Standing centerpiece, at the Wyandotte County Park in Bonner Springs, a small museum dedicated to the history of the county in Kansas, offers look at a unique past; the successes, failures, and settlement at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, before and after the Louisiana Purchase.
As with many other county history museums, curators also maintain an expansive and unique collection of documents and other data, to include those related to multiple historic cemeteries. There is so much more though.
A few memorials at the entrance celebrate the importance of the site and those people that settled the area. One marker explains history from the time of the acquisition of the lands by the United States, while another discusses the disposition of natives to make way for settlement. A stone memorial also recognizes the WWII B-25 Bomber builders of Kansas City, along with an obelisk monument for the sesquicentennial of the state.
Also near the entrance, a unique water fountain. According to one visitor, it is of local design and provided water for creatures of all sizes in the early days of the county. Bowls at the bottom offered refreshment for the smaller creatures, while the larger served horses and others able to access that level; all of this pouring from a tap aligned to the needs of the bipedal variety.
Inside, a large displays discuss the Hopewell, other natives to the area, and how things functioned on the land before the arrival of settlers. Goals were similar in the beginning; peacefully maintain channels of travel and trade. In the time of the French flag, that tradition was honored in large part. Most settlers following the Lewis & Clark Expedition had little room for such prior arrangements or native ways and means.
Regardless of the inhabitants, furs, pottery, baskets, and a host of other items flowed through the area, throughout the history of in-habitation. The artifacts on display illuminate this history, telling a tale of trans-continental trade and evolving ingenuity.
Stepping forward in time, a display hosts information, relics, and various fun facts from the one-room schoolhouses. Many still stand throughout the state, though probably just as many are lost to time; especially true in the urban areas, where constant change is the standard.
Also included, distinctive local artifacts exhibit the growth of the county, the “unified cities” concept that would drive the community and Kansas City at the intersection of education, hard work, determination, and ingenuity.
A special collection encountered at the time of this writing shares memories of the 70th Anniversary of the 1951 Flood, yet another Black Friday.
Documents and images contrast the devastating flood of the time with the flood of 1903 and that of 1993. The confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers are a hazardous location when heavy rains continually saturate the central and northern plains.
All of this just a glimpse of the Wyandotte County Historical Museum, which is constantly evolving as new displays are added. Within the Kansas City metro area, it is little more than an afternoon outing. The park it stands upon hosts well-maintained shelters, disk golf, and open spaces for a bit more. A picnic lunch, some play, and time-traveling through history can be a great way to spend a day.
Further Reading
