|
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Halloween began as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the harvest. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred; spirits of the dead would return to earth, causing trouble and damaging crops. They lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off these ghosts. People carved faces into turnips, pumpkins, or other root vegetables to put a candle inside, creating "Jack-o'-lanterns" to ward off spirits. The Catholic Church later incorporated some of these traditions into the Christian holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1st) and All Souls' Day (November 2nd), with the evening before becoming "All Hallows' Eve" which was eventually shortened to Halloween. Over time, these traditions evolved in America to include trick-or-treating and jack-o'-lanterns, becoming the holiday we know today. Last Friday, as I sat in my driveway and greeted the two or three hundred ghost, great pumpkins, football players, cheerleaders and princesses, or the older teens without costumes, I reflected on the Halloween nights of my youth. First of all, there were no Disney characters or superheroes in my day. There certainly were no inflatable dinosaurs. Rather, there were homemade costumes, many of which would be politically incorrect today. Of course, there were ghosts, wearing an old bed sheet, but mostly, there were gypsies, hobos, cowboys, and cowgirls. There were three basic sources of “treats!” Churches had parties for the kids. We bobbed for apples, pinned the stem on a pumpkin, and paraded around in a circle while the “judges” selected the best costumes. And we ate! Cupcakes, candy, popcorn balls and apple cider. At my church, the party was held on the Sunday night before Halloween and us kids divided into small groups and went door to door, not to get candy, but to Trick or Treat for UNICEF; the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. While we usually got some change, sometimes a “rich” resident would give us a dollar! One year, I think I was in 7th grade, we collected $45. We were beyond excited to be able to send so much money to the organization in New York City. Elementary school children had Halloween Parties. The room mothers provided the treats, and the teachers provided games and activities. After lunch, we generally had time for one lesson before we were dismissed to go to the restroom and change into our Halloween costume. Do any of you recall, as I do, that your masked was usually unrelated to the rest of your costume. Now what was that all about? Sometime in the mid- 1990's, Halloween Parties were discontinued at many schools. In recent years, many schools have introduced Harvest Parties. Finally, there was Halloween night when even the country kids came to town to go door-to-door and trick or treat. There was usually one house on every block that you didn’t knock on the door. They were mean, meaning they didn’t hand out candy. Remember the Armstrong house, The Grain Valley News, October 9. 2025? And speaking of candy, in my day you might get candy, but more than likely you got a popcorn ball, homemade cookies, or an apple, if they had an apple tree in their yard. Of course, everyone went to the Frantz’s house on Charlotte Street. Roland and Louise owned the grocery store and they gave out candy bars that cost a whole nickel! 
0 Comments
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society My memories of Lot 9 of the Graves and Ashcroft Addition go back to the early 1950's (yes, I’m old!). However, my family was here when the lot was vacant. My mother was around when it became a storefront, most likely for a general store. I seem to recall that my father told me when he came to Grain Valley in 1922 the store was a “new” general store. Early photographs reveal that they sold shoes. But who could have predicted that 100 years later, it would house an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC? While the original structure may have been wooden, the current building is brick. It has been a general store, a grocery store (with several proprietors), an upholstery shop, and a gun shop. Since 1992, it has been known as the Grain Valley Historical Society. Before City Hall was built, it was used by the city for city council meetings. It is currently home to the Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce. While the building has a varied past, beginning Saturday, November 1, it will be home to the Museum on Main Street. Through a grant from the Missouri Humanities, the Grain Valley Historical Society is delighted to welcome the Smithsonian exhibit “Voices and Votes” to Lot 9. Please visit this wonderful exhibit in our community. Admission is FREE. November 1 thru December 13, 2025 Hours: Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00am - 4:00pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 1:00pm - 4:00pm  Lot 9, Circa 1925  Lot 9, Circa 1985  Lot 9, circa 2025 by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society The Seniors in the photograph below were members of the last class to graduate from the original Grain Valley Consolidated District No. 3 building on Broadway (now Main Street). A few months after this photo was taken the building was completely destroyed by fire on November 7, 1925.  Grain Valley High School Class of 1925 Shown in the photo are: Row 1: Mr. Holman, history teacher, Opal Rumbo, Lucille Rowe, Wilma Howell, Lois Tritt, and Nadine O’Connell. Row 2: Charlie McQuerry, Leonard Stephenson, Henry Wyatt, Marie Beggs, Eleanor Hendrickson, and Delores Warren. Row 3: Miss Caster, English teacher, Mrs. Holman, mathematics teacher, Maurice Frost, Theodore Holman (the son), Lawrence Williams, and Ernest Dobson.  Grain Valley School 1909 – 1925 While many of the students moved on after graduation, a few remained in and around Grain Valley and continued to make their mark on our community. Opal Rumbo (my aunt) married Clyde Fristoe. Prior to World War II, they owned a grocery store in town. Aunt Opal played the piano at the Methodist Church for more than 35 years. Lois Tritt lived on Walnut Street, and became a fixture at the Bank of Grain Valley where she worked for many years. In her late 40s, she married Clarence Dobson, Ernest’s father. They were both lifelong members of First Baptist Church. Nadine O’Connell was the daughter of Creola (Warren) and John T. O’Connell. Her daughter was Patricia Davis Parr (Grain Valley, Class of 1944). Although Pat moved to Blue Springs, in her will she donated $25,000 to the Grain Valley Historical Society. Charlie McQuerry was one of the eight McQuerry children for which McQuerry Road, north of Grain Valley, was named. Leonard Stephon was one of the eight Stephenson children with a long history, all living in and around our town. There are still numerous Stephenson descendants in the area. Deloris Warren married Howard Mollenkamp. After college, she returned to Grain Valley and taught at the elementary school for many years. Mollenkamp became president of the Bank of Grain Valley after the death of her father, William Durwood Warren. Maurice Frost ran the family grocery store in town for many years, but I don’t know where he landed after WW II. Finally, Ernest Dobson became a builder. Although he and his family moved to Blue Springs, he is responsible for more than half of the new houses built in Grain Valley in the 1950s and 60s. If you are interested, visit the Historical Society (after the Smithsonian exhibit closes on December 13, 2025) and together, we can research others from the Class of 1925. Or, for that matter, any other year! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society The cars sold along Main Street and south of the railroad tracks are not the first automobiles to be sold in Grain Valley. Over 100 years ago, you could purchase a brand-new Buick from Clarence W. Childers, right on Main Steet! His dealership was in the Williams Building on the west side of Main, just north of the Bank of Grain Valley.  1925 Advertisement from The Oak Grove Banner Childers was born in Stewartsville, Kentucky in 1874. He came to Missouri where he met and married his wife, Lucinda Bowen on November 24, 1898 in Jackson County. According to the 1920 U. S. Census, they owned a farm in Sni-A-Bar Township where they lived with their two daughters, Edith (born 1900, death unknown) and Margaret (1905-2004). Another source gives his address as a farm in Lee’s Summit, but that could have been only a few miles out of Grain Valley. (Remember, the Lee’s Summit School District boundary is barely a mile west of Stony Point Elementary.) His occupation was listed as automobile company. Clarence and Lucinda were still living in Sni-A-Bar township in 1935, however by that time the building on Main Street housed Storms Drug Store and a restaurant. By 1940 the Childers had moved to Independence, Missouri. In 1925, Margaret married Vollie Hartley. Some readers may remember their business, Hartley Furniture Store in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Coming in 2 weeks: Voices and Votes, Democracy in America at the Grain Valley Historical Society. Join us for the ribbon cutting at 1:00pm on November 1st. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society At the age of 90, Miss Lizzie Armstrong died in 1966. Like her three brothers, Miss Lizzie never married. Therefore, she left $30,000 and land to establish Armstrong Park. Residents remembered her as a pretty woman and a constant presence on the front porch of her home which was eventually torn down to build the State Bank of Missouri  Before it was torn down the old Armstrong home was used as a kindergarten, the R-5 School Administration Building and, a temporary home for State Bank of Missouri. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society Miss Lizzie would dress elegantly. Even in hot weather, she was known to wear a dress, an apron, a shawl and a high collared shirt. She watched the school children walk past her home. One of her brothers, Ben Armstrong, was better known in Grain Valley. He was a short, merry-eyed man who kept mules that he used to turn over gardens for local residents for a small fee. Another brother stayed inside the house, and the third worked farms south of town. Miss Lizzie and Ben would often go to the free films shown outdoors on the lawn at the train depot on Front Street. Old timers recall seeing them as a pair, carrying folding chairs they would erect in the road, never on the grass. After the film ended, they would fold their chairs and walk up the hill on Main Street to their home. The curious matter of the siblings’ apparent celibacy was fodder for speculation. One story was their parents had enjoined them to never marry. It was rumored that if one of the Armstrong children took a spouse, they were to be cast out and cut off from the Armstrong’s inherited farm and property. Evidence seemed to support the tale. Miss Lizzie had a sister and brother who each married. They were never mentioned again, going unlisted even in the final will. So, it might have been Miss Lizzie’s only remembered achievement that she outlived her remaining brothers and was so able to direct the dissolution of their estate. According to a February 1973 article in the Jackson County Sentinel, they owned three farms south of Grain Valley and fed hogs. Miss Lizzie and her brothers moved to the property in town in 1920. In provision No 5 of her will, Miss Armstrong wrote: “I give, devise, and bequeath my 20-acre farm in Grain Valley to the city of Grain Valley to be used as a park and to be known as the Armstrong Park, and to be maintained by the city of Grain Valley. In the event I should sell the back 10 acres, the proceeds therefore shall be part of my estate and be used for the purposes set out by provision 6 of this will.” Provision No. 6: “I give, devise, and bequeath all the rest and residue of my estate; real, personal, and mixed, of every kind and nature, wheresoever same may be located to the city of Grain Valley to be used for the development and maintenance of the Armstrong Park mentioned in the previous paragraph so long as said funds last, after which the city of Grain Valley shall see that said park is maintained from year to year.” The will also specified that the school district could only obtain the land by condemnation. If the school district was successful in condemnation, any money obtained would go to the Christian, Methodist and Baptist churches of Grain Valley. The district condemned the north 10 acres to use as a football field and track. The house was used for various purposes over the years. The City of Grain Valley established a park board in September of 1971 to plan and administer the park. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society When no topic came to mind for this week’s column, I decided maybe a walk might help, so I headed for Armstrong Park to walk the trail, or maybe the old high school track at the back. As soon as I saw the sign on Main Street, it hit me. I’ve never written about the Armstrong family or how Armstrong Park came to be. So as I walked, I outlined this story in my mind.  Thomas J Armstrong was born on February 18, 1830, in Montgomery, Maryland. His family moved to Indiana where he was raised along with nine siblings and 5 step-siblings. In 1859, he married Mary Elizabeth Huffer in Michigantown, Indiana. They had eight children. Elizabeth died in 1877. Two years after her death, Thomas moved to Missouri, bringing six of the younger children with him to Sni-A-Bar Township in Eastern Jackson County. According to old newspaper stories, the Armstrong family lead private lives. Like other “old timers,” I remember “Miss Lizzie,” the youngest of the children, sitting on her front porch with her brother Ben. They were always there on Friday nights during football season, or for that matter when any event was going on at the school. They were making sure that no one parked on their land or in front of their house. If anyone actually knew why they opposed the school, I’ve never head, but they did oppose the school even after death. This was apparent in Miss Lizzie’s will. Quoting an article in The Examiner, July 27-28, 2002 Mary Elizabeth Armstrong, or Miss Lissie as she was known, was 90 when she died on her farm in 1966. Like her three brother who died before herm she had never married, She left money and land to establish Armstrong Park. Although she belonged to none, she also left a sum to be divided by the three churches in town at that time.  Armstrong Park Today. Photo credit: Marcia Napier Next week, read more about the unusual Armstrong family and their life in Grain Valley. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society As I continue struggling to find a topic for the weekly “looking back” article, the file for 2000 provided me with no real inspiration. Instead, I found pages of newspaper stories like the police blotter, the potholes, the water and sewer problems, roads closed for repair, and a survey asking citizens if Grain Valley should grow! Any of these topics could have been in the news this year. History tells us that some things never change. In addition to repairs on the sewer lift system, approving in-home daycare, and drug arrests at the Cozy Inn, a small hotel that once existed behind the old Pilot Truck Stop, there were also several highlights for Grain Valley.
 On August 1, 2000, Grain Valley officials celebrated groundbreaking of the $ 4.5 million city hall, community center and swimming pool project. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society When struggling to find a topic for the weekly “looking back” article, the news files at the Historical Society usually provide some ideas. This week when I opened the cabinet to find articles from 2000 (twenty-five years ago) a large number of old telephone books caught my eye. We keep them at the museum because they are old. We also keep them because they sometimes provide a way to identify former residents. The telephone book began in 1878, just one month after the launch of the New Haven, (Connecticut) District Telephone Company. This directory was a single piece of cardboard that listed the names of the 50 subscribers, consisting mostly of businesses and municipal offices. It did not include telephone numbers because numbers did not yet exist to identify individuals or businesses. To make a call, users would give the operator the name of the person they wanted to reach, and the operator would connect the call. The format changed in 1879 when Dr. Moses Greeley Parker suggested alphabetizing the names and assigning a unique number to each telephone. The concept of separated residential (White Pages) and commercial (Yellow Pages) directories emerged later. The Yellow Pages gained their distinctive look when a Cheyenne, Wyoming printer ran out of white paper in 1883 and used yellow paper instead. Reuben H. Donnelley later created what became known as the Yellow Pages for business listings. Directories became larger and more comprehensive as automatic switching systems allowed callers to dial numbers directly without an operator's help. The white pages had the name and address of anyone that had service with the phone company that published the book.  1956 Blue Springs & Grain Valley Telephone Book The yellow pages listed the phone number and address of businesses. It was also common for a phone book to be placed in phone booths.  Advertisement in The Yellow Pages 1956 Blue Springs & Grain Valley Telephone Book For decades, printed directories were the primary source of contact information, however, by the early 2000s, the internet had become the dominant source for local information and business listings, reducing the need for printed phone books. Today, phone books act as primary historical documents, providing a snapshot of businesses and residents at a specific time and place. They are invaluable tools for genealogists researching family history, as they list people and businesses that can help track ancestors. Beyond genealogy, phone books are sought by collectors interested in nostalgia, local history, and specific eras, like the early days of telecommunications Directories from significant events (like San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake) or those containing interesting advertising art can be particularly valuable. The White Pages didn't "stop" all at once but rather ceased automatic mass-delivery to homes starting in 2010-2011. Visit the Grain Valley Historical Society and see our collection of telephone books. The yellow pages provide a look at the businesses that existed from the 1950s through 2000. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society  Not since 1965 has any new transportation come to Grain Valley. Interstate 70, our last major highway, was completed through Grain Valley in September 1965. It brought Standard Oil, Apple Trail Restaurant, and Charlie Osborne’s Truck Stop to Grain Valley. It also brought Camper’s Inn and a small hotel to Exit 24 off of I-70. Sixty years ago, the population was around 600 people. According to the United States census, the 1960 population was 552; the 1970 population was 709. In 1964 there were 26 graduates from GVHS; the total enrollment for the high school was 143 students. The downtown, all two blocks from Walnut to Front Street, had a restaurant, a grocery store, a pool hall, a drug store, a barber shop, and the Bank of Grain Valley. The rest of Main Street boasted a plastics plant and some vacant buildings. There was also a gas station just south of the railroad tracks. So while a passenger train no longer stops in our town, and the airport no longer has a small jet parked on the runway (owned by Harmon Electronics), that doesn’t mean we haven’t changed. Those same roads now have 8 traffic lights between Duncan Road and Sni-A-Bar Boulevard. The population is nearing 17,000 and the senior class had over 350 students this year!  Exit 24, I-70, 2024 This will be the final article on Transportation in Grain Valley. Visit the Grain Valley Historical Society to see the entire exhibit about transportation in our town. Open Wednesdays from 10:00am - 3:00pm. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Thirty years after the Jackson County Roads Celebration (October 12, 1932), Harry Truman returned to Grain Valley. In 1932 he was the Presiding Judge of Jackson County. In 1962, he was the Former President of the United States of America. What a difference 30 years makes!  Harry S Truman at East Kansas City Airport, 1962 In November 2019, I wrote about the East Kansas City Airport in the Grain Valley News. The Heart of America Airport, located on US 40 Highway, just east of Van Brunt and across the road from Heart Drive-In, closed and became a mobile home park. At that time several of the private plane owners and pilots decided they would purchase land and construct their own airport. A parcel of 80 acres was found on the western edge of Grain Valley on Kirby Road at the end of Walnut Street. In the 1800s this land was owned by Britton Capelle. By the early 1900s it was part of the E. E. Kirby Orchards. The corporation purchased the land from Tom Cairns, owner of Cairns Flowers in Independence, Missouri. The Grain Valley Airport Co-operative was officially incorporated in 1956. Its’ uniqueness is still relevant today. It is one of the very few in the nation that is a privately owned/public use airport and is a testament to the average American businessman. No government aid was forthcoming for this private enterprise—there is no city, county, state or federal money invested. It was on the occasion of the first air show hosted by the East Kansas City Air Show that former President Harry Truman returned to Grain Valley for a transportation event! Visit the Smithsonian exhibit, Voices and Votes, at the Grain Valley Historical Society from November 1 to December 13, 2025, and see our local transportation display. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Today, US 40 enters Missouri in Kansas City along a concurrency with I-70. It leaves I-70 at exit 7A. US 40 parallels I-70 to the north through Kansas City until exit 11, where it crosses and parallels it to the south through the suburbs of Independence, rural Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, and Grain Valley before it rejoins I-70 at exit 24. An older alignment carries the designation "Old US 40", AA Highway or Eagles Parkway. In 1948 one section of US 40 was changed from just east of Noland Road in Independence to Oak Grove. Following the depression years and after World War II, an increasing number of people found employment, especially in automobile factories, in Kansas City. The winding, two-lane highway was no longer carrying sufficient for the increasing volume of traffic. Thus, US 40 became a 4-lane highway east to Blue Springs. There it took a completely different, and straighter course through Grain Valley and east to what is today the Lefoltz bridge over I-70. There, Old 40, on the south side of Grain Valley meets up with “New 40” on the north side of downtown and continues on to Bates City, and beyond. If you meet up with an” old timer,” like me, we could take you all the way to Sweet Springs on US 40. But, in some spots you would have to have traveled US 40 to find it!  Historically, US 40 in many places replaced the National Road, built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. The National Road, in many places now known as Route 40, was built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. It was the first federally funded road in U.S. history. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson believed that a trans-Appalachian Road was necessary for unifying the young country. In 1806, Congress authorized construction of the road, and President Jefferson signed the act establishing the National Road. In 1811, the first contract was awarded, and the first 10 miles of road were built. As work on the road progressed, a settlement pattern developed that is still visible. Original towns and villages are still found along the National Road. The road, also called the Cumberland Road, National Pike, and other names, became Main Street in these early settlements, earning it the nickname “The Main Street of America.” In the 1800s, it was a key transport path to the West for thousands of settlers. In 1912, the road became part of the National Old Trails Road, and its popularity returned in the 1920s with the automobile. Federal aid became available for improvements in the road to accommodate the automobile. In 1926, the road became part of U.S. 40 as a coast-to-coast highway running from Atlantic City to San Francisco. I still find it amazing that this historic and, in some way, “famous” road passed through our town! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society If you think the train slows traffic in Grain Valley, just imagine 40,000 people descending on Grain Valley on a single day. Now, imaging 40,000 people in our town in 1932. Well that is exactly what occurred. For a single day, on October 12, 1932, thousands of people came to Grain Valley for the Jackson County Celebration of Roads. But rather than write about the event, let me share a couple of excerpts from the Kansas City Star and Times. The Kansas City Times, Tuesday, September 27. 1932 Road Fete at Sni-A-Bar County will celebrate its highway system October 12 Accessibility by Paved Roads, Accommodations for Parking Cars Decide Location Sni-A-Bar Farms, near Grain Valley will be the scene of Jackson County’s highway celebration October 12. The natural amphitheater at the farms surrounded by beautiful landscapes and wooded hills, has been the scene of many large picnics on occasions of farm demonstrations and cattle sales. The choice was announced late yesterday by Arthur W. McKim, Independence, after a tour of the various places that had been promoted for the celebration. It’s accessibility by paved roads from every direction and the accommodations for parking cars and handling the large crowd decided the location. Sni-A-Bar Farms attained fame through the plan conceived by William Rockhill Nelson for breeding up shorthorn grade cattle there. The results were so gratifying that stock raisers gathered from all over the cattle section to study the methods used. Accommodations for large crowds then became necessary, Plans for the celebration will be carried forward rapidly now by other subcommittees. Jackson County hopes to have a celebration of the completion of its highway system worthy of the system, which has been said to rank second only to one other county in the United States. And after the celebration - - - The Kansas City Star, October 12, 1932 40,000 at Fete Citizens Gather at Sni-A-Bar Farms to Rejoice with Jackson County Over Highways Other States Have Wide Representation in the Event Being Held Today Between 40,000 and 45,000 men, women and children moved in on Sni-A-Bar Farms today from every part of Jackson County to celebrate a monumental achievement of progress—the completion of a 10-milion-dollar highway system that is equaled only by the great system of Westchester County, New York. All the highways leading towards the Farms carried a slow-moving parade, so heavy were the streams of motor cars from every direction. From the hillsides overlooking the Valley which shelters the farms, a mass of humanity could be seen in the light, crisp October day milling around the points of interest and showing an additional dash of color by the many bright hues of the women’s dresses. The second article in The Kansas City Star was continued for at least 2 columns on the next page. And the following Sunday the entire Rotogravure in The Star was a pictorial account of the day’s activities.  Visit the Grain Valley Historical to read the entire article and see the photographs. The Historical Society also has copies of the “coffee table” book that was published in 1932, Results of County Planning. You can learn more about WHY more than 40,000 people all came to Grain Valley on the very same day! Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society The Smithsonian is coming! At the Grain Valley Historical Society, we are preparing our local exhibit, “Grain Valley’s Transportation Story.” Thus far, you’ve heard about coming to the area by horseback, wagons and boats along the river; by rail; and via R. D. Mize Road. Grain Valley really got “on the map” in 1926 when US Highway 40 was completed in Missouri. Stretching from Atlantic City, New Jersey to San Francisco, California, it was the first major East-West Highway across America. Known as Main Street America, US 40 Highway was of historical significance because it is deeply intertwined with the National Road, the first federally funded interstate highway in the United States. When the U. S. Highway system was established in 1926, US 40 was designated as a transcontinental route. Of all the towns in America, Grain Valley was fortunate to be on the route! Those early coast-to-coast travelers would have driven along the southern edge of Grain Valley, passing the famous Sni-A-Bar Farms which was also making a name for itself, both nationally and world-wide.  1928 O’Connell’s Place Located on U. S. 40 Highway (Eagles Parkway) ½ mile west of Main Street and across from Sni-A-Bar Farms by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Continuing from last week, this week’s article will highlight another segment of the story of transportation in Grain Valley. R. D. Mize Road was built from Independence to the Lafayette line, east of Oak Grove in 1900-01. Robert. D. Mize was born in 1864 during the Civil War in Liberty, Missouri. His parents took refuge there from war hostilities in Jackson County. He was the son of a wealthy Blue Mills pioneer family. His father, Roderick D. Mize, owned and operated the Little Blue Ferry, one of the finest boats on the Missouri River that ran from the Blue Mills landing to St. Louis and back. His father also owned a general store and several large river front warehouses at Blue Mills Landing, that were all burned during the war by Federal troops. As a young man, Robert owned both a pharmacy and a hardware store in Independence before becoming judge of Eastern Jackson County, a position held years later by Harry S Truman. Parts of the road name for the younger Mize were known as Blue Springs Road but often referred to as the “rock road,” because it was one of the first routes to the county seat that wasn’t a dirt road. It was also one of the first roads in Eastern Jackson County that was easily traveled by automobile. According to a “History of Grain Valley,” written by Frank Sebolt in 1936, Grain Valley was incorporated (1884) shortly after its founding in September, 1878. However, a few years later things changed and I quote: “Sometime later the incorporation papers were revoked. The town was disincorporated (today we would say unincorporated) so that the R. D. Mize Rock Road could be put through Grain Valley at state expense. If the town had been incorporated the state would not have furnished expenses for the road. The road was built in 1900-1901. August 31, 1903 the town was reincorporated . . .” The old rock road made a sharp right at Buckner Road (later Buckner Tarsney) went straight south through the “disincorporated” Grain Valley and continued south about a mile before making a sharp left turn and continuing to Oak Grove and the county line. During the early years the R. D. Mize Rock Road was truly just that. Rocks. Over the years, the rocks were oiled and eventually paved during the Pendergast years. Today, R. D. Mize continues to zig, zag and curve its way through Eastern Jackson County, although at some points along the way it has lost its’ name. Just as the train helped to “create” Grain Valley, ours is the only town in which R. D. Mize Road ran right through the middle. When built, it was nearly a mile north of downtown Blue Springs and nearly a half-mile south of downtown Oak Grove. In the next few weeks you will read about other transportation events that contributed to the unique history of Grain Valley.  Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society As much as the dreaded train which blocks the track and causes delays is our modern-day curse, without the train there would be no Grain Valley. Imagine buying you groceries at Pink Hill or getting your mail at Stony Point. As noted previously in this column, 150 years ago there was NO GRAIN VALLEY. The people living in this area were at Pink Hill, Stony Point, Lickskillet (Oak Grove), Lone Jack, Tarsney, well you get the picture. Prior to 1878, they moved about the countryside via horseback or wagons. Some may have relied on mules and oxen, or walking. As the Historical Society prepares to welcome The Smithsonian Exhibit, Voices and Votes, we are preparing our local exhibits. This portion of the exhibit is designed to show how local decisions influenced our town and our place in American democracy. Over the next few weeks this column will highlight the effects of transportation on our town. The C & A railroad began in Illinois in 1847 and gradually expanded, reaching Springfield and Joliet by the early 1850s. This railroad went through a series of name changes in its early years, becoming the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad in February 1855, the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago Railroad on January 21st, 1857 and the Chicago & Alton Railroad on October 10th, 1862. The C&A completed its line to Kansas City in 1879, including a bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow and a bridge over the Mississippi River at Louisiana, Missouri. This connection formed the famous "Triangle" route, linking Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. The railroad established depots in several Missouri towns, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. The Independence C&A Depot, built in 1879, is notable as one of the oldest and only restored two-story frame stations in Missouri. The Chicago & Alton Railroad in Missouri arrival spurred growth in towns like Grain Valley, contributing to the development of industry, transportation, and livestock markets. Situated only a few hundred yards west of Sni Creek, Grain Valley was a stop so they could take on water for the mighty steam engines which pulled the trains. Later Grain Valley was a stop for passenger trains bring visitors from across the nation and several foreign countries to Sni-A-Bar Farms. Freight trains hauled the Sni-A-Bar grade cattle and other livestock to the market in Kansas City. The Chicago & Alton underwent several reorganizations and name changes, eventually becoming the Alton Railroad in 1931 and later merging into the Gulf Mobile & Ohio Railroad in 1947. Today, portions of the former Chicago & Alton tracks are used by Amtrak and other rail operators.  Grain Valley Crossing, Circa 1915 Visit the Grain Valley Historical Society and learn about transportation in Grain Valley, from the 1878 railroad to I-70 in 1965 and beyond. Learn when “Main Street America” came through Grain Valley! Photo courtesy Grain Valley Historical Society |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2025
|
RSS Feed
