Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Pacific: gas furnace, elderly, avoid)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

A great find indeed. I caught a glimpse of a billboard advertising 1941 vehicle so this is from 1940 or 1941

What were some of theother businesses/buildings? I cam always go to trusty Polks to fill-in the. Stores along the parade route What is the long crowded street shown (dont hv the "seconds" marked). Lexington or Maple? I can't make out the signs at first glance

That first long crowded street was Main Street with the riders coming north and turning west onto Lexington. You can see Firestone down at the end of the street on the left. A furniture store is also on that side of the street that might have been Davidows.

I wonder if they would go back to an old west theme today how many horse/riders, horse/wagon teams could be scrounged up from the Independence area, chuckle.

[Mad Anthonie]

A little thunderstorm passed through this morning, wreaking havoc with Santa-Cali-Gon.

Images: Storm topples tents, stands at Santa-Cali-Gon Days | KMBC Home - Local News

[WCHS'59]

Here is another 1916 view at Osage and White Oak of the tracks that led to the KCS passenger station at Osage and Maple.

With the number of tracks, the steam locomotives, the coal, and the gas engine manufacturing plant, this must have been one dirty part of town.

It looks like that whole block is now occupied by the Independence Chamber of Commerce offices.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Here is another 1916 view at Osage and White Oak of the tracks that led to the KCS passenger station at Osage and Maple.

With the number of tracks, the steam locomotives, the coal, and the gas engine manufacturing plant, this must have been one dirty part of town.

It looks like that whole block is now occupied by the Independence Chamber of Commerce offices.

As kids we used to play around the remnants of this rail line just north of College & McCoy/Pleasant in the area that became McCoy Park.

[WCHS'59]

Here are three tracks that went across Noland near Walnut as part of the Lexington Branch of the Missouri Pacific RR. I vaguely recall multiple tracks at a time before Noland was widened. There is a single track today This is a 1916 view and the alley has since been vacated. Up that rail line at Lexington Street was the where Home Products Company would later locate. They produced mattresses and maybe other things. They appeared to be a rather large producer. The building is still there. Their mattresses were available in the local stores and I think in their declining years one could buy a mattress direct from the plant.

[WCHS'59]

Speaking of mattresses.

I saw a newspaper cartoon in the 70s or 80s where a common suburbanite homeowner had his house surrounded by a number of policemen. There were police cars everywhere and swat teams were ready to go in. More than one helicopter was flying overhead surveying the situation.

The policeman in charge remarked to the bewildered homeowner, “We heard you removed the tag from your mattress.”

Early mattress’s had tags that said “Do not remove under penalty of law.” So people did not touch them. As a boy, I recall being told not to remove the tag on my mattress. I never could figure out why and no one knew why except that it was the law.

The intent was, though, that only the consumer could remove that tag.

Recently manufactured mattresses have tags that have been clarified to read "This tag may not be removed except by the consumer."

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Recently manufactured mattresses have tags that have been clarified to read "This tag may not be removed except by the consumer."

Should you coat it with salad dressing before consuming?

[WCHS'59]

According to Wikipedia:

The law label was born in the early 1900s to prevent these articles (mattresses) from being further manufactured with contents such as horse hair, corn husks and whatever else a manufacturer could find to use that the consumer would never see, similar to food labeling.

[WCHS'59]

Here is a 1916 view of a long train track trestle at north McCoy and west Nettleton streets. This is the rail line headed to the passenger station at Osage and Maple.

The north-south street is McCoy and Nettleton continues west a bit north.

This area today is in the neighborhood of the Northwest Parkway and McCoy Park.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Here is a 1916 view of a long train track trestle at north McCoy and west Nettleton streets. This is the rail line headed to the passenger station at Osage and Maple.

The north-south street is McCoy and Nettleton continues west a bit north.

This area today is in the neighborhood of the Northwest Parkway and McCoy Park.

It was remnants of that trestle that we used to play around. That was in the days between Urban Renewal evicting and partially razing the homes where the park now sits, and the actual construction of the park.