INDEPENDENCE

A short history of Independence

The area that is now Independence was originally inhabited by Missouri and Osage Native Americans. Later made part of the territory of Louisiana that was alternately part of New France and New Spain, it became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped in what would become Independence in 1804.

Named after the Declaration of Independence, Independence was founded on March 29, 1827, and quickly became an important frontier town. Independence was the farthest point westward on the Missouri River where steamboats or other cargo vessels could travel, due to the convergence of the Kansas River with the Missouri River approximately six miles west of town. Independence immediately became a jumping-off point for the emerging fur trade, accommodating merchants and adventurers beginning the long trek westward on the Santa Fe Trail.

In 1831, members of the Latter Day Saint movement began moving to the area. Shortly thereafter, founder Joseph Smith declared a spot west of the Courthouse Square to be the place for his prophesied temple of the New Jerusalem, in expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. Tension grew with local Missourians until the Latter Day Saints were driven from the area in 1833, the beginning of a conflict which culminated in the 1838 Mormon War. Several branches of this movement gradually returned to the city beginning in 1867, with many making their headquarters there. These include the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite), and the Restoration Branches.

Independence saw great prosperity from the late 1830s through the mid-1840s, while the business of outfitting pioneers boomed. Between 1848 and 1868, it was a hub of the California Trail. The Donner Party, an ill-fated group of wagon train emigrants whose westward journey along the trail from Springfield, Illinois, ended in disaster, stopped in Independence. On March 8, 1849, the Missouri General Assembly granted a home-rule charter to the town, and on July 18, 1849, William McCoy was elected as its first mayor. In the mid-19th century, an Act of the United States Congress defined Independence as the start of the Oregon Trail.

Two important American Civil War battles occurred at Independence: the first on August 11, 1862, when Confederate soldiers took control of the town, and the second in October 1864, which resulted in a Union victory. The war took its toll on Independence, and the town was never able to regain its previous prosperity, although a flurry of building activity took place soon after the war. The rise of nearby Kansas City, Missouri also contributed to the town's relegation to a place of secondary prominence in Jackson County, though Independence has retained its position as co-county seat to the present day.

United States President Harry S. Truman grew up in Independence and, in 1922, was elected judge of the Court of Jackson County with the support of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast. Although he was defeated for reelection in 1924, he won back the office in 1926 and was reelected in 1930. Truman won acclaim for several popular public works projects, including an extensive series of roads for the growing use of automobiles, the building of a new County Court building in Independence, and a series of 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments to pioneer women dedicated across the country in 1928 and 1929. He returned to the city following his presidency. His wife, Bess, was born and raised in Independence, and both are buried there. The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site (Truman's home) and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum are both located in Independence, as is one of Truman's boyhood residences.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Independence, Missouri, revision 1380666847 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.