Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Jackson: furnaces, home, transfer)

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Jennifer Mitchell was a new fresh-out of college teacher when I was at WCHS. For months she had problems with other teachers mistaking her for a student.

I hope they did not have an adverse psychological affect on her.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

We took US 24 to CS back before I-70 was built.

Hmmm. I wonder if we were in Colorado Springs at the same time. I had just returned from Germany and was on leave before going to California for my next assignment. I had just gotten a new 1966 Mustang and had gone to my grandmother's place in Perry, IA, before driving to California via Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, and westward. I was in Colorado Springs about mid-June of 1966.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

There is the old saying about someone who marches to the beat of a different drummer. That saying came about because there always seemed to be some mess up who would get out of step to the drums. The saying was then applied to most anyone who constantly messes up.

When I was in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, we had to do some fairly long marches and part of the march was at quick time. We had a young man who should not have been in the Army and he could not stay in step and, on one march, had his helmet knocked off by his rifle. Our platoon sergeant was not amused and had us march at regular time, while to young man ran around us shouting an obscenity about himself. It wasn't pretty and eventually he collapsed from the fatigue of the ordeal. You had to feel sorry for him as he was just in the wrong place.

[WCHS'59]

What early day visionary enthusiast, West Point graduate, Fremont Expedition member, and one time resident of Independence predicted that the cities of Independence, Westport, and Kansas City would one day combine to form the huge metropolitan city of Centropolis?

He later became governor of a western state.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

I guess by the time I started swimming there pools of that size were standard. In fact, it seemed that Sugar Creek had a larger pool, but what do I remember? I believe one entered The Nat on the side street side and it had a sloped entrance into the shallow side from the locker rooms/concessions et al

The diving boards were on the end nearest the RR tracks. You could easily hear the trains as they passed underneath even with all the yelling and screaming that went on poolside. It was pretty cool to swim and see the world go by on Lexington (chain link fence to that side?) and hear the trains on their way to KC and other parts unknown

I got my Worst Sunburn Ever @ The Nat

Being obviously years younger than most of you, I do not even recall seeing the Natatorium. I remember the Safeway that was down that way and Cooper's Hobby Shop, but that is mainly it. Perhaps, my not recalling is due to my foggybrainitus.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Someone please fell free to fill in the holes of my reminiscing.


Remember when Truman Road was a very busy major artery to downtown Kansas City?

It was bumper to bumper driving from the western part of Independence all the way. Part of the bumper to bumper problem was due to the extreme congestion just west of the Blue River at the Centropolis railway passenger station where eight tracks crossed Truman Road at grade level.

Traffic here was a b**** as there were two sets of traffic lights along with crossing gates on Truman which controlled the automobile flow across the tracks. One would have to wait at the first light for the first set of six tracks and once that cleared one would have to many, many times wait at the next traffic light at the two or so main line tracks. Due to both the Centropolis passenger and freight stations at this location there was much rail traffic.

(That problem has since been corrected by a bridge erected over and past those RR tracks west from I-435. A number of tracks have also disappeared.)

Truman Road dead ended at Grand in Kansas City where there was a huge bluff that was several stories high. Near the top of that bluff was a huge billboard which could be seen from quite a ways away and that bill board always advertised a tire dealer, I think.

This area is totally unrecognizable to me now but when one of the Interstate highways came through, several blocks of Truman became that Interstate highway. They not only tackled the removal of that huge bluff but they also lowered the former Truman Road to below grade ripping out more rock.

The cost was huge and I seem to remember $32m for three fourths of a mile. I think this was the most expensive Interstate construction up to that time.

This was at a time when the average cost for a new Interstate was $1m per mile. That was 1960s money. And, it took a long time for construction maybe being the last segment of the original Interstate system to be constructed in the KC area.

I certainly remember the drive. I don't recall that much traffic, but I do remember going by the San, St. Paul's School of Theology, Sears, Roebuck, & Co., the Paseo, and when one looked straight ahead there was a big sign at the end of Truman. I want to say it was a sign for tires and it had a big clock on the sign. Whatever the sign said, I read it to my parents and older brother far east of the sign and they could not believe that I could read the sign. It may have been a memory, but I had it right. As for the street at the end of Truman, wasn't it west of Grand. I am thinking that it was at Broadway. There was a hill immediately behind the sign. My recollection is that the sign was on the face of the cliff and not on top. I wonder if we can find a map from the early 50s and a picture of that sign.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

What early day visionary enthusiast, West Point graduate, Fremont Expedition member, and one time resident of Independence predicted that the cities of Independence, Westport, and Kansas City would one day combine to form the huge metropolitan city of Centropolis?

He later became governor of a western state.

Ronald Reagan?
Jerry Brown?

Those were just guesses.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

When I was in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, we had to do some fairly long marches and part of the march was at quick time. We had a young man who should not have been in the Army and he could not stay in step and, on one march, had his helmet knocked off by his rifle. Our platoon sergeant was not amused and had us march at regular time, while to young man ran around us shouting an obscenity about himself. It wasn't pretty and eventually he collapsed from the fatigue of the ordeal. You had to feel sorry for him as he was just in the wrong place.

I forgot what time you said you were in the Army. But, when I arrived at Ft Leonard Wood, in Jan 66, a number of the WWII wood barracks were heated with coal. An all night fire guard had to be posted with a changeover every hour between the trainees to stoke the fire and sound the alarm should a fire occur.

Some trainees lived in 20-man tents in the dead of winter. I always felt sorry for those poor so and so's.

And some lived in brand new modern barracks with three-man rooms and a new concept of a battalion mess hall rather than a company mess hall.

None of the wood barracks or orderly rooms or company mess halls had insulation.

I wound up in an updated wood barracks heated by a gas furnace but the two by four framing could still be seen and there was still no insulation. We may still have had to post a fire guard, I cannot recall.

For our outdoor training we wore the standard Army issue underwear, Army issue long johns, fatigue uniform covered by a separate olive drab wool uniform and an insulated field jacket. I was still cold. We also wore Army issue galoshes during snow periods.

My next training was at Fort Ord, CA where the weather was much nicer. This was the only Army post I ever saw that had all the wood buildings painted a light bright green rather than yellow.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

Ronald Reagan?
Jerry Brown?

Those were just guesses.

Chuckle, I cannot imagine Jerry Brown willingly serving. I suspect he might have went to Canada, instead.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

What early day visionary enthusiast, West Point graduate, Fremont Expedition member, and one time resident of Independence predicted that the cities of Independence, Westport, and Kansas City would one day combine to form the huge metropolitan city of Centropolis?

He later became governor of a western state.

Centropolis, Mo, was platted in 1887 but I think the founder gave it that name from the previous publicity rather from having any hope that the three cities would merge into his new town.

By this time, our guy was nearing the end of his life span.

Let me revise the fact that he later became governor of a western state. He was governor of the territory that then became a state.

This man also predicted that if the plains were populated by farmers the subsequent plowing would bring rain.