Michael Bushnell
Contributing
Historian

Not long before noted railroad restaurateur Fred Harvey had a photograph taken for this color postcard, the old Union Depot had just been demolished. Kansas City’s new Union Station was erected and dedicated in 1914 — much closer to the City’s downtown business district on Pershing Road and out of harm’s way from any catastrophic flooding. 

This view from the vantage point of roughly Seventh Street looking southwest down Union Avenue was known in the early 20th century as the Central Industrial District. The vacant ground where the old depot once stood is prominent in the left-center area of the postcard — just beyond the trusses for the Eighth Street tunnel trolley line. 

In the foreground, Bluff Road (as it is presently known) is the main north-south artery along the west side of the great bluff overlooking the meat packing and stockyards district. The iron bridge in the center of the card was demolished in 2005 in order to make a safer, wider structure ramp leading from Bluff Road into the district. To the right, Sewall Paint & Glass can be seen, as well as Chandler Hay Press. Just behind Sewall Paint is the Faultless Spray Starch plant, which in this image is dwarfed by the factory for Vassar Chocolates/ Loose-Wiles Biscuits — products manufactured under the Sunshine Biscuits brand. Sunshine is now part of the Nabisco family brands

Fred Harvey was a prolific businessman of his day — operating restaurants and hotels and publishing postcards depicting the wonderful vistas found in the cities where he operated his businesses. This postcard shows the city’s West Bottoms manufacturing district. It was printed between 1915 to 1926.