Gangsters, speakeasies, the birth of Kansas City barbecue, and the forgotten genius who put KC on the map. Historian Bill Nicks of HistoryKC takes us on a tour of Kansas City history you didn't learn in school.
Bill Nicks is a self-proclaimed historian, first-person reenactor, and Kansas City tour guide with five characters in his closet: Octave Chanute, Wilbur Wright, Dr. James Naismith, President (and General) Eisenhower, and political boss Tom Pendergast. He says that means he never eats alone. Bill leads six-hour bus tours of Kansas City in character, from the wagon swales at Minor Park to Kaw Point, where Lewis and Clark camped, with lunch at the City Market along the way.
In this episode we dig into the man Bill says "made Kansas City": Octave Chanute. He designed the Hannibal Bridge, the first railroad bridge over the Missouri River, laid out the original town of Lenexa, designed the stockyards, and mentored the Wright brothers. Then we get into the wide-open days of the Pendergast machine: vote fraud, Johnny Lazia, the Union Station Massacre, and a very convenient street-widening right before Prohibition. Bill also traces KC barbecue from Henry Perry's pushcart in the Garment District to Gates and Arthur Bryant's, and explains how a New Yorker writer and the old Kansas City A's helped make us the Barbecue Capital of the World.
Along the way we bust a Union Station myth, tell the story behind Charlie Parker's "Yardbird" nickname, find out how the Country Club Plaza fountains got their start, and hear why Bill's favorite Kansas City spots are Kaw Point and the 8th Street Tunnel. And yes, there are bloopers, including the night a whole room of Riley County firefighters walked out on General Ike.
Whether you're a lifelong Kansas Citian, a KU (University of Kansas) fan, a true crime buff, or planning your first trip to KC, this one belongs on your Kansas City bucket list.
Key topics:
- Octave Chanute, the Hannibal Bridge, and how Kansas City beat Leavenworth and St. Joe
- Chanute's role in the Wright brothers' first flight
- Bill's five historical characters and how he got started
- His Kansas City and Lawrence (Dr. Naismith) bus tours
- Tom Pendergast, Johnny Lazia, and KC's "wide open town" era
- Prohibition, speakeasies, and the Union Station Massacre
- The Kansas City Stockyards
- The history of Kansas City barbecue: Henry Perry, Gates, Arthur Bryant's, Q39
- The World Cup, Fan Fest, and the Lenexa Barbecue Contest
- Myth-busting the Union Station bullet holes
- The Garment District and the Nelly Don kidnapping
- 18th and Vine and Charlie Parker
- The Country Club Plaza, J.C. Nichols, and the fountains
- Walt Disney and Ernest Hemingway in Kansas City
- Kaw Point and the 8th Street Tunnel
- Why everyone should have a "20-minute Rotary talk" about their hobby
Guest: Bill Nicks, HistoryKC
Email: historykc@gmail.com
Website: www.historykc.com
LISTEN ON:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18f1RGwssjqJLKK6Qk3SxW?si=qfjwisvkQNSEst3Nd36CHw
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kansas-city-bucket-list-podcast/id1867855646
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kansascitybucketlist
Love this episode? Follow the Kansas City Bucket List Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss a new KC adventure. Leave a rating and review, and share this episode with the history buff, barbecue lover, or KU fan in your life. It helps more Kansas City stories reach more listeners.
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Welcome Bill Nicks, historian and first-person reenactor
0:40 – Octave Chanute and the Hannibal Bridge
1:46 – Chanute, gliders, and the Wright brothers
4:32 – Chanute, Kansas, and laying out Lenexa
6:19 – How Bill became a first-person historian
7:44 – Bill's five characters: Wright, Naismith, Ike, and Pendergast
10:14 – Inside Bill's six-hour Kansas City history tour
12:39 – The Border War and Quantrill's raid on Lawrence
13:45 – Edutainment: "every town has interesting history"
15:21 – The world's largest sunflower collection
17:09 – From Lenexa Parks & Rec to 50 events a year
20:01 – The Dr. Naismith tour of Lawrence and Allen Fieldhouse
23:23 – Bloopers: firefighters walk out on General Ike
26:01 – Tom Pendergast, Johnny Lazia, and the Union Station Massacre
30:53 – KC's reputation as a "wide open town"
33:25 – Prohibition, speakeasies, and the Jefferson Hotel
36:07 – The Kansas City Stockyards
37:13 – Why isn't anything in KC named after Chanute?
41:23 – The history of Kansas City barbecue
45:49 – The World Cup, Fan Fest, and the Lenexa Barbecue Contest
49:05 – Q39 and competition barbecue
51:41 – Myth-busting the Union Station bullet holes
53:57 – The Garment District and the Nelly Don kidnapping
55:42 – Haunted and gangster tours
57:19 – 18th and Vine and Charlie Parker's "Yardbird" nickname
59:56 – The Country Club Plaza, J.C. Nichols, and the fountains
1:02:08 – A favorite tour memory
1:04:05 – Why first person? Plus Pendergast and Felix Payne
1:06:30 – Walt Disney and Hemingway in Kansas City
1:08:52 – Bill's favorite spots: Kaw Point and the 8th Street Tunnel
1:11:24 – How the KC Current got its name
1:12:27 – How to book Bill
1:13:31 – Why everyone needs a "20-minute Rotary talk"
1:18:41 – Western Kansas and Bill's ideal day in KC
1:20:44 – Wrap-up
Thank you to our podcast host, sponsor and media partner, Real Media! Visit RealMediaKC.com to learn more about their full service audio and video services!
