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Missouri Valley Special Collections

Explore thousands of digitized photographs and material related to the history of the Kansas City region. Learn about the collections and services of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, the Kansas City Public Library's local history archive.

Belvidere Hollow: KCQ unearths Kansas...

In the Historic Northeast, east of downtown and just beyond Interstate 29, lies Belvidere Park — what now may appear to be an empty space. But at the turn of the 20th century, the area was a...

A pool? A skate park? The real story...

A reader was intrigued by a handful of concrete structures resembling skateboard ramps on a grassy area off The Paseo, near 58th Street and Lydia Avenue — and reached out to What’s Your KCQ?, a...

Railroad tycoon envisioned a grand...

Today, Guinotte Avenue is a rather unassuming stretch of road running through Kansas City’s predominantly industrial East Bottoms. One hundred seventy years ago, however, the thoroughfare was the...

Searching for Vincent O. Carter

June Graham, Guest Author Vincent O. Carter working at his home in Bern. ©P. Kräuchi In June 2023, I travelled to Kansas City to research the early life of Vincent O. Carter, an African American...

This Week in Kansas City History

"Negro Exodusters en route to Kansas, fleeing from the yellow fever, " Photomural from engraving. Harpers Weekly, 1870. Historic American Building Survey Field Records, HABS FN-6, #KS -49-11 Prints and Photographs Division (106)

Exodusters Mark the Spot

April 25, 1879: The Wyandotte Commercial Gazette reported that more than 1,000 destitute African Americans had arrived in Wyandotte City (present-day Kansas City, Kansas) in just two weeks. With a total population of just 4,612, Wyandotte struggled to meet the needs of so many former slaves who had left the South for hopes of a better life in Kansas. Between 1879 and 1880, roughly 20,000 African Americans entered the Sunflower State. Most were former slaves who sought personal security, economic stability and a new start in life. The federal government's Reconstruction program in the South had officially ceased in 1877, and with it died many Southern blacks' hopes for equality under the law.

Kansas City FAQs

How do I access old newspapers?

Newspapers can be a gold mine of historical and genealogical information, but are not always easy to find and use. While many libraries and archives have some amount of physical newspapers in their collections, digitized and microfilmed versions are preferred for public use and long-term preservation. The following is an overview of accessing newspapers printed in the Kansas City area and region.