blaKC (5/5)
Independence, Missouri was the origin point for the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails in the mid-1800s.
Published February 28, 2021
A NOTE FROM THE WRITER: This particular edition of “flashbaKC”, in celebration of Black History Month, is the final chapter of a weekly, five-part series that explores some of the stories of the amazing black men, women, and entities that shaped our city, and overall society. Chapter IV can be read HERE. Writers write for a handful of reasons. For the month of February, I have chosen to just tell stories. Whether you are entertained, persuaded, or informed? Well, that’s up to you.
Please, be mindful that due to COVID-19 concerns, some of the places recommended in this article may not be open to the public, or have limited hours and capacity.
Chapter V: Blazing The Trail
It was the popularity of a certain computer game in the 80s and 90s that put Independence, Missouri on the map for many. At the risk of showing my age, I spent many hours parked in front of an old Apple IIe getting my supplies in Independence so I could shoot squirrels, fix wagon wheels, and ford the river, all while avoiding the dread of dysentery on The Oregon Trail. As the last bastion of civilization, both Independence and Westport Landing, became a bustling marketplace of supplies for those making the treacherous trek west.
Independence marked the origin point of the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. However, these were not the only paths forged in the metro. As we have seen in previous chapters, a multitude of trailblazers, both figurative and literal, began their own journey in the Kansas City area and changed history along the way.
From a physical standpoint, Kansas City was the jumping off point by which this nation expanded west and the notion of manifest destiny (the 19th century belief that the United States should expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean) was realized. For those who traveled across the Great Plains, the predominant vehicle of the day was the covered wagon. Those seeking the best wagons and yokes for their expedition, bought them from Hiram Young & Co.
For many, the classic computer game, The Oregon Trail was their first introduction to Independence, Missouri.
The Richest Man In Town
Hiram Young (1812 - 1882)
Hiram Young was born into slavery in Tennessee around 1812. While enslaved, he was trained in woodworking and as he grew older, became an adept carpenter. Somewhere along the way, Hiram married his wife Mathilda and they moved to southern Missouri with their owner George Young. Hiram was able to earn limited wages by whittling oxen yokes and working on wagon wheels. He would later note that his observation of George Young taught him the value of saving money.
With the wages he saved, Hiram was able to buy Mathilda’s freedom. Since many states granted black children the same status as their mother, Hiram prioritized Mathilda’s freedom over his own. By 1847, the couple had saved enough money to purchase Hiram’s freedom as well. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Liberty, Missouri and had a daughter, Amanda.
Around this same time, tens of thousands of people were converging on Independence to begin their journey west. As a master craftsman, Young began building covered wagons and oxen yokes and stamping his “Hiram Young & Co.” brand on each and every one. Known for their durability and quality, Hiram Young & Co. products were in high demand from westward settlers, freighters, and the U.S. Army alike. It is estimated that in the 1850s, Young was selling over 50,000 yokes and 800 covered wagons per year! Given the popularity of his products, Young was one of the richest men in the entire county, worth an estimated seventy times more than the average resident. He often described himself as, “a colored man of means”.
Hiram Young. PHOTO COURTESY OF: Jackson County Historical Society
Young’s booming business gave him an opportunity to help others. Knowing firsthand the horrors of slavery, his workforce was comprised almost entirely of slaves he purchased. Young would buy entire families in order to keep them together. He trained them, employed them, and allowed them to work off their purchase price to gain freedom. The Civil War was approaching and hostilities in Missouri were rising, so Hiram moved his family to Leavenworth, Kansas. When the Youngs returned to Independence after the war, their home and business had been looted and destroyed. This led Hiram Young & Co. to be the first African American-owned business to sue the United States Federal Government for damages. The case drug on for years and would be dismissed years after his (1882) and Mathilda’s deaths (1896).
While Hiram Young’s business and wealth never again reached their pre-war status, he invested heavily in the community. He helped build the historic St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Independence.
As an illiterate man, Young placed a high value on education. His daughter Amanda graduated from Oberlin College, a private white school. At one point, Amanda Young served as the principal of the first school in Independence for black children - Hiram Young Elementary.
Hiram Young overcame insurmountable odds to gain freedom for himself and his family. He seized on the opportunity of westward expansion to start, what was likely, Kansas City’s first, lucrative, black-owned business. He used his business as a platform to change the lives of dozens of others by providing them a path towards freedom. Young never stopped working to make his community better and the future brighter. Kansas City is a better place today because the richest man in town chose to spread the wealth.
So, What Do I Do Now? Visit Hiram Young Park in Independence, Missouri and the marker about half a mile away near the Truman Courthouse that marks the beginning of the Oregon Trail. You can visit the grave of Hiram Young and his family at nearby Woodlawn Cemetery. Additionally, Hiram Young is one of ten people honored with a decorative panel on the Red Bridge that spans the Blue River Crossing.
Today, Hiram Young Park, and it’s plaza in the shape of a wagon wheel, on Hiram Young Lane is a testament to his impact on Independence.
Buffalo Soldier
Cathay Williams (1844 - 1893)
Under the name “William Cathey”, Cathay Williams became the first African American woman to serve in the US Army. PHOTO COURTESY OF: U.S. Army
Philosopher Nicholas Butler once mused that, “Necessity does the work of courage.” Cathay Williams never set out to break down barriers or blaze trails. She was not looking to prove her bravery or be anyone’s hero. When Williams made history, she was simply a black woman trying to provide for herself in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Born in Jackson County in 1844, Cathay Williams was the daughter of a free father and an enslaved mother. Not much is known about Williams’ adolescence except that she was forced to work as a house slave on the Johnson Plantation outside of Jefferson City. In 1861, Union forces occupied the city. While Williams was freed from plantation life, a new type of bondage awaited her. As a captured slave, she was forced into serving the United States Army. For the remainder of the Civil War, Williams traveled throughout the South with General Philip Sheridan’s infantry as a cook and laundress.
After the war ended, freedom brought a new set of challenges for Williams. For newly freed slaves, employment opportunities were scarce. For Williams, an unmarried black woman, they were nonexistent. Many freed slaves found stability and health care by enlisting in the US Army. Given her familiarity with the military, this option was equally attractive for Williams. There was just one problem. It was illegal for a woman to serve as a soldier.
In 1866, when a disguised Cathay Williams enlisted in St. Louis under the name “William Cathey”, she became the first African American woman to serve in the United States Army. Since Williams was rather tall at 5’7” and medical exams were largely perfunctory, her deception went undiscovered.
“The regiment I joined wore the Zouave uniform and only two person, a cousin and a particular friend, members of the regiment, knew that I was a woman. They never ‘blowed’ on me. They were partly the cause of my joining the Army. Another reason was I wanted to make my own living and not be dependent on relations or friends.”
This bust of Williams, in Leavenworth, KS, commemorates the lone female Buffalo Soldier.
Williams was assigned to the 38th infantry division, which was part of the all-black regiment that became known as “The Buffalo Soldiers”. There are a variety of stories about how this regiment became so named. Among the rumors, the one thing that is clear is that the moniker was given by Native Americans. The Buffalo Soldiers were primarily posted throughout the Great Plains and the only combat they saw was in skirmishes with Native American tribes. During Williams’ tenure with the Buffalo Soldiers, she spent time at Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and Fort Harker (all in Kansas).
Assigned to garrison duties, Williams’ infantry was mostly charged with protecting US Mail routes and railroad construction. WIlliams never saw combat but she developed a number of health issues. The final straw came in 1968 when Williams contracted smallpox. While hospitalized, she was discovered to be a woman and discharged from the Army. Notably, her release papers cited the reason for her discharge as disability, not for serving illegally or concealing her identity.
After her discharge, health issues continued to plague Williams. Ironically, when she did apply for a military disability pension, doctors told Williams that, in spite of being served a disability discharge, she did not qualify. Williams succumbed to her illnesses and passed away in 1893.
To this day, Williams is believed to be the only black female soldier of the 1800s. She was the only female Buffalo Soldier. While women would continue to be prohibited from enlisting for combat duty until 1948, Williams opened the door for a number of brave women who have served this country with honor.
So, What Do I Do Now? Take to trip to Leavenworth, Kansas and visit Buffalo Soldier Memorial Park. The park is located on the base. Given her distinction as the only female Buffalo Soldier, a bronze bust of Cathay Williams was dedicated outside the nearby Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum in 2016.
Though the building has changed, the St. Paul AME Church, funded by Hiram Young and presided over by Hiram Revels, is still going strong today.
The Gentleman From Mississippi
Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827 - 1901)
Before he represented Mississippi in the U.S. Senate, Hiram Rhodes Revels spent a few years in Independence, Missouri and Leavenworth, Kansas establishing churches. PHOTO COURTESY OF: U.S. Library of Congress
There is a common notion that “the first one through the wall is always going to get bloody.” This definitely held true for Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels. In 1870, at the height of reconstruction, Hiram Rhodes Revels had been elected in Mississippi to fill the U.S. Senate seat that had been vacated by former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis. This sparked a contentious battle between Southern Democrats and Northern Republicans in the Senate. The debate that would ensue about Revels’ citizenship and qualifications was really one over the color of his skin.
Revels was born a free man in North Carolina in 1827. In his youth, he apprenticed as a barber but had a desire to learn. Laws in North Carolina, and the South, prohibited black children from being educated, so he headed west to seek out those opportunities. He attended seminary in Ohio and Indiana. In 1845, Hiram Revels was ordained by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.
Revels traveled throughout the country sharing the gospel and educating black children. In 1853, his ministry led him to Missouri. This was especially dangerous because Missouri forbade free blacks from living in the state due to a fear that they would instigate unrest among slaves. In 1854, Revels was arrested for preaching to the black community in St. Louis. After he was released, he moved to Maryland to preach at a Presbyterian church and to serve as the principal of a black school.
When the Civil War broke out, Revels organized an all-black regiment in Maryland. He would later form another one in Missouri. He served as a chaplain in the Union Army for an outfit that was stationed in Mississippi and took part in the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863. After the war, the AME church sent Hiram Revels back to Missouri.
Given the city’s importance to westward expansion, a group of black residents, led by wagon maker Hiram Young, petitioned the African Methodist Episcopal Church to establish a fellowship in Independence, Missouri. Hiram Revels helped establish the St. Paul AME Church in Independence and was their inaugural pastor for the first two years. He was also briefly assigned to a church in Leavenworth, Kansas.
In the late 1860s, Revels returned to Mississippi. He settled there with his wife and six daughters, and took a permanent pastoral position at a church. Bigger things were in store for Revels. In 1868, he was elected to the Mississippi State Senate. And then in 1870, as the Magnolia State was set to rejoin the Union, Revels was elected by a vote of 81 - 15 to the United States Senate. After a contentious battle in the Senate, Revels’ election was upheld and Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American to serve in the United States Senate and the United States Congress.
“The time has passed for argument. Nothing more needs to be said. For a long time, it has been clear that colored persons must be senators. ‘All men are created equal’ says the great Declaration, and now a great act attests this verity. Today, we make the Declaration a reality.”
Senator Revels fought for equality and opportunities for black people. More than that, his faith impressed upon him the need to bring people together. Understanding the need to bridge the divide and begin healing, Revels was actually a proponent for restoring the voting rights and the right to hold office for former Confederates. An advocate for education who had traveled the country, he spent his career fighting for the desegregation of schools and passenger trains. Whenever he left the Senate, he continued in his passion for education, accepting a post as the President of Mississippi’s first black college - Alcorn State University.
Revels was unafraid to smash down barriers and face the hardship that accompanied. Although the location has changed, his St. Paul AME Church continues today in Independence. It serves as a reminder that this great man who wanted to expand education for, feed the spirits of, and bring together all people briefly called our city home.
So, What Do I Do Now? Consider visiting the Black Archives of Mid-America to learn more about Senator Revels and other African American barrier breakers. You can also visit the St. Paul AME Church in Independence. Though its physical location has changed multiple times, Revels’ congregation continues to gather to this day.
The Black Archives of Mid-America document the history of African Americans in the Midwest, with a specific emphasis on KC
*** HONORABLE MENTION ***
The Landmark Decision
Oliver & Linda Brown (1951 - 1954)
I know, I promised 12, but, make this a baker’s dozen if you will! It’s the extra French fry that you find in the bottom of the bag. While Topeka, Kansas is not considered part of the Kansas City metro, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that one of the most significant victories of the Civil Rights Movement happened in our backyard.
In 1951, a group of black plaintiffs, headlined by railroad worker Oliver Brown, sued the Topeka Board of Education. Brown sued because his eight year old daughter Linda was forced to bus to an all-black school when there was a white school within walking distance of their home. While the district courts ruled against Brown, the case would be heard in front of the United States Supreme Court three years later
With Thurgood Marshall, who eventually became the first African American Supreme Court Justice, arguing the case, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of Brown. The court ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” Brown v. Board of Education (1954) struck down the previous decision of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) which allowed for “separate but equal” provisions for whites and blacks. The decision led to the integration of schools nationwide.
So, What Do I Do Now? Take a trip to Topeka! Linda Brown’s all-black elementary school, Monroe Elementary, is now the home to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled 9-0 against the Topeka Board of Education which paved the way for the nationwide integration of public schools.
From its inception, Kansas City has always been a trailhead.
For those who dreamed of gold from Sutter’s Mill, their quest for riches began in Kansas City. For the Mormons who dreamed of escaping religious persecution, their pilgrimage to the safe shores of the Great Salt Lake began in Kansas City. For those families who dreamed of staking a claim in the Great Plains, their pursuit of a homestead to call their own began in Kansas City. And, for those who hoped to claim the promised bounty of New Mexico and Oregon, their journey began here in Kansas City too.
Not all trails are traversed by covered wagon. Not all barriers can be bested by waiting out the rain, hopping on a ferry, or fording the river. A plethora of other trails have been, and continue to be, blazed from our city.
Today, there are thousands of barbeque restaurants in cities across the nation. Henry Perry, “The Barbecue King”, realized his dream of a restaurant to sell his slow-smoked meats and savory sauces. He established that trailhead at the corner of 19th and Paseo.
The Negro National League was founded in Kansas City. The establishment of organized Negro Leagues ultimately led to the integration of baseball. Legends like Satchel Paige, Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil, and Elston Howard, among others, came up with the Kansas City Monarchs. Baseball Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Larry Doby, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Roy Campanella began their career in the Negro Leagues too. The signings of Robinson and Doby launched a golden era in America’s Pastime. Integration in baseball was the first step in societal integration. Those headwaters were at Muehlebach (Municipal) Stadium and the Paseo YMCA.
Another significant victory for equality came in 1948, when, Independence, Missouri native, President Harry S. Truman integrated the military and opened the door for women to serve. Decades prior, brave men and women like William D. Matthews and Cathay Williams laid the groundwork that led to this historic milestone in the battle for equal rights.
Nowadays, improvisation is a key component of jazz. Pendergast’s Kansas City allowed for the emergence of the 18th & Vine nightclubs where America’s Original Artform could flourish. What about big band jazz, bebop, and that improvised “jam session sound”? Those roots are in Kansas City too.
There are several other pioneers within these five chapters who forged their paths from Kansas City. The integration of media, the integration of education, the integration of the government; those trailheads also lie here.
As for the institution of slavery? We are proud to say that that is one path that was severely disrupted, and halted, here.
There are many more trailblazers that I was unable to write about. Tom Bass founded the American Royal Horse Show. Lloyd Gaines took his case to integrate the University of Missouri before the United States Supreme Court 20 years before Oliver Brown’s victory. Melvin B. Tolson (as portrayed by Denzel Washington in The Great Debaters) was Liberia’s first Poet Laureate and graduated from Lincoln High School. Sarah Rector was one of Kansas City’s first millionaires. Dr. Thomas C. Unthank overcame resistance from City Hall to establish hospitals that served minority communities. And Ida Bowman Becks? Look her up sometime. That woman was a certified badass. There is no better word. Even still, there are so many more!
For all of these inspiring men and women who changed the world, their trailhead was Kansas City.
“End? No, the journey doesn’t end here.”
And yet, this is not a total summation. These stories were never meant to be a complete history. They’re not the entire pool. They are not even a complete lap. Like Kansas City was to these heroes and sheroes, let this series of essays be your diving board. Allow this to be your jumping off point into a vibrant and exciting story.
So please, get out. Explore these places. Learn these stories, and others!
I love this city. To love anything is to know it completely. I know it can be a little scary, but it’s always worthwhile.
Well, what are you waiting for? Take the plunge.
Well, this is the end. Thank you to all of you who joined me all month on this journey. And, if you have not already, please consider SIGNING THE PETITION to honor Henry Perry at Kansas City’s new terminal.
I am excited about some of the things I have planned for March and April.
Please, subscribe at the bottom of disKCovery’s home page to be the first to know when my next piece drops.
Many thanks to my mother, Janell Dignan, for proofreading and editing these stories. I could not have done this without you!
