Downtown Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Pioneer Mother Monument
By
Howard Vanderslice
To Commemorate
The Pioneer Mother
Who With Unfaltering Trust
In God Suffered The Hardship
Of The Unknown West
To Prepare For Us A Homeland
Of Peace And Plenty
Alexander Phimister Proctor – Sculptor - MCMXXVII
Wither thou goest, I will go
Where thou lodgest, I will lodge
Thy people shall be my people
and thou God my God
Erected 1927 by Howard Vanderslice/Sculpted by Alexander Phimister Proctor.
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • Women.
Location. 39° 4.635′ N, 94° 35.375′ W. Marker is in Kansas City, Missouri, in Jackson County. It is in Downtown Kansas City. Marker is on Kessler Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kansas City MO 64108, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spanish-American War / Philippine Insurrection / China Relief Expedition Monument (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles Carroll Spalding (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sisters of Saint Mary (approx. ¼ mile away); Liberty Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); William Gebhardt (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial Flag (approx. 0.4 miles away); James Silas Calhoun (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kansas City.
Also see . . . Pioneer Mother Memorial. Kansas City parks website entry (Submitted on May 29, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Additional commentary.
1. Mary Rosanna Davison Moore
When I saw this monument, the thing that struck me most was the fact that I was within a few miles of where my great-great grandparents, John Howard Moore (1862-1942) and Mary Rosanna Davison Moore (1865-1951) were married (September 30, 1886, Desoto, KS), and that it was from near this site that they began taking one of the trails west. Mary was originally from Hardin County, Kentucky and John was born in Clear Spring, Maryland, but had left his parents back in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Though it is apparent that the monument depicts an earlier time in the 19th century, at the time my great-great grandparents embarked from the area (1887), my gg grandmother was pregnant. Family stories relate the tale of the fact that Mary went into labor while on the trail, and the baby was born breach (September 29, 1887). To deaden the pain of birth, hot coals were placed in Mary's hands (my father recalls seeing those scares). Regretfully, the child, Kate W. Moore, died a day after birth, and my great-great grandparents began their journey back to Mary's home in Kentucky, and eventually further east before finally settling in Page County, Virginia.
— Submitted September 15, 2010, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia.
2. Related to Howard Vanderslice
According to my family tree of the Vanderslice family Howard Vanderslice was the uncle of my grandfather Claude Vanderslice. Howard was born in 1853, his parents were Thomas Jefferson Vanderslice and Sarah Burchfield who, I believe, was the inspiration for this wonderful statue. His wife was named Mildred and may have been the inspiration for my mother Mildred's name I had heard of this monument through the years and had a poor photo of it from an old newspaper article but had never taken much notice until now. I hope my children and grandchildren will visit the monument one day.
Winnie Kostroun
Ithaca, NY
— Submitted March 18, 2018, by Winnie Kostroun of Ithaca, New York.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2010, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,708 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 15, 2010, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 9, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 7. submitted on September 15, 2010, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. 8. submitted on July 9, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.