Long ago on independence square (Raytown, Jackson: snakes, sales, shops)

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by 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.

Another rumor is that the first riverboat to stop at Wayne City Landing was named Independence. I like the Indian attack story better, therefore the more likely is that we were named after the great declaration.

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by 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.

Well according to a souvenir booklet I bought somewhere , sometime, the naming is attributed to "Independences first sheriff, Joseph Rutherford Walker, gave the town its name. Walker served with General Andrew Jackson in the Indian Wars at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and it is thought that the name of the county and it's seat of government was adopted to honor this man who would become the seventh President of the United States the following year."....... In the book Jackson county History 1881 the naming is attributed to some legislature; still trying to figure out who and what legislature.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Well according to a souvenir booklet I bought somewhere , sometime, the naming is attributed to "Independences first sheriff, Joseph Rutherford Walker, gave the town its name. Walker served with General Andrew Jackson in the Indian Wars at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and it is thought that the name of the county and it's seat of government was adopted to honor this man who would become the seventh President of the United States the following year."....... In the book Jackson county History 1881 the naming is attributed to some legislature; still trying to figure out who and what legislature.

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Another rumor is that the first riverboat to stop at Wayne City Landing was named Independence. I like the Indian attack story better, therefore the more likely is that we were named after the great declaration.

This all very interesting.

I dont know how it is in Missouri but in Kansas, an individual or individuals who wanted to start a town in a specificed area had to file their intent to create/incorporate a town company with the Secretary of the State to own the town. The town company issued stock to each member stockholder then had lots surveyed and began trying to attract residents and selling lots at a market price they established, adjusting up or down as demand dictated.

The Town Company stayed in existence until the last lot was sold. The town land was not free land to the stockholders as the land had to be purchased from the federal government at $1.25 per acre. Each stockholder could be a town company owner plus qualify to buy 160 acres at $1.25 per acre on top of that. Maybe, this is why that in some of the old westerns, one individual owned a good bit of the town.

However, the name came about, there was always a town company involved.

I have photocopies of several town company filings in Kansas but I do not believe I have ever heard of an Independence Town Company on the Missouri side.

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

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.

This photo was taken toward the west near the end of Eaton Rd. And yes, that's the Missouri River on the right around the time of the '51 flood.

[Major Tom 58]

More recent image of Eton

[WCHS'59]

Here is an overhead of Eton from Google Earth. There are metal tower signals (with shadows) spanning the tracks on both sides of the photo that replaced the wood signal tower.

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Here is an overhead of Eton from Google Earth. There are metal tower signals (with shadows) spanning the tracks on both sides of the photo that replaced the wood signal tower.

I also learned there's another tower just west of Eton "tower" called Congo. On bing maps it shows Eton as part of Courtney-Atherton road and Congo in the Eton tower space. Have to wonder where they get these names.

[Mad Anthonie]

While at the Library today I browsed some 1879 KC Journal newspapers. In Railway News they reported an ongoing fare war amongst the railroads for cheapest KC to Chicago fares. For several weeks they all dropped to fifty cents, which even then was an incredible bargain.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

While at the Library today I browsed some 1879 KC Journal newspapers. In Railway News they reported an ongoing fare war amongst the railroads for cheapest KC to Chicago fares. For several weeks they all dropped to fifty cents, which even then was an incredible bargain.

Sort of like the $29 airline fare, Kansas City to Denver of the 80s or 90s.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

I also learned there's another tower just west of Eton "tower" called Congo. On bing maps it shows Eton as part of Courtney-Atherton road and Congo in the Eton tower space. Have to wonder where they get these names.

I was looking for Congo but it is no longer listed on DeLorme or Google Earth but was where the ATS&F and MoPac interchanged in northeast Jackson County.

I also found this concerning the Crackerneck area of Independence:

"A rough timbered district six miles southeast of Independence was, during the middle of the 19th century, known as Cracker Neck because the first settlers of the district were poor white people from Georgia, where they were known as Crackers."