Local History Blog

Tyreek Hill may have departed for Miami, but Kansas City Chiefs fan may recall a 2021 video of the star wide receiver on the basketball court, celebrating his 27th birthday with a windmill dunk. Later that year, he was joined by teammates Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu (now with the New Orleans Saints), and others for a game of hoops to raise money for his Cheetah Scholarship fund. A reader asked “What’s Your KCQ?,” a partnership between The Star and the Kansas City Public Library, “How common is it for Chiefs players to play off-season basketball games?” Skittish fans might wonder further: What are the risks?

This installment of “What’s Your KCQ," a partnership between The Star and the Kansas City Public Library, is a story of gambling, gangsters, and geography. Reader William Renegar wanted to know, “Was there once a gambling establishment on Southwest Boulevard on the state line that was part in Kansas and part in Missouri?” There’s a story in his family about a relative, Fred Renegar, who supposedly ran a saloon on the state line before he was killed by the mob over an unsettled debt. His murder was never solved. William Renegar wondered if there was any truth to it. Our findings indicate: Yes, it’s all true. Today, the state line runs through the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and 31st Street, cutting through the QuikTrip to the south of the intersection. But things looked a little different a century ago, when 31st Street didn’t extend to Southwest Boulevard. It hit Bell Street, which led to the boulevard and its plethora of lumber yards, construction companies, garages, a brewery, and oil companies and other industrial concerns – along with the occasional restaurant, lunch counter, and saloon or tavern.

Missouri Valley Special Collections is pleased to announce the expansion of our digital collection featuring St. Mary’s and St. George’s Episcopal churches. In 2014, St. Mary’s donated their records and photographs to the Kansas City Public Library. Archivist Kara Flinn poured countless hours into arranging the collection and scanning images to prepare it for researchers. Now, over 150 digitized images illustrating the history of the two churches can be viewed on KCHistory.org. St. Mary’s was established in 1857 as the first Episcopal church in the new city. Then called St. Luke’s Mission, its first building was located at 4th and Locust streets in today’s River Market area. As the city expanded south, so did the church. After a move to 8th and Walnut streets, the congregation changed its name to St. Mary’s in 1879.