The City of Kansas City, Mo., is celebrating the year of its 160th birthday! The celebration is open to the general public. Cake and refreshments will be served.
When: Thursday, March 28 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: City Hall Rotunda, 414 E. 12th Street, KCMO
Remarks from Mayor Sly James, City Manager Troy Schulte and members of the City Council will begin at noon.
Kansas City, Mo., has a dynamic history, tracing its beginnings to the early 1800s when French fur traders, including Francois Chouteau, followed the Missouri River from St. Louis to the area now known as the Northeast Industrial District, where they established trading posts on the waterway. Another trader, John Calvin McCoy, opened a store inland on the Santa Fe Trail. He considered his land a portal to the West and thus named it Westport.
McCoy and 13 other men purchased a farm and formed the area that later became Kansas City’s downtown district. The new owners named the area the Town of Kansas after the Kansa Indians, or Kaws, who inhabited the area. The Town of Kansas was incorporated and granted a charter by the county court in Independence on June 3, 1850.
The State of Missouri then officially incorporated the area as the City of Kansas on Feb. 22, 1853. The City of Kansas’ original boundaries extended from the middle of the Missouri River south to Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street east to a point between Holmes and Charlotte streets.
This event will celebrate Kansas City’s history and especially its milestone year of 1853, when the State of Missouri officially recognized the City of Kansas.
Any person with a disability who desires reasonable accommodation to attend this event may contact the City’s 311 Call Center at 311 or 816-513-1313, or for TTY, 816-513-1889, or by email at actioncenter@kcmo.org.