Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, St. Louis: houses, purchasing, living in)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Electric Park?

It was Washington Park, but Electric Park was a good guess.

Walt Disney said that he got his inspiration for Disneyland from Electric Park.

There were actually two Electric parks built by a beer baron--it was not Muelhbach, though. The first one out grew its land area.

The second one was at 46th and Paseo. It seems to have out done Fairmount Park with lots of rides.

It burned to the ground in 1925 and the fire was witnessed by Walter Cronkite when he was a small boy. He was born in St Joseph but lived in KC until he was ten.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

The train robbery that Jesse James Jr. was arrested for took place on the Missouri Pacific line. On September 25, 1898, a seven car passenger train left Union station at 9:15 pm headed south for Coffeyville, Kansas.

The train was stopped near Brush creek about two and a half miles south of Centropolis where it was robbed by a band of seven white men wearing black masks at 9:40.

They uncoupled the engine and express car and ran them down the track for a mile and a half. There they blew up the express car. Two robbers stayed behind with the passengers but none of them were robbed.

The express car explosion was intense enough that it was heard at 25th and prospect in Kansas City.

The marshal’s office received a telephone call at 10:40 pm concerning the robbery.

Marshal Chiles and a small posse responded almost immediately. They subsequently went to the Crackerneck area scouring the homes there asking questions.

The Kansas City police were also investigating, however, neither they nor Marshal Chiles had jurisdiction over the investigation.

If fact, the investigators refused to share their information with the marshal and, in fact, did not welcome his "interference." If Jackson County Marshal Chiles had been in office in 1924, he would have been called Jackson County Sheriff Chiles.

The office doing the investigation ceased to exist 99 years later to be replaced by another department.

What office was doing the investigation?

Generically, it was the railroad police. Specifically in our case it was the Missouri Pacific Railroad Police Department detectives who had responsibility for the investigation. Over the years, its police members suffered five deaths in the line of duty.

The MoPac police department went out of existence in 1997 when the line merged with Union Pacific and was replaced by the Union Pacific Police Department, which has over 200 members and has suffered 75 deaths in the line of duty since its creation in 1862.

[WCHS'59]

the KCS has had two police department members killed in the line of duty, both in the 1920s and both by gunfire.



Photo of the CSX RR Police Department Swat Team.

The CSX RR is the name of what is left of several RRs including the Penn Central, Chesapeake and Ohio, Seaboard Airline, and others.

[WCHS'59]

In 1888, Kansas City was becoming known as the "New Chicago" and Independence was tagged as the "Royal Suburb."

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

It was Washington Park, but Electric Park was a good guess.

Walt Disney said that he got his inspiration for Disneyland from Electric Park.

There were actually two Electric parks built by a beer baron--it was not Muelhbach, though. The first one out grew its land area.

The second one was at 46th and Paseo. It seems to have out done Fairmount Park with lots of rides.

It burned to the ground in 1925 and the fire was witnessed by Walter Cronkite when he was a small boy. He was born in St Joseph but lived in KC until he was ten.

Electric Park was indeed a spectacular place. Here are a couple of views of it's second home.

[Mad Anthonie]

Our Fairmount Park (the original one) was also a rather fun place.

[WCHS'59]

This gives me a better sense of the Fairmount Park location.

Where the creek crosses the road to the south: that road would appear to be the now Highway 24. There is actually a bridge like crossing on present day Highway 24 at that location and it looks like the roadway was raised. There is probably a drainage hole under there somewhere.

North of this "bridge" one can make out portions of a creek or drainage area. South of 24 there is a heavy tree line extending to Truman. In one break in the trees Google 3d shows a rather rugged creek bed in a scruffy looking industrial area. Apparently the creek flows north and appears to start at Truman.

The current day Fairmount Park is supposed to be at 300 N Home, northwest of the map. It actually appears to be north of that address. Update: Google actually shows the 200 block as 300 N home.

The baseball fields at ground level say Davis Park, though. Update: Davis Park is separate from Fairmount Park. They appear to join.

[WCHS'59]

The robbery of the Missouri Pacific train just west of the present day Truman Sports Complex took place in late September 1898.


Jesse James Jr, 23, was living at 3402 Tracy, Kansas City. At this time he owned a cigar stand concession in the county court house. Living with him was his sister and his mother, Zee. He had been supporting his family since age 11 going to work as an office boy in the courthouse.



KC Mo police “arrested” James and took him to police station No 5 in Westport. There was no arrest warrant but they kept him at the jail giving him the “sweat” process otherwise known as the “thirty-third degree.”


When arraigned in court the judge refused to proceed because James had not been legally arrested. The KC Police put up an unheeded objection that this was their normal way of business. Soon after his release the police obtained an arrest warrant and again jailed him pending release on a $2500 bond.


The trial began in January 1899. The Jackson County prosecuting attorney was James A. Reed of James A Reed Memorial Wildlife Area in Lee’s Summit fame.

[WCHS'59]

Frank James came to Kansas City from St Louis to be by the side of Jesse James Jr during his trial. While in the area, he divided his time between the James residence on Tracy Street and with friends in Independence—perhaps at the Ralston place off Sterling Ave near present day Hill Park where he is buried.

When interviewed by a newspaper, Frank James stated he was a patriotic American and even had a son serving in the Army.

His only son was named Robert Franklin James, who had enlisted in St. Louis, perhaps in response to a call to arms for the Spanish American War. He was discharged a year and a half later.

This is the same man that introduced himself to me and my girlfriend in 1958 as Frank James, Jr. We were cruising a back area of Clay County trying to find the James Farm, found the drive way, and drove through a wooded area back to a secluded house and began thinking we should leave because we were on private property.

He came out to greet us and then showed us through the house. We were totally unaware that the place had been closed down for several years and he explained that he was going to be reopening the place to visitors.

He died a few months later at the end of 1958.


Of the several times, I have been back to Independence, I have wanted to go back out to the James farm and view the house again, including the part that was rehabbed--that part had been bombed by Pinkertons looking for Frank and Jesse and was condemned during our original visit. I have never been able to find the time to make the trip.

Today, that place is at 21216 Jesse James Farm Rd, Kearney, MO. Back then it was really in the boon docks.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

The current day Fairmount Park is supposed to be at 300 N Home, northwest of the map. It actually appears to be north of that address. Update: Google actually shows the 200 block as 300 N home.

The baseball fields at ground level say Davis Park, though. Update: Davis Park is separate from Fairmount Park. They appear to join.

Way back in the days of my early youth we lived in the Fairmount area. I remember attending the grand opening of the new Fairmount Park in the mid 1960s; the park was just a few blocks from home. It may have been the first city investment in that area after the annexation in 1961. At that time the area now occupied by Davis Park was an overgrown ravine. The sewage treatment plant did not exist, that area was also wild. We lived west of the park, and could walk up to the dead-end of our street, enter the woods, and follow a trail into the park.

The park had a shelter house at the SW corner, very close to the current sewage plant entrance. It has since been removed. From the shelter was a trail that led west then north to a small pond in the woods. Up the hill east from the shelter were several picnic tables in the open. At the east end was the playground and our favorite attraction- the fort. It was a large square wooden structure, maybe three feet off the ground. Off one side there was a swinging wood bridge across a small depression, the bridge terminated at a small tower accessed by ladder. All of that structure is now gone, whether the victim of rot, vandalism, or safety concerns I know not.