Fairgrounds Branch in 1930

While searching for more information on various industries, I came across this aerial photograph from the 1930's.  The focus is on Southwest Boulevard and clearly visible is the crossing of it by the Fairgrounds Branch to serve Schutte Lumber.

I can't post the picture directly here due to copyright, but you'll be able to view it on the Missouri Valley Special Collections page linked here: http://www.kchistory.org/u?/Curtiss,197

A few notes on key elements of the photo:

• The Frisco mainline curves from upper left to lower left.
• Just left of dead center is a team track area for the Frisco
• On the right edge just below center, the X-shaped tracks serving the various Schutte unloading areas can be seen among the many piles of lumber.  Business was good in this era.

Enjoy if you visit!

Colulmbia Bedding

This post remains in the archive to document the Fairgrounds Branch industry research journey.  I've since learned that Columbia Bedding was an active business on Roanoke Road since at least 1949 but closed in 1962  In the span of time since the company has been out-of-business, the property ownership has changed hands and the buildings they once occupied have been rearranged.  In my modeled era of the 1970s, Motor Parts Distributors occupied these buildings.


Columbia Bedding had its spot in Fairgrounds branch history confirmed by this Sanborn Map source.  One oddity is that these businesses were assigned addresses on Roanoke Rd despite them being east of the Frisco right-of-way.  Columbia Bedding was apparently a precursor to today's more-well-known Simmons Bedding Company, though I'm only gleaning that from the snippet that Google shows in search results.  The link referenced doesn't retrieve any content, possibly because a login of some kind is needed.  To quote the Google: "......2003 Changed name from Columbia Bedding, April 29, 2003 LLC to ..."

Fairgrounds Branch Early History

Some interesting history regarding the Farigrounds Branch came to my attention while researching industries. It was originally constructed  in 1873 by the Kansas City, Memphis & Mobile RR, which was later purchased by the KC & Southern RY and finally by then the KC, Osceola & Southern RY.  South of 31st. St. the road started but never finished the Westport Tunnel. The KCM&M also graded the line from Mill St. to Dodson, this line was later built as the KC Public Service Co., today's Trolley Track Trail. John Blair's KC&S intended to use the line as their entrance into KC but the cost of completing the tunnel & the heavy grade was too much so the KC&S built north from Dodson to Coburg instead. After the KCO&S was purchased by Frisco & as industry around Rosedale developed Frisco used the 29th St. Line to reach Coleman Highlands, but instead of completing the tunnel they built around it.

The tunnel was later converted to an entrance for an underground office park.  http://www.deanrealtyco.com/Downtown_Underground/History/.  In earlier research, I'd noticed topo maps had shown this area to be largely undeveloped with little mining symbols on it.  The development of that underground office park and reuse of the abandoned tunnel connects a few dots on this area, how it became the way it was, and why railroad tracks were built that way in the first place.