Kansas City is forged by a rich history. The city was founded on the banks of the Missouri River and formally incorporated in 1850.

Kawsmouth, Missouri?

Kansas City, situated within 250 miles of both the population and geographic centers of the country, is often called “the Heart of America.” But throughout its history the city has been known by a number of other names as well. In its early days the settlement-turned-town-then-city earned a number of nicknames, including “Possumtrot,” “the Town of Kansas,” “Chouteau’s Town,” “Westport Landing” and “Kawsmouth.” The name “Kansas City” first came into use in the late 1800s and reflects the name of the Native American Kansa tribe who once lived in the region.

Kansas City Through Time

1804 – Lewis and Clark explore the area.

1821 – Fur trading post established by Francois Chouteau

1833 – Westport is founded by John McCoy as a supply station to outfit travelers heading West on the Santa Fe, California and Oregon trails.

1850 – The Town of Kansas, which would later be renamed Kansas City, is incorporated.

1869 – The Hannibal Bridge opens as the first bridge to span the Missouri River, assuring Kansas City’s development as the area’s major commerce and transportation hub.

1870 – Plankington & Armour opens a meatpacking plant in the West Bottoms, ushering in the development of the Kansas City Stockyards.

1882 – Jesse James is killed in St. Joseph. His mother begins offering tours of his childhood home just north of Kansas City.

1893 – Construction begins on an extensive Park and Boulevard system in Kansas City.

1899 – Kansas City's first Convention Hall is dedicated.

1899 – The National Hereford Show, the first nationwide show for the exposition and sale of purebred cattle, takes place at the Kansas City Stockyards. The event eventually grows into the American Royal.

1910 – Joyce C. Hall begins selling postcards out of a shoebox, leading to the creation of the world’s largest greeting card company, Hallmark Cards.

1914 – Union Station opens as one of the nation’s largest train stations.

1920 – The Negro National Baseball League is founded at the Paseo YMCA near 18th & Vine.

1920 – Prohibition begins in the U.S., but political local boss Tom Pendergast allows alcohol to flow freely in Kansas City. During the 20s and 30s, Kansas City’s 12th Street becomes nationally known for its jazz clubs, gambling halls and brothels, earning the city the moniker “Paris of the Plains.”

1922 – Walt Disney opens his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, at 31st and Forest. A friendly mouse in the building is said to inspire the creation of Mickey Mouse.

1922 – J.C. Nichols opens the Country Club Plaza as the first shopping district designed for automobiles.

1924 – The Kansas City Monarchs win the first Negro Baseball League World Series.

1926 – The Liberty Memorial, a monument and museum to World War I, is dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge.

1933 – The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opens.

1936 – Municipal Auditorium is completed. The second largest facility of its kind in the country at that time is hailed as one of the nation's finest art deco buildings.

1945 – Independence, Missouri’s Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd president of the United States.

1963 – Lamar Hunt moves professional football’s Dallas Texans to Kansas City. They are later renamed the Kansas City Chiefs.

1967 – Hallmark Cards announces plans to develop the Crown Center entertainment complex next to the company’s main offices at 25th and McGee.

1969 – The Kansas City Royals begin play in the American League.

1970 – The Kansas City Chiefs dominate the Minnesota Vikings in a 23-7 victory in Super Bowl IV.

1971 – Truman Sports Complex opens featuring two adjacent major league stadiums, Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs and Kauffman Stadium for the Royals.

1972 – Kansas City International Airport opens 18 miles north of downtown as the city’s main airport.

1976 – Bartle Hall is dedicated. The Poultry & Egg Institute is its first convention.

1985 – The Kansas City Royals win the World Series, beating the St. Louis Cardinals.

1999 – The newly renovated Union Station opens thanks to the nation’s first-ever bi-state sales tax.

2001 – The Kansas Speedway holds its first race, bringing NASCAR to Kansas City.

2005 – Construction begins Downtown on the eight-block Kansas City Kansas City Power & Light entertainment district, the Sprint Center arena and a new 46,450-square-foot ballroom at the Kansas City Convention Center.