Blog – Page 12 – THE TRAVELING SENIORS

October 29, 2018

THE HISTORIC CITY MARKET IN Kansas City

The historic City Market in downtown Kansas City really bustles when farmers come to town to sell produce! The City Market (sometimes called the River Market) dates to 1857. Today, it is one of the region’s largest City Markets with more than 140 farmer stalls. Shops surround the stalls with meats, fresh produce, specialty goods, flowers, and baked goods from America, Africa, Europe, the Middle and the Far East. The City Market is located at the site on which Kansas City was first founded. A group of settlers created the “Town of Kansas” in 1850 which became the “City of Kansas” in 1853. In fact, the southern…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 25, 2018

A TRIP TO HISTORIC ARROW ROCK, MISSOURI

Take a trip to historic Arrow Rock, Missouri! This entire town has been designated a National Historic Landmark with the town’s history inter-twined with Westward Expansion, artist George Caleb Bingham and the Santa Fe Trail! HISTORY OF ARROW ROCK, MISSOURI According to writer David Wolfe Eaton in 1918, Arrow Rock was named because of a flint-bearing bluff on the Missouri River. This name appears on a French map from 1732 as “Pierre a Flèche” meaning “Rock of Arrows.” Eaton wrote that the bluff was a landmark and Lewis and Clark passed by on June 9, 1804. In 1808, William Clark passed through the area again and called…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 22, 2018

Kansas City’s COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA

I couldn’t wait to show Stu the Country Club Plaza! Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza was the first shopping center in the world designed for shoppers coming by automobile in 1922. The “Plaza” was also one of the first shopping centers in the country to be designed with a unifying theme and architecture. The Country Club Plaza was named for the nearby Kansas City Country Club (now Loose Park). Developer J.C. Nichols began purchasing the land for the “Plaza” in 1907. The development project was the butt of local jokes since no development of its kind had ever been undertaken. The site was marshy and was next to a…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 18, 2018

TAKE A BACKROADS TRIP TO BLACKWATER, MISSOURI

Take a backroads trip to Blackwater, Missouri which had a population of 162 in the year 2000! This charming village is only three miles off Interstate 70 and is full of 1800s buildings on The National Register of Historic Places. The entire downtown is one-block long and is a tiny town adventure. HISTORY OF BLACKWATER Blackwater was founded in 1887 after the Missouri Pacific Railroad developed a coal refilling station between St. Joseph, Missouri and Kansas City. Travelers who stopped in Blackwater kept the town bustling in the late 1800s.The post office has been in operation since 1873. BLACKWATER TODAY The Iron Horse Hotel & Restaurant was once…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 15, 2018

TAKE A TOUR: Kansas City, MISSOURI

Take a tour of Kansas City, Missouri and you’ll discover that the city is more than you might think! Stu and I spent a fascinating few days exploring the city where I grew up. THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL Our first stop was the Liberty Memorial and newly-designated National World War I Memorial and Museum. The Liberty Memorial is America’s official memorial for the men and women who served and died in World War I. Momentum to build the Memorial ballooned shortly after the Armistice in November 1918. Soon after the end of the war, a group of 40 Kansas Citians raised more than $2.5 million for construction in…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 11, 2018

TAKE A BACKROADS TRIP: WESTON, MISSOURI

Take a backroads trip to Weston, Missouri and you will find history, charm and small town hospitality! Walking the streets of Weston is a treat! The 22-block historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped at what is now the site of the City Hall of Weston, Missouri. Weston was the oldest settlement in the Platte Purchase of 1836 and was the farthest western settlement that year (that is one theory of how the town got its name-“West Town”). 1836 was the year the U.S. government increased the size of Missouri by purchasing the northwest corner of the state from…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri

October 8, 2018

THE SHAWNEE INDIAN MISSION IN FAIRWAY, KANSAS

The Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway, Kansas served as a manual training school for children from the Shawnee, Delaware and other Native nations between 1839-1854 and continued as a school without manual training until 1862. The Shawnee Mission also served as a supply point on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. THE SHAWNEE NATION The Missouri Shawnee were the first Native Americans removed to Kansas Territory, which was then set apart for emigrant tribes by the treaties of June 1825, with the Kanza and Osage. By a treaty made at St. Louis, Missouri on November 7, 1825, the United States granted… “to the Shawnee tribe of Indians within the…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas, Travel

October 4, 2018

THE BIRTHPLACE OF Route 66: SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

The birthplace of Route 66 is said to be in Springfield, Missouri. The “Mother Road” began in the 1920s as Americans moved west. Construction work on a 17-mile long, 20 foot wide concrete road, later Route 66, was national front page news in 1929! A mere five months later, “Black Friday” and the stock market crash changed America forever. By 1931, the winding, two-lane Highway 66 was called, “The Main Street of America.” The road’s completion was cause for a huge celebration in Rolla, Missouri. That year, Highway 66 ran from Chicago to St. Louis and extended in and out of Rolla, Missouri to Lebanon, Missouri and into Springfield’s city…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 1, 2018

EVER HEARD OF THE GEESE POLICE?

EVER HEARD OF THE GEESE POLICE? While in Kansas City for our 50th high school reunion, Stu and I headed to Shawnee Mission Park for nature photography. While photographing Canada Geese at the lake, we met the Geese Police! As we sat on the beach taking photos, a man with a kayak “put in” near where we sat. He headed straight for the geese at a quick clip. When he reached the geese, he shook a plastic jug filled with what sounded like rocks and the geese took flight. We were thrilled because Stu wanted some photos of geese taking flight and landing. But what was going on? THE…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas, Meeting People, Travel

September 17, 2018

PICKER’S PARADISE: WALNUT VALLEY FESTIVAL & NATIONAL FLAT PICK GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIP IN WINFIELD, KS

The Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat Pick Guitar Championship is always the third weekend of September in Winfield, Kansas. Winfield is unique among festivals because it is as down home as it gets! As always, the music is world-class and the foot stompin’ non-stop. 2018 marks the 47th year for the Walnut Valley Festival and fans are gathered from all over the world. The purpose of the festival is to host the National Guitar Flat-Picking Championships and among aficionados is now referred to simply as “Winfield.” The Festival has evolved from the original 2 days in 1972 to 5 days and has four stages performing simultaneously; a quality…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas