Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Jackson: file, demand, qualify)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Where was the Raytown station? I presume it was on 63rd St?

I traced the rails in Raytown without any luck.

This information is from a reliable good friend living in Raytown.

In the early days, the station was originally at 72nd and Woodson.

It was moved in 1912 to 64th and Railroad Street.

After several failed efforts to make it a historic landmark, it was torn down in the late 1980's.

[Major Tom 58]

Place name: Eton
Description: A railroad tower built in 1901 in northern Blue Township on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The origin of the name was not ascertained. It was given by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. (R. Mc. 1935; H.P. Chiles)
Source: Atchison, Anne. "Place Names Of Five West Central Counties Of Missouri." M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1937.

I saw this "town" name on one of the cell coverage maps I mentioned a day or two ago. I assume by "tower" it means a water tower for the engine?

[Major Tom 58]

Or maybe this is the type of tower being referred to, a coal refilling station!?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Or maybe this is the type of tower being referred to, a coal refilling station!?

I seem to remember coaling tower and water tank were the right descriptions. But they also had sanding towers. Locomotives carried a supply of sand to drop on the tracks when the the wheels needed traction and just not when snow or ice was on the rails.

Some RRs also had their locomotive or tender water tanks resupplied on the fly without the use of a water tank. A quarter mile length of track would have a water pan/trough between the rails. The tender would have a water scoop that would be lowered on the fly into the water to catch the liquid and send it to the on board storage area.

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Place name: Eton
Description: A railroad tower built in 1901 in northern Blue Township on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The origin of the name was not ascertained. It was given by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. (R. Mc. 1935; H.P. Chiles)
Source: Atchison, Anne. "Place Names Of Five West Central Counties Of Missouri." M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1937.

I saw this "town" name on one of the cell coverage maps I mentioned a day or two ago. I assume by "tower" it means a water tower for the engine?

Eton Tower-If you look closely, you can see the name Eton on the structure (tower?) on the left side of the tracks. This photo was taken c. 1951.

[WCHS'59]

That is a "signal tower."

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by SilverDoc

Eton Tower-If you look closely, you can see the name Eton on the structure (tower?) on the left side of the tracks. This photo was taken c. 1951.

And would that be the Missouri River on the right? I can see a reflection of the tree and what appears to be a pier going out into water.

[WCHS'59]

Some discussion please.

Just how did the City of Independence get its name??


"the name was given in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence" according to a 1937 University of Missouri thesis. I guess I had not heard this before. I guess I had not thought about it much but I thought I learned a few years ago that the town was named due to the Independent nature of Andrew Jackson, after whom the county was named.

The Examiner ran a story in 2011 quoting from the WL Webb book (maybe 1927) about the history of Independence saying that soldiers from Fort Osage were under siege in 1816 from Indians for a two week period and thought their situation was hopeless. Finally, they abandoned the fort at a run. While being chased, they made a number of camps, including one on the future site of Independence Square.

While camped there, it was learned the Indians had given up the chase and had disappeared across the Missouri River prompting the wife of the General leading the troops to proclaim that they had won their Independence. Whereupon the commander said the place would be named Independence Camp. A few years later the town was laid out on that site.

Color me skeptical. I thought I had heard before that the fort did not have any troubles with Indians. Additionally, I would question why a general officer would be at the post.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

I traced the rails in Raytown without any luck.

This information is from a reliable good friend living in Raytown.

In the early days, the station was originally at 72nd and Woodson.

It was moved in 1912 to 64th and Railroad Street.

After several failed efforts to make it a historic landmark, it was torn down in the late 1980's.

Damned if I heard of "Railroad St" but there it is on map, just off Raytown Road. I'm sure I've seen the station if there as I passed along that section of roadway hundreds of times. I doubt it was the Woodson site since my bus route took us there and it was semi solitary back then. But again, maybe it's just the memory failing (once more)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Damned if I heard of "Railroad St" but there it is on map, just off Raytown Road. I'm sure I've seen the station if there as I passed along that section of roadway hundreds of times. I doubt it was the Woodson site since my bus route took us there and it was semi solitary back then. But again, maybe it's just the memory failing (once more)

I am searching my ram.

Now that you mention it, I think I and my Dickinson Road sweetie went to a Railroad hobby shop that might have been on Railroad Street in Raytown. I cannot recall the name of it and I was only there one time. This guy specialized in railroad stuff. Spotlight Railroad? Maybe that was on Troost, though. Redball Railroad? Cannot recall.