Horses tied to rings in the curb and the crowded sidewalks indicate a bustling business day in the 900 block on Main street, in 1907. Signs show the Palace Clothing Company (right), which advertised $17.50 suits; The Owl Cigar, now 5 cents, ticket office of Seeing Kansas City, 50 cents and the American Express company (left of center). Wells Fargo was next door, and covered express wagons stand in front of them. In the center is the old Ninth and Main Junction. Beyond it are the shed and tracks of the elevated street car line on Eighth street. The west (left) side of the street is now occupied by the new Ten Main building, and the wedge of the old Junction is an open parkway. Kansas City Star, June 1, 1968. Speaking the Public Mind - I want to say how thoroughly I have enjoyed the clippings sent to me of the old Kansas City postcard series. What a flood of childhood memories each one brings! The one of Main Street at The Junction - how often I have passed by there and seen Wide Awake, the crusty old character who directed traffic there in those days of the cable cars, horse-drawn vehicles and pedestrians. In the immediate area were many places of interest to us youngsters. The fire station where, every day at noon, there was a fire drill by a crew of men and horses which had won blue ribbons at a Paris exposition in competition with fire brigades of other countries. At the sound of a gong the horses would leap into the harness and the men would be on the trucks in less than two minutes, ready to go. Out back of the station was a cool spring where we were welcome to drink on summer days. A few blocks away was the Kansas City Star building, where we could see the presses in operation. Paper boys came in to get their papers, paying one cent for them and selling them for two. I tried it once but wasn't much of a salesman and quit after a financial loss of three cents. There were other ways of making money without any capital risk, such as hunting whisky bottles in the alleys and selling them for two cents each at a near-by junkyard. Sanford Postley, Sun City, Calif. Kansas City Star, April 16, 1969.
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