More than a Cowtown: A Guided Journey Through Kansas City's History

Join local tour guide, Laura, owner of Cowtown Tours Kansas City, on this walking tour. Kansas City is a river town that doesn't always remember it sits at the confluence of two mighty rivers! We sometimes forget that our earliest inhabitants traveled around or through the area solely on water, whether in canoes, keel boats, steamboats or barges. During this 2-hour walking tour, you'll get a comprehensive overview of some of the many people who called this area home, or traversed around and through, well over two-hundred years ago. From the people of the indigenous tribes who traded with the area's French trappers; to Lewis & Clark's expedition of 1804; to the harrowing stories of the steamboats and their vast pre-Civil War cargoes; to the slaves seeking freedom on the underground railroad crossing from the slave-state Missouri to the abolitionist territory of Kansas; to the entrepreneurial women who earned their living in the River Market area, you'll hear their amazing stories and see the landmarks.

We start the tour in one of the oldest city markets in the country which still operates in its original location. During our walk, we'll see the following: •Town of Kansas Bridge, overlooking the muddy Missouri River and location of the original steamboat landing. •Steamboat Arabia Museum and massive paddle wheel. •Two larger-than-life murals, depicting the river and what the area looked like in the 1804 and 1850. •Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery Statue, with a commanding view of Kaw Point, down into the West Bottoms and over into the State of Kansas. •Four distinct neighborhoods of River Market, Quality Hill, Garment District, and Library District. If you don't see your preferred day or time listed, please message me for availability. Many times, I can accommodate additional times.