The 11,000 acres of land Kansas City’s international airport stands on was once home to Native tribal groups as far back as 2500 BC. After the United States made the Louisiana Purchase agreement with the French in 1803, Native peoples were, by treaty or harassment, moved off their tribal lands and by 1836 all were removed to west of the Missouri River.
The land became part of Platte County, fertile farmland was plated and sold to white settlers. Many used the labor of enslaved people to work on farms and plantations. A key commodity raised before and during the Civil War was hemp, shipped south for use in the cotton industry. After the war many newly emancipated Black families made Platte County their home, helping build communities throughout the Kansas City region.
This program is a combined version of the four shorter films that are part of the historical exhibit at Kansas City’s International Airport (corridor to Terminal B). It tells some of the stories of the peoples of Platte County and their pathway to reconciliation and healing.
26 апр 2023
