August 9, 2025
FINDS A CITY TRANSFORMED.
F. S. MacJohnstone Tells of Kansas
City 25 Years Ago.
"Kansas City was a mud hole when my wife and I left it for the West a quarter of a century ago," said F. S. MacJohnstone of Colorado Springs, Col., at the Hotel Moore last night. "Its transformation as we viewed it today from an automobile which whirled us over the magnificent boulevards is wonderful. Twenty-five years ago there were huge, ugly hills with rocks jutting out on every side, steep walks, poor sewerage, hilly paved streets and no park system. Now you have the opposite. In Colorado we have beautiful drives and parks for our natural mountain scenery gives us an unrivaled background.
"Neither my wife nor I deemed it possible that Kansas City could make the strides it has since we left it. We have read of the growth of the city but did not realize its extent. We drove this afternoon through Roanoke. We used to go nutting in what is now one of the prettiest residence districts in the city. At that time it was occupied by a few shacks.
"Although my father and I furnished locks and hardware for the Old Missouri Valley buidling which was located somewhere near Fifth and Delaware streets, the only familiar sight we met of any conssequence was the old Blossom house, opposite the Union depot. The hotel was built before we left Kansas City."
Mr. MacJohnstone is a former alderman of Colorado Springs. With his wife he came to Kansas City to attend the wedding of a cousin, Fred MacJohnstone of Chicago, to Miss Lydia Dunning of Rochester, N. Y. Miss Duning was the guest of the MacJohnstones at Colorado Springs and came to Kansas City with them. The bride and groom departed yesterday for Chicago.
Mr. and Mrs. MacJohnstone left last evening for Denver.
Labels: Chicago, Delaware street, Denver, Fifth street, history, hotels, New York, Union depot, visitors, wedding
