Main Street north from 10th 1887 KANSAS CITY, MO. is pictured as it appeared 100 years ago on an old photographic postcard. The busy 9th Street Junction at Main and Delaware is seen at the far right side of the picture. Heavy horse-and-buggy traffic, cable cars and milling crowds on the street indicate the prosperity of the day. The business and real estate boom was on. Recorded real estate sales that year totaled $88,302,547. It was still the city of Kansas, and the name would not be officially changed to Kansas City, Missouri until 1889. Henry Christian Kumpf was mayor. The bearded German-born Kumpf first studied English and bookkeeping as a grocery clerk in St. Louis. When the Civil War started, he became a shipping clerk for the U.S. arsenal. When Kumpf came to Kansas City he opened a billiard hall. He was city auditor from 1872 to 1876 and city comptroller from 1877 to 1879. In 1886 he was elected mayor on the Republican ticket and was re-elected in 1887 and 1888. The year 1887 brought the first Priests of Pallas annual fall parade (continued until the start of the American Royal parades), the Blues baseball team and the weather bureau. The first Power & Light Co. was organized and the first electric streetcars operated, replacing some of the old cable cars. Construction about this time included the New York Life Bldg., the Heist Bldg, the New England Bldg., the Ninth Street Theater and others. The Commercial Club (now the Chamber of Commerce) was founded. Three new grade schools and Lincoln High School were built and Jones Cyclone Dry Goods store opened. U.S. president Grover Cleveland laid two cornerstones, several newspapers sprang up and the Builders & Traders Exchange started. In all, it was a great year for our city. Kansas City Times, March 13, 1987.
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