Long ago on independence square (Mexico, Clark: Greek, Mexicans, curriculum)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

The 23rd and Kiger store was an official United Super store. The logo out front in the parking lot had a huge round red logo containing a large white “U” and “S” and a small blue star in the center. Fleming Company out of North Kansas City and Topeka sponsored the United Supers. Fleming also had a small satellite warehouse on North Noland.

Both the C and the J managed and co managed the A&P on south Liberty near the square prior to becoming partners. In the mid-fifties, their store was small by today’s standards but became a pretty good sized market for the time. The sales area started out from a former mom & pop operation with a back room on the rear west side that was a postage stamp. There were three checkout lanes. Then they took over a former garage on the west side that provided a bigger back room. They then expanded east into a hardware store and gasoline station that had one service bay and that service bay became another back room that was on the east side. The postage stamp back room became the produce back room. Four checkout lanes.


At one time, they gave out Pioneer Stamps for shopping there--that was a United Super thing, also.


All of their future stores were new from the ground up. In 1960 they opened a store on US 24 in the Susquehanna area and in 65 opened a store at 35th and Noland in Gaslight Square. They also had a store on Wood’s Chapel in Blue Springs. All of these were United Supers. After a split up, Jerry Fisher owned the Gaslight store and Clarence Helflin owned a new store at M-291 and 23rd.

I don’t recall the year the 23rd and Kiger store closed but Harding Glass moved in and later that whole area was torn down to make way for new businesses.

I was not too far off from the logo description. Forgot about the part extending below the U and S. And it looks like by the time of this photo, they converted to S&H Green Stamps. Heflin's opened at M-291 and 23rd in 1968.

[WCHS'59]

Clarence Heflin Robbed In Front of His Store Two armed men robbed Clarence H. Heflin of a sizable amount of money Friday in front of his store, Heflin’s United Super, 16813 E. 23rd. Heflin, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, was returning to his store from the bank when he was robbed, he told police. The store owner said he was confronted about 10:30 a.m. as he walked across the parking lot to his store by a man carrying a .38 caliber revolver. He said the man was wearing a ski mask. Heflin said another man was in a 1959 car and also was armed with what appeared to be a similar-type weapon. According to police, Heflin was carrying a money bag and the armed bandit asked for it, pointing the weapon at the store owner. “Hold it right there, I’ll take that bag,” Heflin said the bandit told him. “Yes sir, whatever you say,” Heflin replied. Heflin said a van type truck pulled out ahead of the ban dit’s car and parked in back of Heflin’s vehicle. He said the truck and the bandit’s car left together and turned south


This is from a 1971 Examiner edition.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

A few miles southeast (and southwest it seems) of Independence Square lie up to three Congressional connected things that were lost, but then later found, much to the relief of many citizens.

What are these things?

How and when were they lost?

How and when were they found?

To help out some, the time frame was the 19th century.

Although, he came along a tad later, Bill Ray could probably tell you all about at least one.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

To help out some, the time frame was the 19th century.

Although, he came along a tad later, Bill Ray could probably tell you all about at least one.

Were they lost due to some event of the Civil War?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Were they lost due to some event of the Civil War?

No, there was no event of the Civil War involved.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

A few miles southeast (and southwest it seems) of Independence Square lie up to three Congressional connected things that were lost, but then later found, much to the relief of many citizens.

What are these things?

How and when were they lost?

How and when were they found?

To help out some, the time frame was the 19th century.

Although, he came along a tad later, Bill Ray could probably tell you all about at least one.

A 19th century President was indirectly responsible for creating these things, but he had no connection to their loss.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

A few miles southeast (and southwest it seems) of Independence Square lie up to three Congressional connected things that were lost, but then later found, much to the relief of many citizens.

What are these things?

How and when were they lost?

How and when were they found?

This ought to do it:

To help out some, the time frame was the 19th century.

Although, he came along a tad later, Bill Ray could probably tell you all about at least one.

A 19th century President was indirectly responsible for creating these things, but he had no connection to their loss.

One particular group of people probably said they didn’t care about the loss—it was to their advantage. They may not have been so happy when these things were found, but then again maybe they were.

Those who were directly responsible for the loss probably wished they had never set foot on the Sni.

Homemade brew played a huge part in losing them but not in finding them.

These missing things were made up of thirty-six pieces and were not really lost, but historians tell everyone they were.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

This ought to do it:

To help out some, the time frame was the 19th century.

Although, he came along a tad later, Bill Ray could probably tell you all about at least one.

A 19th century President was indirectly responsible for creating these things, but he had no connection to their loss.

One particular group of people probably said they didn’t care about the loss—it was to their advantage. They may not have been so happy when these things were found, but then again maybe they were.

Those who were directly responsible for the loss probably wished they had never set foot on the Sni.

Homemade brew played a huge part in losing them but not in finding them.

These missing things were made up of thirty-six pieces and were not really lost, but historians tell everyone they were.

I'm stumped!

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

I'm stumped!

A few miles southeast (and southwest it seems) of Independence Square lie up to three Congressional connected things that were lost, but then later found, much to the relief of many citizens.

What are these things?

How and when were they lost?

How and when were they found?





Jackson County’s “Lost Townships”



The lost townships were numbered survey townships containing 36 sections of 640 acres each. These survey townships are also known as Congressional townships, not to be confused with the civil or municipal townships of Brooking, Blue, Fort Osage, etc.

When the United States was still a confederacy, Thomas Jefferson came up with the idea of the 36-square mile survey township for use in place of the British system of Metes and Bounds system.

Some sources talk only of a single lost township (number 48) to the south and southwest of Independence Square while others speak only of two lost townships (49 and 50) to the southeast.

The singular lost township is referred to as survey township 48, Range 32 West. A short history of Raytown (named after William Ray) says that town was later located in this lost township.

Other sources mention only two lost townships, 49 and 50, Range 30 West, in the southeast of the county.

Survey townships contain 23,040 acres each. Townships 48, 49, and 50 were originally surveyed as part of the overall 1826 survey of Jackson County. However, the federally contracted surveyors lost their field notes. For some reason, they refused to take the time to re-survey, perhaps because they had to meet a contract deadline. Most probably Thomas Jefferson was still alive when the Jackson County survey began.

Despite the fact they had accomplished a survey, but had no proof, the surveying party kept this information to themselves. They supposedly reported that the land was useless and so it would not pay to survey these areas and they also mentioned there were serious aberrations affecting their compass preventing them from even making a quality survey. Legend has it that while charting the wilderness the survey team came across a still on the Sni-a-Bar and drank too much resulting in the subsequent loss of the survey notes.

Regardless of how many lost townships there were, some settlers paced out and staked 160 acre farms in these lost areas, built their houses and out buildings, and became legal squatters. But, they could not make a formal claim with the US Land Office to buy the land until there was a survey of record, which did not occur until 1843. These “lost souls” were fortunate in that they did not have to pay any Jackson County tax on their land prior to the survey of record.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Jackson County’s “Lost Townships”

The lost townships were numbered survey townships containing 36 sections of 640 acres each. These survey townships are also known as Congressional townships, not to be confused with the civil or municipal townships of Brooking, Blue, Fort Osage, etc.

When the United States was still a confederacy, Thomas Jefferson came up with the idea of the 36-square mile survey township for use in place of the British system of Metes and Bounds system.

Some sources talk only of a single lost township (number 48) to the south and southwest of Independence Square while others speak only of two lost townships (49 and 50) to the southeast.

The singular lost township is referred to as survey township 48, Range 32 West. A short history of Raytown (named after William Ray) says that town was later located in this lost township.

Other sources mention only two lost townships, 49 and 50, Range 30 West, in the southeast of the county.

Survey townships contain 23,040 acres each. Townships 48, 49, and 50 were originally surveyed as part of the overall 1826 survey of Jackson County. However, the federally contracted surveyors lost their field notes. For some reason, they refused to take the time to re-survey, perhaps because they had to meet a contract deadline. Most probably Thomas Jefferson was still alive when the Jackson County survey began.

Despite the fact they had accomplished a survey, but had no proof, the surveying party kept this information to themselves. They supposedly reported that the land was useless and so it would not pay to survey these areas and they also mentioned there were serious aberrations affecting their compass preventing them from even making a quality survey. Legend has it that while charting the wilderness the survey team came across a still on the Sni-a-Bar and drank too much resulting in the subsequent loss of the survey notes.

Regardless of how many lost townships there were, some settlers paced out and staked 160 acre farms in these lost areas, built their houses and out buildings, and became legal squatters. But, they could not make a formal claim with the US Land Office to buy the land until there was a survey of record, which did not occur until 1843. These “lost souls” were fortunate in that they did not have to pay any Jackson County tax on their land prior to the survey of record.

Now you've made me feel bad! I have been looking at township maps recently while working on family genealogy, but never thought to make that a guess. Who'da thunk someone could lose an entire township!!?