The Rosedale Memorial Arch in Kansas City, Kansas, turns 100 years old on Saturday. The arch, inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was completed in 1924 to honor the U.S. Army’s 42nd Infantry Division in World War I.
“The original dedication ceremony was Sept. 7, 1924, and it was a very large event for Rosedale, which had just newly become part of Kansas City, Kansas,” says Sarah Oltvedt, events director with the Rosedale Development Association.
The arch has since become an important community landmark that reminds residents of Rosedale’s history, she says.
The unit it honors became known as the “Rainbow Division” because its members came from 26 different states. Of those service members, 375 men came from the Kansas City, Kansas, area. In June 1917, Lt. Col. Frank L. Travis assembled the soldiers on top of Mount Marty in Rosedale, where the arch now stands near the University Of Kansas Medical Center.
The unit saw heavy casualties during World War I — it suffered 16,242 casualties, according to the arch’s Register of Historic Places designation — and was in combat longer than any other American division.
After the war, the city celebrated the returning soldiers in May 1919. Residents decorated the streets with rainbow flags and officials renamed Hudson Road to Rainbow Boulevard, a name that remains today.
Oltvedt says the Rosedale Development Association will celebrate the memorial’s 100-year anniversary with a rededication ceremony at Rosedale Middle School this weekend.
Saturday’s event will evoke those past celebrations, she says, complete with “a very patriotic ceremony with the American Legion Band and some remarks from locals about the arch and exploring some of its history.”
Oltvedt says attendees can expect live music, food trucks, family-friendly activities, and urban hikes through the nearby Rozarks Trail and Rosedale neighborhood.
A memorial built, dedicated and rededicated
In 1921, Rosedale voters approved a $25,000 bond to build the memorial park and arch, but progress stalled when Kansas City, Kansas, annexed the neighboring city in 1922. Kansas City, Kansas, made progress in July 1923 when a parade and groundbreaking ceremony took place. About 6,000 people came to that parade, which went down both sides of the state line.
More than a year later, the arch was finally dedicated at a ceremony with 2,500 attendees, according to research by the Kansas City Public Library.
But the fanfare didn’t last long. The arch and surrounding park became neglected, and a new athletic field for the neighboring Rosedale High School (today Rosedale Middle School) blocked it from public access.
In the 1960s, the Rosedale community came together to restore the arch, clear the debris and repair the stonework. The arch was rededicated in 1962, honoring veterans of all wars. In 1993, a smaller memorial was added at the base of the arch listing the names of Rosedale veterans killed in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War.
Today, Mount Marty Park and the Rosedale Memorial Arch are maintained by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, parks and recreation department.
The Rosedale Development Association organizes volunteer cleanups and activities like this year’s rededication ceremony. To improve the area, the group has started an arch preservation fund with the help of the Rosedale Alumni Association. So far they have raised about $11,000, and Saturday’s celebration could help protect the future of the arch.
“The bidding is ongoing and will be part of the master plan process that we're going to undertake after the event,” Oltvedt says.
Some of the preservation work would include updating the memorial’s facade and structure, as well as updating the surrounding park to be more welcoming to visitors.
“We suspect that we're looking upwards of $50,000 for some of the things that we know for sure need to be done,” Oltveldt says.
The Rosedale Memorial Arch rededication ceremony is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Fisher Park and around the athletic field at Rosedale Middle School, 3600 Springfield St., Kansas City, Kansas 66103. Find more information at the Unified Government’s website.
