, a picnic shelter, and playground. There is a ¼-mile trail.

Ewing Park (N38⁰55’50” W94⁰30’45”) is ¼ acre on East 107th Street at Ewing Avenue.

Forest Hill and Calvary Cemeteries, 6901 Troost Avenue (N39o0’9” W94o34’29”) are a partner organization of Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. Forest Hill Cemetery is a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour. A historic marker near the cemetery entrance explains that on October 23, 1864, Confederal General Shelby, retreating from Westport after the loss there, formed a defense line. Union troops drove them further south. General Shelby and many of his men are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery. A Confederate Monument is in the southeastern area of the cemetery (N38o59’59” W94o34’9”).

French Tract (N38⁰56’57” W94⁰30’48”) is 13 acres between Bannister Road and East 99th Street, on the east side of Kansas City Southern Railroad. It is not signed and undeveloped.

Gambril Tract (N38⁰55’49” W94⁰33’16”) is 11 acres on East 108th Street at St. Catherine’s Lane (end of St. Catherine’s Lane), off Grandview Road south of I-435. The area is forested except for a walkway and bridge across a stream, leading to a playground.

Hickman Mills Trail extends between Red Bridge park-and-ride lot and Bannister Road, following Hickman Mills Road. It passes Hart Grove (N38⁰56’58” W94⁰32’13”), a site on the California-Oregon-Santa Fe National Historic Trails.

Indian Creek Greenway Trail is 119 acres and extends 3 miles from State Line Road (N38⁰56’28” W94⁰36’28”) east to the Blue River (N38⁰57’4” W94⁰33’49”), connecting with the Blue River Trail. Access points are 104th Street at State Line Road, Watts Mill Shopping Area, Bellevue Avenue at 101st Terrace, Wornall Road north of 103rd Street, Trailside Center on East 99th Street, and Lydia Avenue south of Bannister Road. Historic markers describe Watts Mill (N38⁰56’30” W94⁰36’19”) and Jim Bridger (N38⁰57’1” W94⁰34’40”). Adjacent to the trail is the Trailside Center, a partner site of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The Watts Mill historic area is adjacent to a shopping center on 103rd Street east of State Line Road. Several scenic waterfalls dropping about 12 feet roar in the background south of 103rd Street.  The historic panel at Watts Mill explains that water powered both a gristmill and sawmill at the site beginning in 1838. The mill was razed in 1949 after more than 100 years of operation. Jim Bridger is credited with discovering Yellowstone Park and the Great Salt Lake before he settled in present-day Kansas City. A historic marker for Jim Bridger is on Carondelet Drive between Wornall and State Line Road.

Ingels Park (N38⁰54’34” W94⁰30’29”) is 6 acres north and south of East 118th Place between Corrington and Crystal Streets. It is undeveloped and not signed.

Iser Park (N38⁰55’23” W94⁰29’54”) is 11 acres at East 112th Terrace and Sycamore Terrace. There is a 0.3-mile trail and playground in a grove of cottonwood trees.

Klapmeyer Park (N38⁰54’4” W94⁰36’23”) is 13 acres on State Line Road north of West 126th Street. There is no parking lot. The mowed park contains a lake and large oak trees.

William M. Klein Park—see Cave Spring Park

Legacy East Park (N38⁰58’1” W94⁰33’56”) is 13 acres on East 89th Terrace south of 89th Street. It is undeveloped.

Legacy West Park (N38⁰57’42” W94⁰34’30”) is 15 acres on East 94th Street at Troost Avenue. It is behind the Bannister property fence and not accessible.

Little Blue Valley Park (N38⁰58’24” W94⁰25’11”) is at 8259 South Noland Road at Frost Road and State Route 350. The 95-acre park includes access to the Little Blue Trace Trail on Jackson County property.

Longview Tract (N38⁰54’49” W94⁰30’33”) is 22 acres at 7101 Longview Road at Bristol Terrace. The Bay Waterpark is in the park.

West Longview Parkway Trail is 1¼ mile between East 107th Street (N38⁰55’47” W94⁰29’10”) and Raytown Road (N38⁰55’20” W94⁰28’33”). It is intended to be part of a Katy Trail Connector to Red Bridge Trail and the Three Trails Corridor.

Marlborough Community Center grounds (N38⁰58’42” W94⁰34’2”) is 1 acre at 8200 Paseo.

Marlborough Green (N38o58’53” W94o34’31”) is a stormwater management facility on Troost Avenue at 81st Street. It contains constructed wetlands, trails, and a playground.

Marlborough Park (N38⁰58’38” W94⁰33’40”) is 18 acres at East 83rd Street and Brooklyn Avenue. The rolling park contains a picnic shelter and rolling mowed grass with scattered oak trees.

Marlborough Village Commons is at 81st and Paseo (N38o58’48” W94o34’2”). The ¼ acre site contains a flower garden.

Carl Migliazzo Park (N38⁰54’40” W94⁰36’2”) is 12 acres bordering West Minor Drive, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Summit Avenue. The park includes a playground, 2-acre fishing lake, and walking trails totaling 0.4 miles in length. A marker on the east side of the dam facing Pennsylvania Avenue explains that the park was once part of the 1,000-acre Marcus Gill Farm, established in 1854. The property remained in the family until 1959, when it was sold for residential development. The original walnut log house survived until 1978. The lake drains to a tributary of the Blue River.

Minor Park (N38⁰55’26” W94⁰34’33”) is 235 acres on Red Bridge Road at Holmes Road. The park includes a golf course and the historic Red Bridge, now being used for love locks. Minor Park Swales (N38o55’26” W94o34’32”) are National Register-listed Santa Fe Trail ruts. The swales are a site on the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe National Historic Trails. A parking lot provides a panel describing the ruts and the difficulty of the Blue River crossing, which was used from 1821 to 1865.  A stone Santa Fe Trail marker was installed in the deepest ruts in 1909 by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the State of Missouri. There are six rut sites which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Red Bridge Road Trail is 0.5 miles from Holmes Road to the new Red Bridge, connecting with the Blue River Greenway Trail which goes under the bridge. The bridge contains interpretive panels and displays representing individuals with ties to the three historic trails. Panels provide information on James P. Beckwourth, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Felipe Chavez, Alexander Doniphan, Susan Magoffin, Alexander Majors, John Calvin McCoy, Amache Ochinee Prowers, and Hiram Young. On the east side of the Blue River are the Minor Park Shelter 1 parking lot, basketball court, and picnic tables (N38o55’27” W94o34’11”) and the Minor Park Tennis Courts (N38o55’2” W94o35’15”). The Blue River Greenway trail extends through the park from the tennis courts north to Red Bridge Road.

Mockbee Farm, 7850 Holmes Road south of 78th Street (N38o59’10” W94o34’51”), is a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour. No structure remains. A historic marker explains that on October 22, 1864, 300 men of the 2nd Kansas Militia formed a defensive line here; however, it was quickly overrun by the Confederates. The site is currently occupied by South Broadland Church.

New Santa Fe Road crossing, Grandview Road at 98th Terrace, is a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour.

Route 150 Trail is a shared-use path that extends from I-49 east along State Route 150 to Lee’s Summit. A second segment extends from Botts Road west to Prospect Avenue.

Noble Park (N38⁰59’27” W94⁰32’38”) is 14 acres on East 73rd Street at Indiana Avenue. There is a parking lot on 73rd Street and picnic shelters and playground.

South Oak Park (N38⁰58’32” W94⁰35’14”), is 19 acres on East 83rd at Oak Street, with a paved loop walking trail, playground, parking lot, and ball diamond. Trees include pin oak, and muberry.

The Paseo is part of Kansas City’s Parks and Boulevards system, featuring broad tree-lined boulevards, often with a wide tree-covered median. At Paseo and 71st Terrace, the Harold D. Rice Memorial Fountain (N38o59’52” W94o33’53”) commemorates the founder of the City of Fountains Foundation. At Paseo and 79th Street is the Marlborough Plaza Fountain, dating to 1923 (N38o59’2” W94o34’0”).

President Gardens Apartments Historic District (38o58’40”, W94o34’30”) is 36 buildings between 82nd and 83rd Streets, Troost and Lydia, dating to 1945. The site housed workers for the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Plant (Bannister Federal Plant) at Troost and Bannister, which was demolished in 2019. Contributing buildings are on 82nd Street Terrace, 83rd Street, Forest Avenue, President Avenue, Tracy Avenue, and Virginia Avenue. The facility currently operates as the Villages Apartments.

Red Bridge Road Trail is 0.5 miles from Wornall Road to Blue River Parkway, crossing Red Bridge, and connecting with the Blue River Greenway Trail which goes under the bridge. The bridge contains interpretive panels and displays representing individuals with ties to the three historic trails. Panels provide information on James P. Beckwourth, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Felipe Chavez, Alexander Doniphan, Susan Magoffin, Alexander Majors, John Calvin McCoy, Amache Ochinee Prowers, and Hiram Young.

James A. Reed Park (N38⁰57’50” W94⁰29’31”) is 12 acres on East 89th Street at James A. Reed Road. There is a ½-mile trail.

Ruskin Way Park (38o55’8”, 94o30’2”) is 5 acres on East 114th Street at Ruskin Way. The park contains a picnic shelter and playground. Trees include Siberian elms and firs.

Russell, Majors, Waddell Park (38o58’47”, 94o36’28”) is 4 acres at 8145 State Line Road, West 83rd Street, and Ward Parkway, named after the three partners in transporting freight on the frontier. They established the Pony Express. Trees include sweetgum, mulberry, and Siberian elm. Adjacent to the park is the Alexander Majors House and Barn, a National Register of Historic Places property dating to 1856. The house was an outfitting base for army freight in the West and is a partner site of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

Russell’s Ford, Grandview Road crossing of the Blue River, is a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour.

Saeger Woods Conservation Area (N38o53’ W94o34’30”), owned by Missouri Department of Conservation, is 20 acres adjacent to Jerry Smith City Park and Blue River Parkway County Park. Access is from trails south of Blue Ridge Boulevard, or the trail at Jerry Smith City Park. There is a small prairie area in the northeast corner of the property.

Santa Fe Trace Park (N38⁰54’31” W94⁰34’58”), 22 acres at Martha Truman Road and Holmes Road. The linear park extends east to Troost Avenue and west to Migliazzo Park near Santa Fe Trail. A 0.36-mile trail runs between Troost Avenue and Martha Truman Road. A shorter trail runs on the south side of Martha Truman Road east of Wornall.

Santa Fe Trail is a 10-foot bicycle route that extends along Santa Fe Trail between Avila University and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Schumacher Park (N38⁰57’22” W94⁰30’50”), 1 acre at 6201 East 93rd Street, includes a Santa Fe Trail exhibit, and is a site on the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon National Historic Trails.

Scott Park (N38⁰56’35” W94⁰32’29”) is at 4141 East 100th Terrace off Grandview Road north of I-435. The 6-acre park has a 0.3-mile trail, which loops around a pond filled with frogs.

Jerry Smith Park (N38⁰52’56” W94⁰34’8”) is 360 acres off 139th Street. The paved entrance road is west of Prospect Avenue. A 1.4-mile loop trail circles the northern prairie. There are two other native prairies in the park, adjoining East 139th Street. Saeger Woods Conservation Area is adjacent to the park.

Sunnyside Park (N38⁰58’39” W94⁰35’53”) is 21 acres on 82nd Street at Summit Avenue, including a 0.9-mile trail. There are tennis courts, field hockey, basketball courts, picnic shelter, and playground. Trees include pin oaks and golden rain tree.

Swope Park is 1,805 acres and includes the following facilities:

  • Battle of Westport Museum, 6601 Swope Parkway (N39⁰0’24” W94⁰32’25”). Battlel of Westport Visitor Center is a partner site of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.
  • Blue River Greenway Trail along the edge of Swope Soccer Village (N39⁰0’42” W94⁰31’10”)
  • Kansas City Community Gardens, Kensington Avenue (N38⁰59’58” W94⁰32’7”)
  • Kansas City Zoo (N39⁰0’26” W94⁰31’46”)
  • Lake of the Woods (N38o59’44” W94o31’12”), a 7-acre fishing lake on Gregory Boulevard.
  • Lakeside Nature Center (N38⁰59’44” W94⁰31’55”), a wildlife rehabilitation facility on Gregory Boulevard. The two-mile Fox Hollow Trail begins and ends at the nature center and includes rock formations along the Blue River. Lakeside Nature Center is a partner site for the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.
  • Starlight Theater (N39⁰0’26” W94⁰31’59”)
  • Swope Park Trails (N38⁰59’58” W94⁰32’7”) include 2 mountain bike loops extending 13.5 miles, at Oldham Road and Oakwood Drive. The trails are between Oldham Road, Gregory Boulevard, and I-435. A pedestrian-only trail traverses Rocky Point Glade between the mountain bike trails. Its beginning and ending points are on Oakwood Drive. Swope Park Entrance Trail is a 1-mile paved loop along Swope Parkway, 63rdStreet Trafficway, and Starlight areas at the site of the Ethnic Enrichment Festival. Fox Hollow Trail is a 2-mile loop behind the Lakeside Nature Center.
  • Battlefield Markers on Manchester Trafficway (N39⁰0’56” W94⁰31’39”)
  • Shirling Sanctuary—in the zoo at the west end of the swinging bridge at the Lagoon. Swope Memorial overlooks the lagoon (N39⁰0’9” W94⁰31’0”)
  • Loose Flagpole, 175’, at park entrance on Swope Parkway
  • Swope Soccer Village, 6310 Lewis Road (N39⁰0’42” W94⁰31’10”)
  • Heart of America Golf Course (N38⁰59’15” W94⁰31’39”)

Sycamore Park (N38⁰55’40” W94⁰30’8”) is 9 acres bordered by Sycamore Terrace, 108th Street, and 109th Terrace. There is a 0.5-mile trail.

Terrace Park (N38⁰55’3” W94⁰32’46”) is 4 acres on 115th Street at Cleveland Avenue. It consists of mowed grass and scattered Siberian elm, hackberry, and honey locust trees.

Thomas Farmhouse, 96th Terrace at Wornall Road (N38o57’13” W94o35’46”) is a site on the Battle of Westport (October 21-23, 1864) tour. No structure remains. A historic marker explains that on October 23, 1864, after their victory at Westport, the Union leaders met here for consultation. Two days later the Confederates were defeated again at Mine Creek near Pleasanton, Kansas.

3&2 Baseball Complex is at Bannister Road and Blue River Parkway (N38o57’10” W94o33’30”). This facility provides youth baseball league play space in 5 diamonds and is owned and operated by the 3&2 Baseball Club of Kansas City, Missouri.

Three Trails Corridor Trail is a retracement of the Historic Santa Fe-Oregon-California emigrant trail. It is completed between Pennsylvania Avenue and Oak Street along Santa Fe Trail, Alex George Wetlands, Hart Grove area from 98th Terrace at Parkwood Avenue (N38o56’52” W94o32’37”) east to Hickman Mills Road (N38o56’51” W94o32’37”), Bannister Road between Marion Park Drive and Hillcrest Road, Schumacher Park, and Hickman Mills Senior High School Area along Old Santa Fe Road.

Tower Park (N38⁰59’25” W94⁰34’53”) is 19 acres on 75th Street at Holmes Road. The water tower (1920) is an American Water Landmark and is also on the NRHP. The NRHP listing includes the pumping station building. There is an 0.8-mile trail, ballfields, playground, and picnic shelter. Trees include mulberry, maple, oak, sycamore, and honey locust.

Trolley Track Trail extends from 85th and Prospect (N38o58’19” W94o33’30”) north to Brush Creek Trail (N39o2’21” W94o35’4”).

Warford Playground (N38⁰55’6” W94⁰32’58”) is 3 acres on East 114th Terrace west of Cleveland Avenue. The park includes a picnic shelter and scattered honey locust, pin oak, and hackberry trees.

White Oak Park (N38⁰57’41” W94⁰28’15”) is 25 acres on East 89th Street at Crescent avenue, west of Raytown Road and south of 87th Street. There is a ballfield. The park is on a tributary to White Clay Creek.

Woodgate Park (N38⁰56’49” W94⁰28’36”) is 6 acres on East 97th Street at Elm, south of Bannister between James A. Reed and Raytown Roads.

Grandview Parks and Historic Sites

John Anderson Park (N38⁰52’43” W94⁰32’7”) is 35 acres at 4701 East 135th Street. Access is also available from the south at 11th Street north of 137th Street. It includes a splash park, tennis courts, ball fields, and shelters. A walking trail circles a riparian area forested with elm, pecan, mulberry, Osage orange, and hackberry.

Belvidere Park (N38⁰51’23” W94⁰31’10”) is 5 acres at 14713 Fuller Avenue at 147th Street, including a basketball court, playground, and shelter.

Bobcat Park (N38⁰50’45” W94⁰31’21”) is ¼ acre at 15313 Bellaire Street at 153rd Terrace, containing a playground.

Freedom Park (N38⁰53’26” W94⁰31’52”) is 3 acres at 215 Jones Avenue at 13th Street, adjacent to Grandview City Hall. The Grandview Historical Society Depot Museum is included.

Grandview Ball Park (N38⁰53’13” W94⁰32’44”) is 15 acres at 13200 Arrington Road, containing ball fields.

Grandview Residential Historic District (N38o53’15’’ W94o32’0”) includes 28 contributing houses along 10th Street between Main Street and Highgrove Road, Grandview Road between Rhodes Avenue and Highgrove Road, and Highgrove Road between Grandview and 12th Street. The buildings date to 1905.

Little Corner Park (N38⁰52’46” W94⁰31’3”) is 0.4 acres at 13424 Bennington at 135th Street, containing a playground shaded by honey locust, redbud, and ash trees.

Mapleview Park (N38⁰53’46” W94⁰30’36”) is 11 acres at 12511 Winchester Street at 125th Street, containing an electronic playground, picnic shelter, and a paved loop walking trail through a wooded area of hackberry, Osage orange, and honey locust.

Meadowmere Park (N38⁰52’31” W94⁰30’38”) is 51 acres at 13610 Byars Lane. It includes the Little Blue River Trail, 136th Street Access, N38o52’40” W94o30’45”), the Winchester Avenue Access (N38o52’24” W94o30’46”), community gardens, skate park, playgrounds, the View Community Center, and Grand Amphitheater. The Little Blue River Trail extends east from the park across Byars Lane to the Longview Lake Bike Trail.

River Oaks Park (N38⁰51’32” W94⁰31’3”) is 6 acres with a trail and rock-climbing feature on Oil Creek, located at 14620 St. Andrews Drive and Craig Street.

Shalimar Park (N38⁰50’37” W94⁰30’45”) is 15 acres at 7200 East 155th Street, containing baseball diamonds.

Southview Park (N38⁰54’6” W94⁰30’6”) is 12 acres at 7900 Harry Truman Drive west of Southview Drive and east of Food Drive, including a playground. The Truman Presidential Trail crosses the park.

Tails and Trails Dog Park (N38⁰52’19” W94⁰30’29”) is 10 acres at 8005 East 139th Street at Byars Lane.

Terrace Park (N38⁰53’52” W94⁰31’43”) is 1 acre at 1300 East 125th Terrace between 13th Street and 14th Street, including playground equipment.

Harry S. Truman National Historic Site includes Truman Farm Home in Grandview (see National Historic Landmarks)

Truman Presidential Trail extends along Harry Truman Drive from Raytown Road west to Harry Truman Farm Home on Blue Ridge Boulevard. The trail begins at Longview Trail east of Raytown Road (N38o53’55” W94o29’27”), follows the south side of Harry Truman Drive to Southview Drive (N38o54’1” W94o29’54”), and follows the north side of Harry Truman Drive west to 125th Street (N38o53’53” W94o31’15”). The trail then follows sidewalks to Blue Ridge Boulevard (N38o53’57” W94o31’59”) and north to Harry Truman Farm home.

Valley Park (N38⁰54’14” W94⁰33’2”) is 15 acres at 4000 East 123rd Street at Askew Drive. It includes a designer playground.

The Solomon Young Farm original section marker is at Grandview and Martha Truman Roads (N38o54’33” W94o32’0”). Dating to 1867, the marker was on the northwestern portion of the farm. The farm was inherited by Martha Young Truman, mother of Harry S Truman, 33rd President.

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