1926 Chicago & Alton Railroad Depot

This train station was constructed in 1926, replacing a previous structure that was built in 1879. The building was moved from its location off Main Street downtown to this park in 2012, and since 2018, the depot has been home to the Blue Springs Railway Express Museum. This Missouri community was named for the spring water found near the Little Blue River, a resource that inspired settlers to stay in the area during their westward journeys during the early nineteenth century. As more arrived in the area, the town grew as a trading center supporting area farms. The small community and strategic location inspired investors to connect the Chicago & Alton Railroad to the town in the late 1870s. The original Train Depot opened in 1879 in what became Blue Springs central district, located about one mile east of the original settlement. An associated hotel, the Chicago & Alton Hotel, opened nearby in 1878. The railroad depot, hotel, and developing business district allowed Blue Springs to become incorporated in 1880. The original depot burned down during the early 1920s, so the town asked the Chicago & Alton Railroad to rebuild the station. The resulting structure (1926) survives as the last one-story, wood & stucco Chicago and Alton train depot in Missouri.

The original Chicago & Alton depot was constructed in 1879 and burned down during the early 1920s. Blue Springs asked the Chicago & Alton Railroad to rebuild the station, noting that the town served as an important transportation center for industry, travelers, and livestock. The resulting structure (1926) survives as the last one-story, wood & stucco Chicago and Alton train depot in Missouri. Another landmark, the Chicago & Alton Hotel, was constructed in 1878 and is located a few blocks away from the depot.

Like much of the Kansas City region, Blue Springs initially stood as the home to Native Americans before western expansionism eventually forced them to leave the area. As Americans headed west, many settled (or stayed temporarily) in Blue Springs due to its abundance of clean water from a spring of the nearby Little Blue River (hence the name Blue Springs). The presence of quality water motivated settlers to develop the location into a permanent settlement by the late 1830s. Within a few years, the town supported a grist mill and post office. 

The railroad's arrival helped spur growth by the mid-1850s and even more so after the Civil War (similar to many towns in west-central Missouri). In 1878, Chicago and Alton Railroad disclosed plans to build a station located roughly one mile east of the original settlement. As a result, the Blue Springs' business center shifted to the east near the railroad, where it continued its maturation as a trading center. A demonstration of that shift exists with the 1878 construction of the Chicago & Alton Hotel (1506 W Main Street), the oldest business in Blue Springs; the train depot opened in 1879.

The depot, hotel, and developing business center pushed the Jackson County Court to grant the town its formal incorporation on September 7, 1880, making the Blue Springs the fourth settlement in the county to be incorporated. As such, while the town's history ultimately dates back to the 1830s, the depot speaks to the town's more modern history, which began with the railroad's arrival in 1878-79. Since 2018, the historic depot has operated as a museum (The Blue Springs Railway Express Museum), made possible by $40,000 in donations provided to the Blue Springs Historical Society.

Blue Springs Historical Society. Accessed January 9, 2022. http://www.bluespringshistory.org/.

The City of Blue Springs, Missouri. bluespringsgov.com. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://www.bluespringsgov.com/60/History.

Gibbs, Keleigh. "Blue Springs rail depot gets new life." KMBC News (ABC). kmbc.com. May 13, 2018. https://www.kmbc.com/article/blue-springs-rail-depot-gets-new-life/20143326#

"Missouri's Railroads: A Bicentennial Overview." University of Missouri St. Louis Mercantile Library. umsl.edu. Accessed January 10, 2022. http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/mo-rrs.html.