The Indian Creek Trail, which spans about 10 miles in Overland Park is about to get a facelift — new outdoor exhibit panels that will teach hikers and bikers about some little-known tidbits of Johnson County history.
For example, did you know that an off-handed remark turned 111th street into College Boulevard?
Maybe not, according to Henry Fortunato, founder of Sunflower Republic, LLC, and director of the Indian Creek Trail Interpretive Signage Project, because most schools teach very little about local history.
“I was talking with my younger kids about it and really they never got any history of Johnson County or Overland Park… If there no background there and you don’t come from here, it’s kind of lost,” Fortunato told Steve Kraske this week on KCUR’s Up To Date.
The project will feature interpretive signs at each street that crosses the trail, telling the story of that particular area.
Fortunato, who walks the trail almost every day, says he always wondered about the names of the iconic Johnson County streets that crossed the trail — so he set out to find the answers.
“These street names became an excellent spine on which to hang a couple of narratives, and in the process learn a lot about Johnson County and Overland Park,” Fortunato said.
Observers will find one of the most surprising histories on a panel where the trail intersects with Mission Road.
Shawnee Methodist Mission: school, hospital...and speakeasy?
Even for non-residents of Johnson County, The Shawnee Methodist Mission in Fairway, or Shawnee Indian Mission as it’s often referred to, is a known historical landmark and popular field-trip destination for area schools.
You may know that it was a training school for Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indian nations in the 1800s, or that it served as a hospital during the Battle of Westport in 1864.
What you may not know is that during the Prohibition, it was a raucous roadhouse, where a Kansas City gangster and speakeasy operator named Jack Copelman moved his operation from 1202 Grand in Kansas City.
Nicknamed a “chicken ranch,” Copelman's guests could come in for dinner, which, by intention, took a long time to prepare, so people could drink a lot while they waited.
“If you were a special guest there were rooms upstairs for doubles or foursomes where you could drink and possibly do ‘other things’... the Kansas City star article about that is a little vague,” Fortunato said.
But in 1921, the Johnson County Sheriff raided the Mission building and shut down Copelman’s operation.
Another of Fortunato’s favorites is the story of how Lamar Avenue got its name.
The Johnson Country street named after the most famous 19th century Mississippian you've never heard of
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar was a statesman from Mississippi who surprised people by speaking at the eulogy of Charles Sumner, who was considered an enemy of the South during the Civil War. He is remembered for his efforts to help heal the wounds between the North and the South after the war.
Later, a Mississippian named Baxton purchased land in Johnson County and instead of naming the street that went through his property after himself, which was the common practice, he named it after Lamar.
“And that's why you have the street in Johnson county named after the most famous 19th century Mississippian you’ve never heard of,” Fortunato said.
Models of the first four panels will be on display at Roe Park in Kansas this Saturday, but Fortunato says there are more to come.
“Depending on funding, and how well it’s received by the community... we absolutely would like to do that,” Mindy Love, director of the Johnson County Museum told Kraske. The Johnson County Museum helped with the project.
Saturday's event will also include guided walks along the trail, and a live portrayal of Reverend Thomas Johnson, the namesake of Johnson County. For more information, visit Overland Park's website.
Lisa Rodriguez is a reporter and associate producer of KCUR's Up To Date. Connect with her on Twitter @larodrig.
