7-30-24 Lee's Summit, MO Part II

 Since 1880, the big news was printed in the Kansas City Star.  Walt Disney applied for a job as an illustrator at the Star but he was rejected and became an apprentice elsewhere.  Lore has it that a mouse often ran across his desk and Walt, not having the heart to waste it, made it a pet.  Walt was a gifted artist and cartoonist.  In time, he and his partner began animating their cartoon characters and Mickey Mouse was born.  Meanwhile, J. C. Hall moved to Kansas City as a youngster with a box of handmade postcards.  He sold them on the corner for a few pennies until it occurred to him that he could turn this into a bigger business.  Eventually, he was the founder of a greeting card corporation:  Hallmark.  His friend Walt Disney gave him the exclusive rights to his cartoon characters.

 

Like many of the western wild and wooly cowtowns, outlaws of all stripe terrorized the territory.  In Kansas City, a fellow named Tom Pendergast ran the show in the early 1900s.  He was not a part of the mob but a political boss who ramrodded his cronies into office with maneuvers such as voter fraud.  Sure, he made the trains run on time, but he doled out political positions and government jobs as he saw fit and ran the local area with an iron fist.  Ultimately, he wound up in prison for tax evasion.  The real mob left its mark on Kansas City, also.  The, “Kansas City Massacre,” occurred in 1933 at Union Station.  Federal agents were transporting a mobster named Frank Nash to the pen in Leavenworth by train.  In an effort to free Nash, a gang of mafia men including Pretty Boy Floyd opened fire.  The only deaths in the melee were the 8 (unarmed) FBI agents and Nash who was also unintentionally killed.  As a result of this incident and public outcry, in a rare moment of constructive activity, Congress enacted legislation to arm the FBI.  (Fat lotta good that did on July 13, 2024.  Just sayin.’)

Bullet holes, some repaired,
in the Union Station wall

 The Negro National Baseball League Museum is located in Kansas City.  It celebrates the accomplishments of black baseball players through the decades since 1920.  The Monarchs were the baseball team representing Kansas City.  Guys such as Ernie Banks and Satchel Paige played for the Monarchs for a time.   Also on this list of stars are Josh Gibson, known as, “The Black Babe Ruth,” and Jackie Robinson, who broke the barriers and paved the way for black guys to play in the National and American Baseball Leagues.  The Negro National Baseball League died of financial starvation in 1948.  Seems Kansas City was the birthplace of many a legend!

Murals on the NNBL Museum

 

No trip to KC would be complete without a trip to a barbecue/smokehouse, right?  In 1956, Russ Fiorella and his wife, Delores, opened a small barbecue stand serving smoked meats. They called it Smoke Stack Barbecue.  The business grew into a restaurant and in 1974, their son Jack took over and renamed it Jack Stack Barbecue.  There are several now and they are wildly popular in KC, serving many cuts of smoked beef, pork, chicken, lamb, salmon, trout and shrimp.  Coming to us highly-recommended by Trolley Tom, it was the restaurant de jour for our last evening in Lee’s Summit.  While there, I was snapping a few pictures, sneaking into the kitchen a few steps.  A lady employee approached me.  I thought she was going to reprimand me and say, “No pictures!”  Instead, she asked if we would like a tour!  We were enchanted!  What a great experience and how lucky to have had this alteration to our “plans!” 

Two of the smaller smokers, fired up 
at 3AM and smoking meats for 16 hours

Smoked shrimp, burnt ends 
and smoked beans (my dinner)

Taking ribs out of the smoker

Tim, our tour guide, and Rob -
The only wood used is hickory
harvested from their tree
farm contractor.

One of the meat lockers -
Most of their meats are
obtained from the local
slaughterhouses.  Fresh off 
the hoof!

Smoked lamb ribs and
barbecued beans (Rob's dinner).

Lindy and Tim in front of the big-
ass smoker.

Tim explains:  Beans are in pans
on the lower shelf of the big-ass
smoker.  Drippings from the
meats above fall into the beans.
They are marvelous!

 

As for the funny way Kansans talk:  I had to leave a voice mail at our previous campground.  Jennifer’s recording said, “Y’all please leave a message and I’ll gitcha called back.” 

 

That ends my stories about Kansas City!  And I cross another item off of my bucket list.