Paris of the Plains: Kansas City from Doughboys to Expressways

by John Simonson

From the end of the Great War to the final years of the 1950s, Kansas Citians lived in a manner worthy of a place called Paris of the Plains. The title did more than nod to the perfumed ladies who shopped at Harzfeld's Parisian or the one-thousand-foot television antenna nicknamed the "Eye-full Tower." It spoke to the character of a town that worked for Boss Tom and danced for Count Basie but transcended both the Pendergast era and the Jazz Age. Author John Simonson introduces readers to a town of vaudeville shows and screened-in porches, where fleets of cream-and-black streetcars passed beneath a canopy of elms. This is a history that smells equally of lilacs and stockyards and bursts with the clamor of gunshots, radio baseball and the distant whistle of a night train.

Genres: Nonfiction

130 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2010

Reviews

[Julie Masson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this book read more like an historical account of Kansas City’s past but instead, the author deployed a unique but sometimes confusing storytelling method. He used anecdotes from old newspapers to tell the story of decades past and I did like learning about the more day to day life of regular Kansas Citians. But it was hard to tell when he was speaking from the present and when he was speaking from the view point of one of the characters in the past.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat little book recommended by Road Scholar in preparation for my trip to Kansas City next month. It's a bit rambling but the author pieces together interesting little tidbits of Kansas City history from the 1910s through the 1950s. He acts as a time traveler and has searched through newspapers and historical records of the city to find notable little vignettes for the reader. It includes everything from famous gangsters, musicians and politicians to everyday folks, streetcars, buildings, sports teams, crimes and so on. It's very nostalgic and he is obviously proud of his hometown. 3+

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kansas City Memories, Revealed!

This book is a look at the memorable events that occurred in Kansas City, Missouri from 1921 through 1957. The author revisits sites in Kansas City where notable events occurred, such as the abandoned baby girl at Union Station, the death of Fats Waller on a Santa Fe train at Union Station, the Incredible Flood of 1951, a Blues exhibition baseball game against the mighty Yankees, and so on. I really enjoyed this retrospective of notable events in Kansas City!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roots you to place

It was a pleasure to read a well researched local book. The author puts in the work to help readers I understand the history of a city that he clearly loves. It took some time for me to acclimate to the method of writing, but, once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Callie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written with personal details that help the reader put the image of the situation in their mind. Making the historical events and places more personal with the happenings of that specific day with little anecdotes. Good read.

[Bonnie Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

KC History Is Great Scene-Setter

This series of well drawn vignettes creates a palindrome, in which one can see the outlines of past civic life beneath today's modern city. It was a great way to revisit and recollect my own earliest memories of my hometown.

[Adrián López · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little read. Cool stories of KC history. Bogged down in superfluous narrative at times with innocuous reason but overall presented a fascinating perspective of KC history. Also f*ck cars for ripping apart downtown KC 😤

[Mossy Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real joy. I was drawn in by the vignettes that Simonson cleverly used to capture the historic soul of Kansas City.

[Athena Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

great memories - well tied in to all the places/events/happenings around town

[Nick Verbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok not what I was expecting

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve learned these kinds of books are helpful as starters when researching an area or time period. It is an interesting read with lots of basic facts of KC history.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are at all interested in the history and personality of Kansas City, this book is an utter pleasure to read. Simonson's tour through the first five decades of the twentieth century provide a colorful, non-academic (but still informative), thoroughly human history that is a quick and easy read while neither being simplistic or condescending. I'm going to recommend this to everyone I know from KC, new to KC, or remotely curious about the town.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a relatively quick read, and being a current KC resident, I loved the detail to specific places and times. I can drive by them and picture what it may have been like in an earlier decade, thanks to this author. Great read.

[Holly Ites · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice little vignettes of Kansas City in its heyday.

[Andra · Rating 4 out of 5]

stories like your grandfather would tell you about what it was like in his time. remembering all the small moments forgotten to capture the essence of Kansas City.