Exploring Kansas City, Kansas: Urban Hike Discovering the History and Culture of Strawberry Hill

 

Diverse heritage and history weave together to create Kansas City, Kansas. The city's rich diversity immediately revealed itself during my recent Strawberry Hill Urban Hike. Hiking with Urban Hikes Kansas City provided a foundation for my adventure in the second most diverse city in the nation!

Gateway to Kansas by local artist Ed Hogan.

Throughout the hike, we learned about the Wyandotte who settled in Kansas City after forced removal from their original tribal lands and their important place in the city's story. We learned about the development of Kansas City economically, politically, and culturally. Our urban hike of Strawberry Hill provided an amazing foundation for our visit.

We began to walk along the Riverfront Heritage Trail. For quite some time, Kansas City's rivers have not really been admired due to pollution from meat packing plants. In recent years, there have been efforts to restore the rivers to their glory for all to enjoy. Along with the Riverfront Heritage Trail, there now is kayaking on the river. Additionally, art and historical markers along the trail add interesting points along the trail.

Interesting Fact - We did see the spot where the French originally settled along the river known as the French Bottoms or West Bottoms. However, the settlement was wiped out by flooding. We would learn how floods would shape some of the history of Kansas City, Kansas.

Metal sculptures crafted by local artists add a little
about Kansas City history to Woodswether Bridge.

We walked along the viaduct Woodswether Bridge gazing up to admire metal sculptures crafted by local artists reflecting some of the hidden history of Kansas City, Kansas. We soaked in a magnificent view of the Kansas or Kaw River. While appreciating the view and art, we learned about how slaves escaped to the Free State of Kansas. Kansas played a pivotal role on the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves would cross the river into nearby Quindaro often moving further along the Underground Railroad to safer havens. Urban Hikes Kansas City also offers a Quindaro Hike to explore this significant area.

The confluence of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers can be seen in the distance.

From the bridge, you can see Kaw Point Park and the confluence of the Kansas River and the Missouri River. The Wyandotte originally camped at Kaw Point when they arrived in the Kansas City area. Lewis and Clark also camped at Kaw Point during their journey. I visited Kaw Point Park separately from this tour. As you wander the trails and marvel at the beauty and power of the rivers, you can feel the strength of history in the location.

Embarking Up Strawberry Hill

Kansas City, Missouri skyline from Strawberry Hill.

Soon, we embarked up a hill and would learn the story of Strawberry Hill. The communities of Strawberry Hill represent the ethnic diversity of Kansas City. A variety of different ethnic groups arrived to work in the meat packing industry. They lived in communities below the hill that rowdy and not-so-safe. A combination between flooding and safety concerns encouraged them to move up the hill. The hill was full of wild strawberries -- hence Strawberry Hill. Additionally, strawberries are important to the Wyandotte people making the move to this special place even more meaningful.

The Strawberry Hill Museum houses exhibits on
the different ethnic groups that moved to the hill.

As we walked through the district, we moved from the original location of one ethnic community to the next. We learned a little about each as we navigated the streets. The Strawberry Hill Museum contains exhibits reflecting many of these ethnic groups. At Christmas, the museum holds a wonderful celebration highlighting the traditions of these different groups.

Incredible Police Athletic League Programs in Historic Church

The Police Athletic League in Kansas City, Kansas is housed in a historic church.

I do want you to go on the tour, so I will not disclose everything on the tour. We did learn about many structures, gardens, and more throughout the neighborhood while learning about Strawberry Hill's past and present. There are so many stories to be told in the district.

One of the most impactful moments for those on our tour was visiting a former Irish Catholic Church which is now a youth center.  The center offers an incredible range of academic, athletic, art, self-defense and more programs for youth. They even have a magnificent garden complete with a henhouse and greenhouse! Truly, a fantastic why to help the city's at-risk youth. The energy within the building is uplifting. 

Exploring Local Businesses

Our adventure also introduced us to a few local businesses and we even met the owner of Krizman's Sausage which is a 3rd generation business. The owner's grandfather emigrated from Croatia just with a little money and could not speak English. After working in the meat packing industry, he opened a grocery store with his brother. He would make sausages in the back of the store. Once his son took over, he focused on sausage making so today while there is no grocery store the sausage making business still thrives.

Krizman's Sausage has long been a staple of Strawberry Hill.

Wyandot Echoes Mural

Wyandot Echoes Mural

We concluded our tour near the sacred ground of the Wynadot National Burying Ground. The nearby Wyandot Echoes Mural depicts the story of the Wynadot from the time when they arrived in Kansas to their spiritual return to the past. The cemetery was actually at risk for development. Lyda Conley and her two sisters waged a long battle to protect the sacred land. Lyda and her sisters forged a public campaign to save the cemetery. During the course of the campaign, she became a lawyer and brought the case to the Supreme Court. Although the case was lost, the government decided to protect the cemetery. Lyda is featured on the mural.

Urban Hikes Kansas City Reveals the Fabric of Kansas City

Urban Hikes Kansas City offers an innovative option for exploring Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. The hikes reveal the unique threads of each city highlighting the people that live and have lived there, the history of the cities, regional flavors, and distinctive art and architecture. I learned so much more on my hike of Strawberry Hill than I would have hiking it on my own. I had an absolutely incredible experience that added to my adventure in Kansas City, Kansas.