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Kansas City Skyline

History of Kansas City, MO

Kansas City, Missouri is now the largest of the cities in Missouri. It is the central part of the entire Kansas City metropolitan area. In the early years of the city, it was taken over by the Spanish. As a part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, they took over in order to take control of taxing the area. This was about all they did while they were in control of the land. Once the Louisiana Purchase took place Mormons that were originally from New York moved into the area and established homes and schools. This was not something that lasted for very long, because they were eventually pushed out of the area due to violence from a mob. It was not until the mid 1800's that the city began to establish its roots and continue to grow.

The Impact of the Civil War on Kansas City

During the Civil war, there was a lot that went on in the Kansas City area. In fact, the Battle of Independence and the Second Battle of Independence had a big impact on the area. While it was a big area for the Civil War, it also went through a big period of growth immediately after the war. The Hannibal Bridge was opened, and then the growth bounded even more. It was not until 1889 that the name of the city was actually changed from the City of Kansas to Kansas City. A local town known as Westport was also part of Kansas City recently after this.

Making of the City

Later, the city was part of a City Beautiful movement that helped to beautify the city. They took some time to help build a variety of parks and other streets in the city to help make it a place that people would love to call home. In the early 1900's the city became home to two of the landmarks that it is most known for today. These are the Union Station and the Liberty Memorial. It also became home to the Country Club Plaza, which caused the cities growth to increase even more than it already had in the previous years.

Many political movements also took place in these early years of the 1900's. This caused a lot of different changes to the look and feel of the city- including the building of the Kansas City City Hall and also the Jackson County Courthouse.

Riots in the City and Other Historical Events

There were a number of riots that took place in Kansas City during the mid 1900's. They were mainly based on racial differences. One particular moment in history would be when Martin Luther King Jr was killed. This was part of the Kansas City Riot that took place in 1968. A lot of people left the city in fear that this was only the beginning of the fighting, but there were some that simply could not afford to relocate.

Another major historical event that happened in the later 1900's in Kansas City, Missouri was the collapse of the Hyatt Regency walkway. This was a major disaster that happened in the city that caused over 100 people to die, and even more to be injured. At this particular time in history, it was marked as one of the deadliest structural collapses in the entire history of the United States. Since, there have been other collapses that have pushed this one out of the deadliest position, but it is none the less something that will be remembered as a part of the history of Kansas City, Missouri.

 
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