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of Northwest Missouri Porter Rockwell Ferry |
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of Northwest Missouri Porter Rockwell Ferry |
Contrary to the popular notion, relatively few of the Latter-day Saints living in Jackson County in the 1831-1833 period actually lived at Independence. Most were in several communities along the Santa Fe Trail. Heading west from Independence, the trail crossed the Big Blue River. Here, a group of Saints, including Orrin Porter Rockwell, made their homes. Rockwell and his father operated a ferry across the Blue.
Above is a picture of Blue Valley Park in Kansas City. The park is located just west of I-435 on 23rd Street. The far line of trees lines the bluff that overlooks the river. The break in the trees is where a path heads down to the part of the river where Rockwell's Ferry was located.
From the bluff, one can get a panoramic piture of the improvements made the Blue River by the U. S. Corps of Engineers. Originally, the Blue was a winding, hair-pin, almost creek-like river winding it's way through what would become Kansas City/Independence. It hugged the bluffs this picture was taken from and was densely wooded even as late as three years ago.
The Blue also drains much of the southern part of Downtown Kansas City, including the J.C. Nicholls Plaza. For years, flooding had been a problem for this part of the city, mainly because of the Blue's inability to send large amounts of water from Brush Creek to the Missouri quickly. The corps has straightened out the flow and rerouted the channel. The picture above is taken from just about where Porter Rockwell's Ferry was on the old channel.
This picture looks west, up the draw where the Saints lived. This path is pretty much where the Santa Fe Trail left the Blue River and continued toward Westport, and the other communities in Kaw Township.
Still looking west further up the draw, eventually, the path leads up the hill into Kansas City proper.
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