The grand opening of Kansas City's horse racing track, Elm Ridge, a block east of the Paseo between Fifty-ninth and Sixty-third streets, was April 28, 1904. Considered far out in the country at the time and on a site chosen for its vista of woods and gently rolling hills, it compared favorably with many race tracks in the country. In the picture is the original clubhouse of native stone, with spacious porches, the paddock and grandstand seating 1,500. Derby-hatted gentlemen with binoculars and long black cigars milled about the betting ring, but women were not allowed to bet. The track operated only two years, when the sport was outlawed by the state of Missouri. The next few years the facility was used for athletic events, motor car and motorcycle racing. The Blue Hills club, organized in 1912 with 670 members, was the next occupant of the site. Greens No. 9 and No. 18 occupied the space where the grandstand and paddock were, and the clubhouse, enlarged and improved, served golfers instead of horse race enthusiasts. More recently, part of the site was taken for construction of the Metro Plaza shopping center, and the clubhouse now is used by the Metro club. Kansas City Star, November 9, 1969.
Reproduction (printing, downloading, or copying) of images from Kansas City Public Library requires permission and payment for the following uses, whether digital or print: publication; reproduction of multiple copies; personal, non-educational purposes; and advertising or commercial purposes. Please order prints or digital files and pay use fees through this website. All images must be properly credited to: "Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri." Images and texts may be reproduced without prior permission only for purposes of temporary, private study, scholarship, or research. Those using these images and texts assume all responsibility for questions of copyright and privacy that may arise.
