Jackson County (Mo.)
Historical Society
Portals to the Past & Historical Perspective
local newspaper columns
by David W. Jackson
Beginning May
24, 2006, The Kansas City Star newspaper features, as space allows, a bi-monthly local history
series called Portals to the Past, provided by the Jackson County
(Mo.)
Historical Society. The Star provides our series only to selected,
zoned, neighborhood editions in Jackson County [Blue Springs/Independence/Raytown
zone on Wednesdays, indicated below with the two letter designation (BS and a
page number); and, the Lees Summit/South Kansas City zone on Saturdays,
indicated below with (LS and a page number)]. Beginning in June 2009, all
Jackson County suburban zones were consolidated into a single, zoned edition.
Portals to the Past columns are not regularly
published in the main, or City Edition of the paper [only when space allows,
indicated below with (CI and a page number)]. For those in downtown,
midtown, and surrounding Kansas City zip codes, we hope the pages linked
below will provide access to the text we provided to The Star
(printed editions may vary). Meanwhile, we hope you may encourage the editor(s)
of the City Edition to pick up our Portals to the Past series.
Beginning
April 12, 2008, the Independence
Examiner and Blue Springs Examiner
newspapers feature a bi-weekly local history column called Historical Perspective, provided by
the Jackson County (Mo.) Historical Society. In January 2009, the column became monthly.
Many of these articles (through February 2010)
were compiled into a book published by The History Press in July 2010. Order
your copy of Kansas
City Chronicles: An Up-to-Date History here! Your purchase of
this book directly benefits the nonprofit Jackson County Historical Society.
Thanks for your interest and support!
Tower
Adorables were KCs answer to Rockettes, for The
Kansas City Star 24, 27, and
31 May 2006
Walt
Disney nurtured his creativity in KC, for The
Kansas City Star 7
& 10 June 2006
Renowned
parks system faced early struggles, for 2 The
Kansas City Star 1
& 24 June 2006
Area
used to be nation's cattle capital, for The
Kansas City Star 12
& 15 July 2006
Little
Blue Valley holds vistas and history, for The
Kansas City Star 26
& 29 July 2006
Natural
springs drew early pioneers, for The Kansas City Star 23 & 26 August 2006
Priests
of Pallas event was an extravanganza, for The
Kansas City Star 6
& 9 September, 2006
Book
chronicles colorful life of Nelly Don, for The
Kansas City Star 27
& 30 September, and 25 October 2006
Generosity
was this man's hallmark, for The Kansas City Star 11 & 14 October 2006
Westport
Steptoe neighborhood stepping into history, for The
Kansas City Star 25
& 28 October 2006
Among
vets stories are tales of POW camps, for The
Kansas City Star 8
& 11 November 2006
Missouri
River was once this areas superhighway, for The
Kansas City Star 22
November 2006
County's
early years were tumultuous, for The Kansas City Star 6 & 9 December 2006
Designing
the face of KC, for The Kansas City Star 27 December 2006, and 6 January 2007
We
all stand as witness to historic events, for The
Kansas City Star 24
& 27 January 2007
Bridge
over Blue River marks historic crossing, for The
Kansas City Star 7
& 10 February 2007
The
principle prevailed for Harry Truman, for The
Kansas City Star 21
& 23 February 20007
Civilian
Conservation Corps meant job, home, for The
Kansas City Star 21
& 24 March 2007
Help
collect everyday history about women, for The
Kansas City Star 28
& 31 March 2007
Concerning
Kansas City theater history [about Folly Theater], for The
Kansas City Star 11
& 13 April 2007
Call
goes out: give us your stories of WWII life, for The
Kansas City Star (CI9)
25 & (LS3) 28 April 2007
Share
your stories one by one, for The Kansas City Star (IN3) 9 & (LS10) 12 May 2007
Union
Cemetery Final Resting Place for More than 55,000, Marks 150th
Year, for The Kansas City Star (BS3) 23; (LS3) 26 May 2007
Pioneer
Men Weren't The Only Ones to Take Law Into Their Own Hands [about Rebecca
Hawkins], for The Kansas City Star (BS3) 6 & 9 June 2007
Kansas
City Has Long Known How to Sizzle on the Fourth, for The
Kansas City Star (CI4)
27 & 30 June 2007
County
Has History of Caring for the Poor [about Truman Medical Center], for The
Kansas City Star 11
& 14 July 2007
How
Did We Get,"'Everything's Up to Date' in Kansas City?", for The
Kansas City Star 18
& 21 July 2007
"Wind
the Clock" Back on Jackson County[about historic Jackson County
Courthouses], for The Kansas City Star (CI5) 29 August and (LS12) 1 September 2007
Courthouse
Restoration Nurtures Soul of the County, for The
Kansas City Star 5
& 8 September 2007
Daughters
of Old Westport Filled a Void, for The Kansas City Star
19 and 22 September 2007
Original
Priest of Pallas Host Still a Mystery, for The
Kansas City Star (BS3) 17 and (LS3) 20 October
2007
Remember
Telephone Exchanges? (published separately as,
Hello Central, Have Any Old Telephone Directories?) for The
Kansas City Star 13, 16 & 17 November 2007
First
Call for Kansas City Zoo Came in November 1907 (published separately as,
There’s Plenty New at the Zoo, Now Closing in on the Century Mark) for
The Kansas City Star (BS2) 7, (LS2)
10 & (CI5) 21 November 2007
1899 and Now: Electric Cars "Up to
Date" for The Kansas City Star
27, 28 & 29 November 2007
Log
Courthouse Was County's First Seat of Justice (Jackson County Circuit
Court Records processing project) for The
Kansas City Star (BS3) 9 January; (LS3) 12 January 2008
Family's
History Intertwined With County's (published separately as, 1834 Bible
Has Miraculous History) [about the Hudspeth family and Order No. 11] for The Kansas City Star (BS3) 30 January;
(LS8) 2 February 2008
Check
in with KC History in Hotel Guest Book (published separately as, Gilliss House guest register provides
snapshot of KC history) for The Kansas City Star (BS3) 13 February; (LS3) 16 February 2008
Pony Express Was Just One Stop on
Alexander Majors' Up-and-Down Journey for The Kansas City Star (BS7) 26 February; (BS8) 27 February; and,
(LS3) 1 March 2008
Trees
have a home on the Square for The Examiner 12-13
April, 2008, A5
Abuse and murder on the frontier
for The Examiner 26-27 April 2008,
A5
Cattle led the areas growth
for The Examiner 10-11 May 2008, A5
Mulkey Square offers views of past, present
for The Kansas City Star (CI5) 14
May; (LS23) 24 May 2008
Prisoners on the homefront
for The Examiner 24-25 May 2008, A5
Natural gems need to be kept
for The Examiner 7-8 June 2008, A5
Drumm Institute and the Power of Giving
for The Kansas City Star (BS2) 11;
(LS2) 14 June 2008
Springs brought pioneers for The Examiner 21-22 June 2008, A5
Sheraton Estates Paved Way for Other
Subdivisions for The Kansas
City Star (CI3) 2 July; (LS18) 5 July; (BS4) 16 July 2008
In 1901, the Fourth was hot
for The Examiner 5-6 July 2008
Medical center has long history
for The Examiner 19-20 July 2008
Jackson Countys
mother [about Mary Easton Sibley] for The Examiner 2-3 August 2008
Society celebrating anniversary
for The Examiner 16-17 August 2008
High-end retailer had style [Harzfelds department store] for The Examiner 30-31 August 2008
Visit Fort Osage, see our past
for The Examiner 13-14 September
2008
Miracle saved a piece of history
[Hudspeth Bible] for The Examiner
27-28 September 2008
Indian Now on Private Sentry Duty in
Kansas City for The Kansas
City Star (BS3) 8 October; (LS3) 11 October 2008
Celebrate Westport anniversary
for The Examiner 11-12 October 2008
Swope Park's Lake of the Woods ripples to
100 (published separately as, Memories Ripple Across the Lake of
the Woods) for The Kansas City Star
(BS7) 15 October 2008; (LS) 22 October 2008; (CI1) 7 January 2009
Celebrate Westport's 175th anniversary
(published separately as, At 175, Westport is Filled with History) for The Kansas City Star (BS3; CI1) 22;
(LS6) 25 October 2008
Old tale follows a family
[about the Watson family and African-American songwriter, Gussie Davis] for The Examiner 25-26 October 2008
Countys historical society has a history all its own
for The Kansas City Star (BS6) 5
November 2008
Up
and down in Old West [about Alexander Majors and the Pony Express] for The Examiner 8-9 November 2008
Trumans advice mattered [about The Neck in Independence,
Missouri] for The Examiner 22-23
November 2008
Hard
work shattered a barrier [about Sheraton Estates, the first
African-American suburb in Kansas City ] for The Examiner 6 December 2008
County
provided care with parental homes for The
Kansas City Star (CI1) 24 December 2008; (LS5; BS4) 14 January 2009
[printed the second of a three-part series; the first and third were never
printed]
Help
save our local heritage [about Drumm Farm] for The Examiner 20-21 December 2008
Raytown
cemetery is part of local history [about the Archibald Rice plantation]
for The Examiner 9-11 January 2009
Friends
at last meet again [about the Follin-Harris
master and former African-American slave reunion; mentions Gone With the Wind
70th Anniversary] for The
Examiner 7-9 February 2009
History
lives in archives [about the new National Archives at Kansas City] for The Examiner 7-9 March 2009
KC
Getting Treasure-Trove of National History (published separately as, KC
Getting A Trove of National History) for The
Kansas City Star (CI9) 11; (IN5) 18 March 2009
Courthouse
on the Square has a rich history for The
Examiner 4-6 April 2009
Law
and order is a tough job [about the 150th Anniversary of the
1859 Jackson County Jail] for The
Examiner 16-18 May 2009
Hereford
Boulevard had cattle kingdom [about the Yost’s Cedar Croft Farm]
for The Examiner 13-15 June 2009
Park
system took vision, persistence for The
Examiner 18-20 July 2009
Lone
Jack picnic a tradition for The
Examiner 15-17 August 2009
Events
that led to Order No. 11 for The
Examiner 19-21 September 2009
Mansion
deaths still a mystery [about the Swope v Hyde Murder Trials] for The Examiner 17-19 October 2009
How
KC got a zoo for The Examiner
20-22 November 2009
Railroad
bridge over river was key to KCs growth in 1869 [about the Hannibal
Bridge, aka. Kansas City Bridge] for The
Examiner 19-21 December 2009
Where
did old song about KC come from? [about the saying (and song)
“Everything’s Up-to-Date in Kansas City,” for
The Examiner 23-25 January 2010
Birthplace
of a legend [about Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse] for The Examiner 6 February 2010
Popular
books keep names and places alive [about new books: Vital Historical
Records by the DAR; Conserving Missouri’s Cemeteries; and, LOCK DOWN] for The Examiner 20 March 2010
Preservation
matters in our area for The Examiner 17 April 2010
Cemeteries
reveal our rich history [about Union Cemetery; Mound Grove; Woodlawn
Cemetery; Elmwood Cemetery; and, Mt. Washington Cemetery] for The Examiner 16
May 2010
WWII
stories collected, preserved [about the Veterans History Project] for The Examiner 19 June 2010
Town
of Kansas site in full view for The
Examiner 23 July 2010
Gem
of a nightclub in old KC [about the Jewel Box Lounge in Kansas City] for The Examiner 21 August 2010
Haunted
Houses? Try the real thing [about the Municipal Farm cemeteries] for The Examiner 18 September 2010
Historic
Santa Fe Trail gets a closer look for The Examiner 16 October 2010
Independence
history is also the story of the West [about the opening of the new North
Independence Mid-Continent Library, and its focus on local, social history]
for The Examiner 20 November 2010
Stumped
for a gift? Think of local causes [about the Jackson County Historical
Society Annual Awards Dinner] for The Examiner 18 December 2010
Documentary
explores reality of slave life [about Negroes to Hire documentary, and
the Jackson County Historical Society Annual Awards Dinner] for The Examiner
15 January 2011
Mattie
Lykins Bingham saw war up close for The
Examiner 19-20-21 February 2011
Marking
Civil War’s 150th for The
Examiner 19-20-21 March 2011
Preservation
is more than saving old buildings for The
Examiner 16 April 2011 (no article in May)
The
naming of Jackson County for The
Examiner 18-19-20 June 2011
How
did city get its name? for The
Examiner 16-17 July 2011
Civil
War letters tell the story [about the Upton Hays and Margaret Jane Watts
Hays letters donated to the Jackson County Historical Society and available
online at http://www.wattshaysletters.com.] for The Examiner 20-21-22 August 2011
Are
historical memorials endangered? for The
Examiner 17-18-19 September 2011
Historical
Society looking for map [about a very large three-dimensional relief map
produced for the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression]
for The Examiner 29-30-31 October
2011
The
origin of Santa-Cali-Gon for The Examiner 19 November 2011
Symbolism
in the city, county seals for The
Examiner 16-17-18 December 2011 (no article in January)
Caring
for county residents [about the segregated African-American parental
“Jackson County Home for Aged and Infirm Negroes”] for The Examiner 18 February 2012
A
tribute to a great volunteer [Women’s History Month article honoring Dorace Wilson] for The
Examiner 17-18-19 March 2012
A
local business based on bubbles [about Louis L. “Polly” and Dorothea
Compton’s local soda manufacturing business, Polly’s Pop] for The Examiner 21 April 2012
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