Western Mo.
Relive country’s pioneer days in Missouri’s former frontier

With just a little imagination, visitors to western Missouri can picture the beginnings of the country’s westward expansion, when wagon trains forged their way into the prairies, Pony Express riders galloped into the Wild West and Jesse James roamed the land.

It was an era of adventure and discovery, of grit and courage. But even though the country grew up and the rugged Oregon, California and Santa Fe frontier trails that crossed the territory have been replaced by highways, the towns in the region have not lost their pioneer spirit.

Today, you can retrace the steps of the earliest explorers and settlers in Independence, Liberty, St. Joseph and Weston. Each town boasts numerous sights and attractions that have been maintained as they were more than 100 years ago. To take in all the sights, spend at least two days touring the region that was once poised on the edge of western civilization.

The buck stops here

Start your day tour in Independence, one of the state’s most historic towns and home to Missouri’s favorite son, President Harry S. Truman. From Interstate 70, exit at Noland Road and head north. Then turn left on Truman Road for three blocks to the Truman Home Visitor and Information Center at the intersection of Main Street (223 N. Main) to pick up maps and other tourist information. For details, call Independence Tourism at 1-800-748-7323 or (816) 325-7111, or visit www.visitindependence.com.

To gain insight into Truman, start with a visit to the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, located at U.S. Highway 24 and Delaware Street. Hundreds of artifacts, photographs, videos and interactive elements not only examine Truman’s presidency, but also his personal life. Hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday– Saturday and noon–5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum stays open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays May– September. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $3 for children 6–15. For more information, call (816) 268-8200 or 1-800-833-1225, or visit www.trumanlibrary.org.

Harry and Bess Truman lived in Independence when not in Washington from 1919 until their deaths. Their unassuming, two-story home at 219 N. Delaware, which is now the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, has been painstakingly preserved–even the hat and coat that Harry wore on his last walk are still on a coat rack where he left them.

Purchase tickets to tour the home at the Truman Home Visitor and Information Center, which shows an introductory video. The cost of the tour is $4 for visitors 16 and older. Tours are offered daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Memorial Day–Labor Day; hours are the same the rest of the year excluding Mondays when it is closed. Call (816) 254-9929 or visit www.nps.gov/hstr.

For a different taste of nostalgia, eat at Clinton’s Soda Fountain on Independence Square to see where Truman worked as a youth. More than 40 shops and restaurants surround the charming square.

To find more places associated with the former president, follow the Truman Historic Walking Trail, which features dozens of sights and attractions, many of which are linked to Truman. For a copy, call 1-800-748-7323.

Follow the trails

Apart from Truman’s legacy, Independence is known primarily as the main jumping-off point of the California, Oregon and Santa Fe trails, which earned the city the name “Queen City of the Trails.” In the early 1800s, thousands of pioneers outfitted their wagons in town for their journeys westward. The wagons rolled down the hill from the courthouse square across property that is now the National Frontier Trails Museum, located at 318 W. Pacific. The center explains the trails and the city’s role in them with a variety of excellent exhibits and artifacts. Hours are 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 12:30–4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $3 for students 6–17. For details, call (816) 325-7575, or visit online at www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org.

For an overland trip of your own, try a covered wagon ride from the Square with Pioneer Trails Adventures, which offers tours ranging from 15 minutes ($7) to 75 minutes ($25) with historic narration. For hours and details, call (816) 456-4991, or visit online at www.pioneertrailsadventures.com.

For a look at how frontier justice was administered, visit the 1859 Jail, Marshal’s Home and Museum at 217 N. Main Street on the Square. The jail housed many infamous criminals from the 1800s, including Frank James, Jesse’s brother. Visitors can see original cells and tour the restored home. Hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 1–4 p.m. Sunday, April–October and in December; hours are reduced somewhat in the winter and it is closed in January–March. Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $2 for children 6–16. Call (816) 461-1897, or visit www.jchs.org.

Other fascinating sites in the city include the Vaile Mansion, a 30-room Victorian mansion built in 1881 (816-325-7430), and the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, a beautiful mansion built in 1852 alongside the Santa Fe Trail that was once home to artist George Caleb Bingham (816-461-3491). And the Puppetry Arts Institute (816-833-9777) is home to hundreds of colorful puppets and marionettes. Visitors can even make their own puppets.

Also, the Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, welcomes visitors to see its magnificent Temple, 6,000-seat Auditorium and the Children’s Peace Pavilion. Call (816) 833-1000 for details, or visit www.cofchrist.org. And nearby is the Mormon Visitors Center, which offers insight into Mormon history in Missouri. Call (816) 836-3466, or visit www.lds.org/placestovisit.

Bullets on the Square

Another city linked to Independence by the westward trails is Liberty. Take Interstate 435 north to Interstate 35 north and exit at Highway 152, which becomes West Kansas Street. Kansas Street leads directly to historic Liberty Square. For details, call (816) 407-3600, or visit www.claycogov.com.

One of the region’s most famous residents was Jesse James. Stop at the Jesse James Bank Museum on the square to see the site of the first successful peacetime daylight bank robbery. The office and vault look as they did in 1866 when the James gang allegedly made off with $62,000 in a blaze of gunfire. Hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Saturday. Admission is $5.50 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3.50 for children 8–15. Call (816) 781-4458.

Also on the square, trace the area’s rich past further in the Clay County Museum and Historical Society, located in a restored 19th-century drugstore. Artifacts include patent medicines, pioneer farm tools and more. Hours are 9–4 p.m. Monday–Friday. For details, call (816) 792-1849.

And nearby, stop at the Historic Liberty Jail at 216 N. Main, which is open daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m. The building is on the site where Mormon prophet Joseph Smith was imprisoned for four months in late 1838 and early 1839 and contains exhibits on events that took place in the jail. For details, call (816) 781-3188, or visit www.lds.org/placestovisit.

Then take I-35 nine miles north to Kearney and follow the signs to the Jesse James Farm and Museum, Jesse’s birthplace and home. A museum features the world’s largest collection of James family artifacts and an audio-visual presentation. The home contains many original furnishings. Hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Saturday and noon–4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and $4 for children 8–15. For more details, call (816) 736-8500, or visit www.jessejames.org.

Where Jesse died and the Pony Express began

Yet another city on the path of the westward trails is St. Joseph, located on scenic bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. Not only did pioneers strike out from St. Joseph, but it was also the starting point for thousands of ’49ers in search of gold in California.

From Liberty, take Highway 152 west to I-435 north. Then take Interstate 29 north to Interstate 229 north and exit at Edmond Street and turn left on Fourth Street. Pick up maps and other tourist information at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau at 109 S. Fourth St. For details, call 1-800-785-0360 or (816) 233-6688, or visit www.stjomo.com.

While St. Joseph played a part in helping develop the West, the city’s most most famous role was that of the starting point of the Pony Express. On April 3, 1860, the first rider with a mail pouch charged out of a stable at 914 Penn St., which has been converted into the Pony Express National Museum. The history of the Express, which transported mail between St. Joseph and California, is brought to life through artifacts and interactive exhibits. Hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 1–5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older, and $2 for students 7–18. Call (816) 279-5059 or 1-800-530-5930.

Also, visit the nearby Patee House Museum, which was the headquarters for the Pony Express. The museum, in a former hotel that opened in 1858, contains re-created Pony Express offices, a locomotive from the 1860s and other historic relics. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students 6–17. For museum hours and more information, call (816) 232-8206.

Next door is the Jesse James Home where Jesse was killed in 1882 by a member of his gang to collect a $10,000 reward. The fatal bullet hole is still visible in the wall, and the home is furnished with original and period pieces. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1.50 for students. For more details about the home, contact the Patee House Museum.

St. Joseph also boasts several other museums, including the St. Joseph Museum, located at 3406 Frederick Ave. The museum features natural history exhibits, items that examine the role St. Joseph played in westward expansion, and an extensive collection of native American artifacts.

Also on site are two other museums. The Black Archives Museum examines such topics as the Underground Railroad, desegregation and other aspects of African-American History in St. Joseph. And the Glore Psychiatric Museum has fascinating exhibits that trace the history of psychiatry and the treatment of mental illness. Hours for all three museums is 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 1–5 p.m. Sunday. For admission and details, call (816) 232-8471 or 1-800-530-8866, or visit www.stjosephmuseum.org.

Additionally, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art contains one of the Midwest’s finest collections art from the 18th century through the 21st century. Hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesday–Friday and 1–4 p.m. Saturday– Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for students. For details, call (816) 233-7003 or 1-888-254-2787, or visit www.albrecht-kemper.org.

Wander to historic Weston

To take another step into the past, head south to Weston, which has maintained its frontier charm. In fact, the hamlet has been called “the town that time passed by” because the preserved downtown district has kept the feel of an 1840s main street. From St. Joseph, follow I-29 south and take exit 20 to Highway 273 north to Weston. Pick up tourist information at the Information Center at 526 Main St. For information, call (816) 640-2909 or 1-888-635-7457. Or visit the Web site www.westonmo.com.

Listed as a National Historic District, the town contains many homes that date to the mid-1800s. In addition to perusing antique shops, specialty stores and cafes in the charming downtown area, you can sip wine at Pirtle Winery, located at 502 Spring St. For more details, call (816) 640-5728, or visit www.pirtlewinery.com.

The town also offers several museums. Among them, the Weston Historic Museum examines life in the region from prehistoric days through World War II (816-386-2977). And the Bonnell Museum contains items needed to run a farm and home during the late 1800s (816-386-5587).

Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy Snow Creek Ski Area, which offers a variety of ski trails during the winter. Call (816) 640-2200 or visit www.skisnowcreek.com. And Weston Bend State Park offers hiking trails, a scenic overlook and camping. Call (816) 640-5443, or visit www.mostateparks.com.

For this day tour from Kansas City, take I-70 east 12 miles to Independence and follow directions contained in the article. The approximate round-trip mileage is 140 miles.

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