Kansas City, Kansas (Images of America)

Over the past 150 years, many of the consumer goods sold and used across the country were either manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas, or passed through this industrial center. From the westbound trails of pioneer times until today, Kansas has been the crossroads of the nation, and the city has benefitted from its geographic centrality in the country. Household names with ties to the city include Google; Cerner Corporation; Procter & Gamble; General Motors; Colgate-Palmolive; the Santa Fe, Rock Island & Union Pacific Railroad lines; Phillips Petroleum; Armour and Company; Owens Corning; Massey Ferguson; General Electric; Sunshine Biscuits; Lee (apparel); Sealy (mattresses); and United Telecom (which morphed into Sprint Nextel). Images of America: Kansas City, Kansas aims to present some of that historic past, much of which has long been demolished, so that modern readers may see the complete, “full service” city as it evolved between 1804 and 2012.