Roadside Stagecoach Spotting in Kansas and Missouri

If you're driving through Kansas or Missouri, you will start to notice a similar roadside attraction - stagecoaches. Before highways or even railroads, the only way to really travel across the country was by stagecoach. The earliest stagecoach line to travel through Missouri and Kansas was the Santa Fe Trail, which in 1849 ran a monthly line of stagecoaches from St. Louis to Santa Fe, New Mexico, although the trail was first blazed in 1821. It later moved to Independence, Missouri and those crossing the wide open spaces of the country would travel the 1,200 miles of the Santa Fe Trail for $250 with only 40 pounds of baggage.

The trail was fraught with danger. Even as travelers struggled to survive the arid plains, deserts, and mountains there were more challenges to overcome. Stagecoaches were sometimes attacked by Native Americans. Rattlesnakes, lightening storms, and more all posed deadly threats to lives of those brave souls trying to cross the wild, vast space of the country. This brief history is, of course, only cursory, but if you want to learn more about the Santa Fe Trail, including its economic significance to trade as well as its military history, I encourage you to read more on the Legends of America website.

Many of the sites along the Santa Fe Trail are marked and commemorated as national historic landmarks. But also along the road are stagecoaches that mark intersections and businesses throughout Kansas and Missouri.

In the Westport neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri there is a large stagecoach at a major intersection. I've tried to find out when it was built or why, but can't seem to find an answer. It's simply there. I ran into the same problem when trying to find out about a stagecoach at an intersection in Overland Park, Kansas. As much as stagecoaches and stagecoach trails are commemorated as a significant part of Kansas and Missouri history, it seems these roadside stagecoaches has simply become part of the scenery - erected and forgotten as though it has always been there and always will be there. I now wonder if anyone else notices the stagecoaches, or if they simply drive on by.

The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO

There are many reasons I travel - to experience new things, to see things I've never seen before - but one of the big reasons I travel is for music (if my recent trip to Bonner Springs wasn't a clue). So when I heard one of my favorite bands, Murder By Death, was playing at The Record Bar in Kansas City a few weeks ago, I dropped everything and jumped into my car.

I first heard Murder By Death when I was sixteen. They were opening for Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma (and by admitting I was at a Thursday show I know I am revealing my age). Their first album, "Like the Exorcist, But More Break Dancing" had just come out and their stage show was amazing. The album immediately sold out at the merch table and I was lucky enough to spend some time talking with the keyboardist. Mostly because I yelled, "Neil Simon!" when I saw him. (For those who don't know, "Murder By Death" is a play written by Neil Simon and later made into a film by Robert Moore.) He told me I was the second person to ever get the reference.

Since I was sixteen, they have released many more amazing albums (my favorites being "Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them" and "Red of Tooth and Claw"). I have remained a serious fan and was thrilled to see them live for the first time in years. I was also excited because the show was at The Record Bar, my favorite bar music venue in Kansas City. Anyone who has been to a show at a bar knows there are certain advantages and disadvantages to a smaller venue. The concert is more intimate and you can really feel yourself being part of the musical performance and the crowd, it becomes a full-sensory experience. But the downsides are always overcrowding and the typical drunk guy who wanders through the crowd spilling his twelfth beer.

But a show at The Record Bar is worth traveling for. First, it has a parking lot. While most shows at a Westport bar require driving in circles for thirty minutes looking for a street parking spot, The Record Bar is in a small shopping center so there is always somewhere to park. No long, dangerous walks back to my car!

Second, the staff is incredible. Every time I have been there for a show, the bartenders have always been kind and helpful. The night of the Murder By Death show, maybe too much. You see, I don't drink whiskey anymore. In my early twenties, I could put away Jack Daniels with the best of them. But now I'm older and wiser and my liver simply can't take it. But because most of Murder By Death's songs are about whiskey and bourbon, I decided to have one. Well, the lovely bartender declared me his "shot buddy." Next thing I know, he's pouring me shot after shot of free Jack Daniels! How do you say no to free alcohol? I couldn't and enjoyed a few, although I certainly felt them with a wicked vengance the next day.

Third, it's easy to get a cab to The Record Bar. If you are going to drink at The Record Bar (and although the drinks are always over-priced, the variety and selection of drinks makes it likely you will) then don't drive home! Throughout Kansas City, it can be impossible to get a cab, but in Westport and specifically The Record Bar, it is easy. I appreciate any place that has a parking lot where I can leave my car and get a cab home after enjoying a few adult beverages and a great concert.

The Murder By Death show was amazing and The Record Bar was a perfect venue. If you want to travel to see a musical act in Kansas City, I recommend making The Record Bar your road trip destination.

Total Time Traveled: 2 hours

Total Distance Traveled: 84 miles

Soundtrack: "Red of Tooth and Claw" Murder By Death