I don't think this has been posted before, but one of my favorite capsule histories of industrial development around Kansas City was presented by William S. Worley in 1993 as part of the "Midcontinent Perspectives" lecture series by the Midwest Research Institute. Transcripts for most of the talks are online. Below is the link to Mr. Worley's presentation. http://www.umkc.edu/WHMCKC/PUBLICATIONS/MCP/MCPPDF/Worley-1-28-93.pdf The whole series can be found at this link. These are fascinating reads beyond railroading (there are a couple from Irvine Hockaday of KCS), as some late '70's and early '80's lectures attempt to make some predictions for 2001 and beyond. While these are not railroad specific, many of these lectures illustrate events and people that shaped (and often lent their name) to locations in the KC area. There is a lecture on the 1951 Kaw River flood by Danial Serda. http://www.umkc.edu/whmckc/publications/MCP/MCPLecturer.htm Ted Ferkenhoff Flagstaff, AZ
