Kansas City, Kansas

by Joe H. Vaughan

Overview

Over the past 150 years, many of the consumer goods sold and used across the country were either manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas, or passed through this industrial center. From the westbound trails of pioneer times until today, Kansas has been the crossroads of the nation, and the city has benefitted from its geographic centrality in the country. Household names with ties to the city include Google; Cerner Corporation; Procter & Gamble; General Motors; Colgate-Palmolive; the Santa Fe, Rock Island & Union Pacific Railroad lines; Phillips Petroleum; Armour and Company; Owens Corning; Massey Ferguson; General Electric; Sunshine Biscuits; Lee (apparel); Sealy (mattresses); and United Telecom (which morphed into Sprint Nextel). Images of America: Kansas City, Kansas aims to present some of that historic past, much of which has long been demolished, so that modern readers may see the complete, "full service" city as it evolved between 1804 and 2012.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738593999
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/08/2012
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	669,050
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

The photographs in this book are from the archives of the Wyandotte County Historical Society and Museum and many generous donors. Author Joe Vaughan is a businessman, area civic leader, and recognized historian. Vaughan's family roots in Kansas City can be traced back to the 1870s. He is currently serving his third term as an elected member of the Johnson County Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Two Centuries of Civilizing the New West 9

2 People, Business, and Industry Grow Rapidly 25

3 The City's First Major Decades of Development 41

4 The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Take a Toll 51

5 The City Plays a Huge Role in Winning the War 61

6 The 1950s Contrast the Great Flood of 1951 with Postwar Hubris 85

7 The Tough Years of Transition 91

8 An Era of Consolidation, Literally and Figuratively 109

9 21st-century Technological Transformation Affects Everyone 115

Bibliography 127