Overland Park in Johnson County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Wagons and Coaches... ...to Trains and Planes
The heyday of the trails had come and gone by the time William B. Strang Jr. platted out a residential development in this area in 1905. To promote his real estate plans and bring people out from Kansas City, he developed a trolley car railroad, the Missouri and Kansas Interurban Railway, which followed near the route of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails from Westport to here until 1940.
Strang was not only a real estate developer and railway entrepreneur, he was also an aviation pioneer. He developed Aviation Park a couple of miles east of here. The park gained national attention during the early years of aviation with its biplane barnstorming exhibitions. Those aerial acrobatics took place right over the old trail routes.
[Background photo caption reads]
In Strang Park, a remnant of the railway bed still exists, just a few feet from the historic route of the Santa Fe Trail.
Courtesy of Lenexa Historical Society
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Traders and freight wagons passed through here as early as the 1820s. Emigrants and their [C]onestoga wagons came through as early as the 1840s.
Painting by Charles M. Russell
From the 1850s to 1870s, the stagecoach — icon of the American West — rumbled through this trail junction.
Library of Congress
Crowds gathered to watch the aerial acrobatics of the planes hosted at Aviation Park.
Johnson County Museum
Erected by Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association and the National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1905.
Location. 38° 58.106′ N, 94° 41.959′ W. Marker is in Overland Park, Kansas, in Johnson County. Marker is about 300 feet east of the intersection of Farley Street and West 88th Terrace. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Strang Park, Overland Park KS 66212, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Two Routes from Westport (here, next to this marker); Voices from the Trail (here, next to this marker); Opening the Floodgates (here, next to this marker); Heritage of Johnson County, Kansas (approx. 1.7 miles away); Wilson-Weldon Buildings (approx. 1.8 miles away); A. M. Wood Buildings (approx. 1.8 miles away); Conser Store & Hall (approx. 1.8 miles away); William B. Strang, Jr. (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Overland Park.
Also see . . .
1. Overland Park History - Strang Car Barn. City website entry (Submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. History of Overland Park, Kansas. City Chamber of Commerce website entry (Submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Strang Line Interurban Railroad. City of Westwood, Kansas website entry (Submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Overland Park in History of Johnson County, by Ed Blair (1915). Kansas Book Collection website entry (Submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 295 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 6, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.