8 stories that explore unique Kansas City history
Looking back at Kansas City’s history reveals hidden details that helped shape the city’s identity.
One story, a collaboration with the Kansas City Public Library, follows Carrie Westlake Whitney, who led the KC Library through its transformation but faced gender discrimination when her she was told her job was “for a man.” Home movies from the 1920s, discovered by a local collector, bring the city’s past to life with rare glimpses of Muehlebach Field and daily scenes.
The city’s cinema roots trace back to early screenings at the Coates Opera House and the rise of neighborhood theaters, leading eventually to the invention of the multiplex. Other tales include residents fighting highway expansions to protect neighborhoods, unusual attractions like alligator farms at Electric Park, and theaters designed to accommodate live animal acts, like the Mainstreet Theatre with its elephant elevator…