Southwest High School - Sachem Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

Page 12 text:

I 1 adventurer, all types of men, and sent them on as one--D friends of the trail, and seekers of wealth. Leavenworth, lndependence, and the 'Town of Kan- sas flourished as the key cities, and the Town of Kansas became the City of Kansas, aateway to the West. Calm lay on the vast western prairies once more. The madness of the gold rush had died, hut the trail opened in '49 was never to he closed aaain. The west had been discovered, trade had prospered for the City of Kansas, and the city had arown. l-fer scornful neiahhors of ten years aao n-ow saw the settlement on the bluffs stridina forward with the west, aradually overtaking and surpassing them. Cul- ture was comina to the City of Kansas, schools and

Page 11 text:

few years later, Westport Landing was planned on the Very banks ot the river. Those early years were years ot rapid growth, and Westport Landing soon became the Town ot Kansas. The seed ot a western empire was sown-and in fertile ground. Pl nation gone mad! Two thousand-perhaps three thousand miles across the prairie, gold had loeen discovered. That soft, useless, yellow metal seemed like a mighty magnet, slowly drawing the end- less caravans across the dreary wastes to tortune, per- haps,-or to poverty or death. Three towns marked the gateway to this treasure-- three towns welcomed doctor, lawyer, farmer, laborer,

Page 13 text:

Churches were springing up 7 the city hdd d newspdper, bdnks, otnd brick mgnsionsg corn wds growing dnd cdt- tie grgzing on the prdiries ground. The little river viiidge wds the most prosperous town on the border. The City ot Kdnsgs hdd become Kgnsots City. Wgr hotd iett Kdnsds City bredthiess dnd bed- 18 6 5 rgggied. The border town, which held so much promise ten yedrs before, wds sogrred deeply dnd her hegd wds bent so iow thgt it seemed beyond iitting. But in those ddrkest dgys, the tdith dnd determind- tion ot her citizens mode opportunity where none seemed to exist, dnd wrested from the very hdnds ot the citizens of Legvenworth d key to oommercidi greott- ness. '-W' viwvaff 75 ' W Y xx' t' H , . Gr: 4 2 tit .43 f J X , is 5,-Q, ae AP' Q X 5' in. - o f ,ff 'ON hX P'