Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-08-04
Kansas City.
kansas CRY, Mo, July IS, 'sl.

KANSAS CRY, Mo-, July g, 81.
Ed. Register-
Thinking few lines from Kansas City would
s be ayreeable 30 your readers. will undertake
& to give y0u short sketch of the city. Though
my residence here has been Short the Iacts
and figures given are reliable.
Daniel Boone, Jr., is the first to hav5 men
toned, IN his memories. the site of the present
city He, in the close Of the last centnr,, made
trip 70 the "Great American Desert" ana on
his return to St. Louis, noted the site.
Il was of KaDsas City that Thos. H. Benton
spoke, who, When few miles below the city,
pointed toward its hills. then in the garb Ma
ture had given them. and said: There. gen.
tlemen. where that rocky bluff meets and turns
aside the sweeping current of this mighty riv-
er; there where the Missouri, after running Its
eastward to the Mississippi, . large commercial
and manufacturing community viii conyre-
gate, and less than century will see great
city on those hills"
mouth of the Raw or Kansas river. By 1920 a
heavy emigration set in. In 1898 two settle
ments had sprung into existence; one at the
Kaw. another one and Q half miles east. These
of Westport. In 1910 Westport began to seek
the Mexican trade, which Independence then
controlled. Westport having q good river
landing. found favor. and by degrees got the
the Inhabitants moved to the highlands; for
two weeks the water was fifteen feet deep.
This seems to have given new life to the
place; and when the people moved back. the
settlements began. more than ever, to -four
ish. In 1889 Westport was incorporates; but
q mistake being found in the recorded descrip-
ton, It was set aside Not till 1916 was Kan
sas City laid out. and not till then did its per-
swept away 80 Of the 900 Inhabitants. The
6rst charter Was granted Feb. %, 1853. In
1857 the population numbered 5000. Six
years later 1900 people lived here; but at the
- A. =
Ia isss the ~ Missouri Df Pacific railroad was
finished TO Kansas City. and then II was that
tts marvellous growth began; and in 1867 found
1854 Inhabitants. In 1869 there were 81, 14O.
It was in June, 1869, that the bridge-the
first to span the Missouri river-was finished.
In 1879 there were 1900 people within the
limits; and In 1875, after the panic, the num-
her remained the same. The number now
claimed is "a, 600.
As a summary: In lS49, Westport with 800
inhabitants; in 1881, Kansas City with IS 900
As to public.buildings, Kansas City is yet too
young to boast of many; but the Court House,
the Board Of Trade. the Live Stock Exchange
and the Union Depot are fine buildings. The
United States Custom House and Post Office
building 10 being constructed at cost of half
a million. Besides these, tn IRE are the Expo
sftion and Agricultural Fair Association build |
in9s, the Widows and Orphans Home, Coates
Opera House with seating capacity of 2,G0D
and the Sisters Hospital. OF its depot it may
we'll be proud, for it eciipses all Others in the
West. One addition is just finished, and work
10 now going on On another addition OF one
hundred and fifty feet; when this is fnisEe:. |
one more OF one hundred and ninety feet will |
be commenced. 1t /, lighted by gas and cleo
tricity.
The new Directory is Just out. It sh ,ws !
that there are $50 rhysicians, 158 lawyers. 9S |
real estate agents, 10 newspapers, 1l8 saloons, |
n hotels, and an innurnerabe lot OF buartiing |
houses. There are IL railroads. - public |
schools, IA private academies, and Sc churches. !
The city, being yet in its infancy. mas many |
OF the ills attendent on that perio'i; among |
them, that feeling of seltishness which each !
individual seems to possess, and with ma
jority of men, instead OF its being whole hog |
or none," It Is whole hog.
The city Is full of business men who are SO |
taken up with private aft ,irs that little time
fs. left to look after it's welfare.
Gas and water are plenti ully provided.
Some Of the streets are paved with stone.
others with wood, but many of them are in |
miserable condition. In Kansas City proper |
there are many hills and hollows; hut the hills |
are graded down and the bolows filed up, and !
we may yet hope to see a comparatively level
place. In the "bottoms," to the contrary,
1t is too level for good sewerage. The bust
nese houses are fine, capacfous buildings,
built especially for the purpose they are used !
for, and gotten up in a substantial manner.
The residences are all that could be desired,
being nicely built, fnshrd with the most
modern improvements. and furnished with an
elegance that is surprising. The lahorng
classes. however, have had a hard time to
ind houses, as the capitalists seem to think,
first. Of place of business then Of a home
for themselves. and laatly. OF the poorer class.
This last trouble. however, promises to be of
short duration, as boom has been started
and many six aud seven-ronm cottages are 60
ing up IN the outskirts If town. These. house
and LOT, cost about 81 600, aud are easily rent
ed for $50 per month.
A to society, it is either very high or very
low; and in high society one is kept on ''nee-
dies and pins" both by the ceremony with
which one is treated, and by s+lf-constraint.
There are five street railroads and "Herdic'
lines, which 90 to every part of town. The
"Herdfcs" are novel and ingenious vehicles,
and seem to be half omnibus and half street
cars They of X the same advantages as the
street car-that is, they run certain route
and on a certain time. We're / an artist, It
" ould give me pleasure TO give pen picture
OF the odd looking &C limitations"
In the Bottoms We have the manufactor-
les, packing houses, railroads, and wholesale
ALSO the agricultural ontfitters.
$ As to health, Kansas CITY cannot complain.
This, of course is due to the number of physi-
clans and although there was great smallpox
scare, there were hut one hundred and twenty
i've authenticated cases; nearly oil OF these
were uptown. few heing In the "Bnstoms."
saw three cases; and speaking to another
physician in my neishborhood, he said he had
seen two. The scare is now over; but for
some time 1t was no finn for a K. c. n an go
ing into the country was scrupiouslv avoided, |
and had great difficulty in finding whereon to
reet hts weary homes.
The weather has been hot, but ia cooler inst
now. For some time the mercury stood at
los here In the "Bottoms.'
And now, dear REGISTER, awake to the fact
that write to you, and that the history of this
city must be written up nv q better historian
than myself. To ask rarlon for encroachfng
on your sDace, would be but writing more;
tender this without apology. and
with my best wishes. Non INCoGNITO.
p. 6.-The REGISTER 10 anxiously waited for
each week. and carefully perused. NJ.
~ ONE TREATMENT.