Where It All Began kansas City

Where It All Began

Kansas City, Missouri, was officially incorporated in 1853. Pioneers to the area used the Missouri River and had been... more

by Brian Lea

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Where It All Began kansas City

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Brian Lea

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Photograph - Instagram Photo

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Where It All Began

Kansas City, Missouri, was officially incorporated in 1853. Pioneers to the area used the Missouri River and had been stopping right about this point since the 1820s, climbing the rocky bluffs to what is now The River Market.

Kansas City slowly grew... It wasn't until the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad wanted to build a bridge to span this part of the Missouri River. Kansas City and nearby Leavenworth, Kansas, politically battled each other for the railroad to put build their bridge in their respective towns. Kansas City won. It would be the first railroad bridge to cross the Mighty Missouri.

The original Hannibal Bridge was constructed from 1867 to 1869. When the bridge opened, 40,000 proud Kansas Citians elbowed their way to the bridge. After the construction was complete Kansas City began to really boom. The moment the bridge opened, it catapulted Kansas City from a sleepy pioneer town to a thriving metropolis. It featured a pivoting drawbridge to allow steamboats to pass through.

In 1886, the original bridge was severely damaged by a tornado, causing the middle span to collapse into the river. The second Hannibal Bridge (the smaller bridge in the foreground of this, behind is the Broadway Bridge) opened in 1917, and is located about 200 feet downstream from the original. There are two decks to the bridge, the top deck originally handled vehicular traffic, the bottom handled railroad. When the Broadway Bridge (in the background) open in 1956, the auto deck was removed.

I couldn't help but wonder, what would Kansas City be had they lost to Leavenworth? Would Kansas City be a sleepy Leavenworth in some parallel universe?

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January 29th, 2014