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The Rose Garden was first established in 1931 by the newly formed Kansas City Rose Society led by Laura Conyers Smith; it was officially named for the leader in 1965. Thousands of roses in more than 130 varieties form a circular courtyard and features statues, verandas, and a large Italian stone fountain that was dedicated in 2002. The Garden Center was built in 1957 for meetings and horticultural exhibitions and features the Japanese Tea Room. Established in 1972, the arboretum showcases more than 4000 trees. It was named for Stanley R. McLane who was president of the Garden Center Association of Greater Kansas City and the landscape supervisor for J.C. Nichols Company.

Pergola and World War II Tribute

Established in 1927, Loose Park is the third largest park in Kansas City. Ella Loose, wife of Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company founder Jacob Loose, purchased the land in 1926 for the purpose of establishing a public park in honor of her late husband. Over the years, Loose Park has become a popular urban park that offers walking paths, green space, a lake, fountains, and a rose garden. The land that Loose Park occupies was first inhabited by the Osage and Kansa Tribes until 1831, and has been home to the first Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, William Bent of Bent’s Fort, and successful Kansas City banker Seth Ward. It is also notable as the site of the Battle of Westport and once home to a golf course for the first Country Club of Kansas City.

Jacob Leander Loose and Ella Anne Clark (Loose) founded the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company in 1902, producing Sunshine Crackers. In 1946, the company officially changed its name to Sunshine Biscuit, Inc. Although some sources note the Sunshine name stemmed from Jacob's pet name for Ella (Sunshine), an alternative argument notes the connection between the Sunshine name and the factory's design that allowed for abundant sunlight. The alternative view is supported by the company's construction in 1912 of another sunlight-laden factory in New York referred to as the "Thousand Window" bakery. By the time Jacob died, the Sunshine Biscuit company had done an annual business of $40 million (more than $600 million in today's economy).Jacob, a noted philanthropist, started the Children's Mercy Hospital's endowment fund with $25,000 in 1913 (equal to more than $680,000 in 2021). Ella, meanwhile, supported several causes, especially those advocating children's welfare (Ella lost two children as infants). For example, for more than thirty years, she purchased shoes for kids at her favorite orphanage. In 1929, Ella sold the couple's mansion. She gained a reputation as a wealthy widow who regularly hosted parties and donated to various causes; she routinely visited the White House and hosted government dignitaries at her parties. In 1927, four years after Jacob's death, Ella donated a life-size statue of Jacob and donated seventy-five acres of the old Country Club Golf Course for a park in memory of her husband. The park property once existed as a significant Civil War battleground where nearly 30,000 Confederate and Union soldiers clashed; the Union forces wound the battle soundly. In 1941, she presented the City with this statue to honor her husband; it was placed at the entrance to Loose Park so that he could look out over the park.

Before there were Oreos, Americans enjoyed the Sunshine Cracker Company's Hydrox cookie, which, in 1908, became the nation's first cream-filled chocolate cookie. The cookie, and overall success of the cracker business, allowed Jacob Loose and his family to amass a fortune. Jacob and his wife Ella used their wealth to launch several philanthropic initiatives, which Ella continued after Jacob died. One of those donations included Ella buying and donating seventy-five acres of the old Country Club Golf Course in 1927 to build a park in memory of her husband. In 1941, she presented the city with the statue of her husband to honor him and his dedication to philanthropy; it adorns the entrance to Loose Park.

Jacob Loose Statue

It took roughly four centuries for golf to find its way from Scotland to the United States, arriving in 1888. The genesis of golf in Kansas City came a few years later in 1894 when a group of Scottish Americans built the nation's seventeenth course, a nine-hole course in the Hyde Park neighborhood called Kenwood Golf Links. The ninth hole ended in the backyard of famed architect Henry Van Brunt's home, one of the course's founders.Unlike today's courses, the "links-style" course enjoyed little organized architecture, and maintenance on the course proved almost non-existent. The dozen or so original members did not enjoy pristine greens or sculpted fairways. On the other hand, the golfers did not have to worry about pot bunkers, either. The clubhouse built in 1894 burned down shortly after opening, which pushed the members to build a new clubhouse and expand the course to 18 holes, notably because the course quickly grew more popular. The members purchased around 110 acres of land from Hugh Ward in what would evolve into the Country Club District. Ward agreed to lease the land to Kansas City Country Club for one dollar per year and the cost of the yearly property taxes.W.C. Root designed the clubhouse, located near what is today the Loose Park rose garden. The clubhouse included a café and large rooms suitable for receptions, dancing, and billiards. The Kansas City Country Club formally opened in September 1898 with a tournament followed by a night of dancing. Although the course enjoyed modern, elegant touches, the course still paled in comparison to today's manicured country clubs and public golf courses. For instance, A herd of cattle often grazed on the greens. Some of the course sat on land where the 1894 Battle of Westport took place, the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi. Members discovered bullets, cannon balls, and pieces of rifles on the grounds. The Kansas City Country Club remained in the same location until 1926 when its lease ended. Ward's wife concluded that the rising price of land made it too valuable to have a golf course occupy it. Thus, the Country Club moved for a third and final time. Ward sold a majority of the land to Jacob Loose, founder and owner of Sunshine Biscuits, Inc. Jacob's wife Ella donated the land to the city, who created Loose park in Jacob's honor. Meanwhile, Kansas City Country Club opened in Mission Hills, a modern and challenging golf course designed by a golf architect; a far cry from the original Kenwood Golf Links course.

This historical marker shares the history of this green space before it became one of Kansas City's most beloved public parks. In 1894, Scottish Americans in Kansas City developed the city's first golf course and club, Kenwood Golf Links. A fire in 1897 forced the members to rebuild their clubhouse within what is today's Loose Park area. After moving their course to this location, members subsequently established the Kansas City Country Club in 1898. The course and club moved again in 1926, leading to the sale of the land to Jacob Loose and the eventual donation of the property to the city for the purpose of building a park. The marker not only shares a chapter in the park's history but also commemorates the early history of golf in the Kansas City area. The establishment of the course demonstrated the rapid spread of the sport in the United States, from the first golf course in the mid-1880s to the establishment of Kansas City's first course.

First Home of the Kansas City Country Club Historical Marker

The Loose Park Wall Fountains were created as a product of a competition sponsored by the Works Progress Administration in 1941. Established in 1935, the WPA was the largest program developed under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The program was designed as a social welfare and work program to mitigate the rising unemployment numbers caused by the Great Depression by safeguarding Americans’ skills and stimulating the economy. After the start of World War II, unemployment became virtually nonexistent and the WPA was terminated in 1943. In its eight years of operation, the program employed 8.5 million Americans. One of the five WPA program projects called the Federal Arts Project employed artists, writers, and actors which helped museums flourish, improved cultural programs, and created artwork for public spaces. In 1941 a competition was held to design a fountain for Loose Park and Jeanette Klein was awarded the commission. She sculpted larger-than-life clay figures of a man and woman kneeling, which were inset into a semi-circular alcove in the back wall of a service building near the Garden Center. Each figure holds a bowl as water trickles down to a small basin. The fountains were dedicated in Spring of 1942 during the Kansas City Rose Society’s annual Rose Day celebration at the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden. To improve durability, the clay sculptures were replaced with concrete and marble aggregate figures of the same form in 1946. It is unclear if Klein named the work of art, but the figures have become known as “Adam and Eve” or “Lady and Gent.” Artist Jeanette Klein (1896 – 1980) was a Polish immigrant and moved to Kansas City in the early 1900s. Before teaching years later, Klein studied at the Kansas City Art Institute under William Wallace Rosenbauer, sculptor and exhibitionist who donated the Rose Garden’s lily pool’s sculpture in 1939. Klein worked with a variety of mediums but is most known for sculpting and has been featured in Life Magazine.

Commonly known as “Adam and Eve,” the Loose Park Wall Fountains were dedicated in 1942 during the annual Rose Day celebration. After winning a competition held by the New Deal program Works Progress Administration, sculptor Jeanette Klein created two, large clay figures of a man and woman which were inset into the back wall of a service building near the Loose Park Rose Garden. The figures were replaced a few years later with concrete and marble aggregate sculptures using the original forms.

Loose Park Wall Fountains (Adam and Eve)

<h3>Marker inscription: </h3><blockquote>2012 marks the Centennial Anniversary of the gift of 3,000 Flowering Cherry Trees from Japan to the United States. To celebrate this Anniversary, the Japanese Government repeated the gift to cities throughout the United States as a living reminder of 100 Years of</blockquote><blockquote>International Friendship.</blockquote><blockquote>These trees in Loose Park were presented to the City of Kansas City, Missouri, as a part of that gift.</blockquote><blockquote>Dedicated July 18, 2012</blockquote><blockquote>Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki</blockquote><blockquote>Consul General Yoshifumi Okamura</blockquote><h3>Historical Context</h3>Prior to 1852, Japan primarily existed as an isolated country ruled for roughly 250 years by the Tokugawa Shogunate (Shogun). But, in 1852 and 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry and a fleet of steamers and sailing vessels sailed into Tokyo harbor aboard the Susquehanna. The Japanese had yet to witness steamers and other machinery prior to that visit. As a representative of the U.S. government, Perry, in 1852, demanded that Japan enter into trade with the United States, threatening force if Japan did not stipulate. The Japanese knew they could not conceivably defend themselves, so when Perry returned in 1853, they agreed to Perry's demands. The threat of foreign encroachment set in motion a series of events that resulted in the overthrow of the Shogun and the restoration of the Emperor's rule in 1868, known as the Meiji Restoration. The new, young leaders took the encounter with Perry and subsequent visits from Westerners as a lesson that constitutionalism provided national unity, a well-trained military gave security, and industrialization supplied material strength and modern weaponry. Thus, the Japanese sought to copy the Western model. To help in that process, Japanese officials visited Western nations, including the United States. Opening their ports, creating military treaties and coalitions, and visiting Western nations created alliances and peaceful relationships (although not without differences and disagreements (such as in situations in Hawaii and China), peaceful relationships. So, despite the U.S. arriving with demands backed by a threat of military force, the Japanese shunned the Shogun and came to embrace the U.S. and Western nations throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. So, in 1912, the Japanese sent the U.S. more than 3,000 cherry trees planted in Washington, D.C., to symbolize the bond between the two nations. World War I started a couple of years after the trees arrived, and both Japan and the U.S. fought on the Allied side. At war's end, Japan's military took control of German bases in China and the Pacific, and the League of Nations (with U.S. Approval) gave Japan mandate over German islands in the Northern Hemisphere. The islands eventually benefited Japan in their strategy of developing a Pacific empire. Meanwhile, tensions between the two nations grew strong by the 1920s, notably when anti-Japanese sentiment in the U.S. (especially in the western states) led to the 1924 policy barring all Japanese immigration to the U.S. During World War II, Japan's Western model could be seen in its strong nationalism, powerful military (notably its Navy), and desire for expansionism and imperialism. Despite a 1921 treaty among the U.K., France, United States, Japan (and others) intent on limiting naval expansion and greater maritime armament, Japan built a substantial Navy by the 1930s that helped defend an already massive empire spanning 3,000 miles, mainly in the Pacific Ocean; the nation once captivated by Commodore Perry's steamships built a navy able, in their mind, to take on the mighty U.S.Of course, Japan eventually attacked Pearl Harbor, which brought the U.S. into World War II, and then the U.S. eventually dropped two atomic bombs on mainland Japan at the end of the war. Suffice it to say, the cherry blossom trees that once represented peace seemed like a distant past in the 1940s. But, by the 1950s, relations between the two nations again turned friendly, even weathering an economic battle during the late twentieth century. By 2012, Japan again gifted more trees to more cities, including Kansas City, to celebrate the centennial anniversary. So, while the two nations have often flexed their military muscles at each other, including fighting a deadly and devastating war against each other, the cherry blossom trees serve as a reminder of the bond and peace enjoyed by the two nations for most of their history. Today, the alliance and friendship (and similarities) between the two culturally different nations seem as strong as ever.

Many are aware of the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. that bloom each spring thanks to a gift of three thousand cherry blossom trees from Japan in 1912. A hundred years later, Japan marked the centennial of that gift with another sign of peace and friendship between the two nations by gifting these cherry blossom trees to Kansas City and several other U.S. cities. These cherry blossom trees in Loose Park symbolize the relationship between Japan and the U.S. Relations were positive in 1912 when Japan presented the trees to Washington, and despite being enemies in World War II, relations were strong again by the 1950s. The two nations remain allies today.

Centennial Anniversary of Japan's Gift of Cherry Trees at Loose Park in Kansas City

The municipal rose garden in Loose Park was established in 1931 by the Kansas City Rose Society, led by Laura Conyers Smith. The 1.5 acre, circular garden was designed by landscape architects Hare &amp; Hare as part of the park's beautification plan and contained 120 rose plants. Today, there are nearly 3,000 roses of nearly 130 varieties. The garden also contains stone trellises, which were originally made of iron but replaced in 1940, and pergolas featuring commemorative plaques. In 1989, Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden was afforded the highest national honor by the American Rose Society, the Bronze Achievement Award.As a native to Oregon near Portland, the City of Roses, Laura Conyers Smith grew up with an appreciation and fascination for roses. After becoming a member of the American Rose Society and inheriting a rose garden in 1929, Mrs. Smith researched how to properly care for the plants. She would invite friends for a cup of tea and listen to a series of radio shows put on by the ARS; it was during the last show that municipal rose gardens were discussed and the idea to create one in Kansas City was considered. The following week, on May 9, 1931, the Kansas City Rose Society was formed. A month later on June 7, the first unit of the rose garden at Loose Park was dedicated. It was officially named the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in 1965.The first water feature in the circular garden was a small lily pool donated by the Kansas City Garden Club in 1936. Three years later, a friend of Smith donated “The Spirit of the Rose Garden,” a female figure sculpted by Kansas City Art Institute instructor W. Wallace Rosenbauer. The statue was placed in the middle of the pool with sprays of water at her feet and remained in place until the early 1950s. A modern fountain made with vertical steel poles that sprayed water, representing blossoming flowers, was donated by the Oscar D. and Florence L. Nelson Fund and dedicated in 1980. The Rose Society proposed raising funds for a new fountain and restoration of the grounds at the turn of the century. Dedicated in 2002, the Year of the Rose, the classic bowl style fountain was designed by Bowman Bowman Novick, Inc. and is made of buff-colored stone from Vincenza, Italy. The renovation of the pool along with new sidewalks and lights were also done at the time. The restoration of the garden's features, however, wasn’t completed until 2014. In 2018, the garden was awarded the Garden of Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies.In partnership with the Parks Department, Kansas City Rose Society continues to sponsor and maintain the garden. Rose Day and a Rose Show are held annually by the KCRS, typically on the first Sunday in June.

Established in 1931 by the Kansas City Rose Society, the award winning Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden and Fountain are located at the northwest side of Loose Park. The garden was created as part of the park’s beautification plan but not officially named for its founder until 1965. It features a circular pattern of nearly 3,000 rose bushes, walking paths, pergolas, rose covered archways, benches, and an Italian stone fountain central to the garden. The Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden offers educational opportunities, sponsors events, and continues to be a popular, tranquil destination for residents and visitors alike.

Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden and Fountain

Ella Loose also became a philanthropist with a particular interest in children, after losing two of her own as infants. She was a benefactor of Gillis Orphanage and established “Loose Shoe Day” in 1907, which provided for a new pair of shoes and a $1 bill to the resident children. The special event was held for more than 30 years and extended to the WCA in 1927, in which the Loose family was a leading benefactor for. At age 60, Ella became “Kansas City’s No. 1 Society Dowager” and often traveled to Washington D.C. as part of an action plan to conquer capital society.On September 26, 1945, Ella passed away as the last member of the Loose family. The majority of the Loose estate was turned over to the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association. The Fund was renamed to the Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose Foundation in 1977 and helped launch the Greater Kansas City Community Fund, which now ranks in the top 1% of more than 700 community organizations nationwide.

Self-made millionaire and philanthropist Jacob Leander Loose (1850-1923) was born in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. After leaving high school at age 16 to work, he opened a dry goods store with his brother David in Chetopa, Kansas in 1870. He married Ella Clark in 1878 and they moved to Kansas City in 1882, where he entered the cracker business. First, he bought a controlling interest in the Corle Cracker Company with his brother Joseph, then organized and became president of the American Biscuit Company before merging with the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO).He took a break from business for his health in 1897 and upon his return in 1902, he founded Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company. The company became highly successful with the release of the Hydrox cookie (similar to the Oreo cookie before Oreo) and Sunshine Biscuits. In 1913 he started the endowment fund for Children’s Mercy Hospital, donated the largest flagpole to Swope Park in 1915, and after WWI, became active in the Liberty Memorial Association. Due to more health concerns he semi-retired in 1919 and died on September 8, 1923 in his Massachusetts summer home. In another act of generosity after his death, his will established the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association which gave resources to people in need.

Legacy of Jacob and Ella Loose 

Prior to the creation of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, most of the land of what is now Jackson County, Missouri was occupied by Kansa and Osage Tribes. Under President Andrew Jackson's administration, the creation of the Act forced Native Americans to relocate to territories that were designated west of the Missouri border. Because it was furthest west, the newly established town of Westport became a major resource along the western trail routes of the California, the Oregon and the Santa Fe Trails as travelers outfitted their wagons with supplies before setting out on expedition.In 1831, land just south of Westport became occupied by members of the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Successful hatter from Ohio, Edward Partridge (1793-1840) became the first Bishop and was chosen to accompany founder Joseph Smith to establish the holy land of Zion in Missouri. Partridge left his merchandise and family, and purchased land in Jackson County, in which a portion would later become Loose Park.During the same time, a new scholar of law Alexander Doniphan (1808-1887) departed Kentucky in search of greater opportunity. He settled in Lexington, Missouri and quickly made a reputation as a skilled defense attorney. In 1833, he moved to Liberty, Missouri and joined the local militia company called the Liberty Blues. Worries began to grow amongst locals that Mormons would soon outnumber non-Mormons, and efforts to force them out of Jackson County began. Doniphan was hired by the church members for representation; he believed in fairness, was devoted to the rule of law, and insisted Mormons were entitled to the same constitutional rights. However, he was unsuccessful in his defense, leading to their departure in 1833.Partridge, Smith, and the other members of LDS moved north to Clay County, but speculation of their presence continued to grow. In 1836, Doniphan was elected to the Missouri State House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party and introduced legislation that organized a county exclusively as a safe haven for Mormons - Caldwell County. By 1838, the militia arrested and imprisoned dozens of Mormons, including Smith and Partridge, with accusations of treason, murder, burglary, arson, robbery, and larceny. As a Brigadier to the militia, Doniphan helped negotiate the surrender of Joseph Smith while others escaped during a prison transfer. He was then ordered to execute the men by firing squad but refused and proclaimed their rights shall not be hindered. As partial payment for his counsel, Doniphan was granted the deed for Partridge's land in Jackson County.In 1840, Doniphan sold the land to two men; Johnston Lykins, a doctor of medicine, Baptist missionary of Shawnee Indians, and later the second mayor of Kansas City, purchased a portion in the northwest corner, and Westport farmer William Matney bought 212 acres. After years of family dispute following Matney’s death in 1854, distant cousin and son-in-law William Matney Jr. was awarded his land in 1857 but sold it the following year to Colonel William Bent.William W. Bent (1809-1869) was best known for the establishment of Bent's Fort in the Colorado Territory in 1833. As a major stop along the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail, Bent virtually monopolized trade with American Indians throughout the southern Black Hills. Each spring, 20 to 30 wagons would travel east to Westport and St. Louis with livestock and the goods collected through the summer for trade, and returned in the fall with supplies for winter. Around 1850 Bent abandoned his fort and erected a new post in 1853, but later sold it to the Army. He then built a stockade and became a freighter for the government, and in 1858 purchased Matney’s land in Jackson County.One of the most notable events on this land was the Battle of Westport during the Civil War. After a two-hour artillery engagement on the third day of battle, October 23, 1864, Confederate soldiers retreated, which is regarded as turning point in the war and the end of Confederate threat in the west.After Bent’s death in 1869, his widow ran the estate before selling it in 1871. Seth Ward (1820-1903) was a successful trader and was the official Sutler of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, one of the busiest posts on the Oregon Trail. He purchased the 212-acre plot of land in 1871 in his wife’s name, Mary F. Ward, and years later acquired 180 more acres to the south. He incorporated a previously-built small brick house into a mansion and in 1897, leased 110 acres to the newly established Kansas City Country Club, the first of its kind, for a nine-hole golf course for $1 per year. Ward bought into a bank established by his brother in-laws and became president, but in 1878 when the bank failed, Ward retired to the farm. In 1902, he created Ward Investment Company but died the following year.The city annexed more land in 1909, moving its boundaries further south. Mary Ward and her son Hugh, partnered with J.C. Nichols to sell their acreage for residential development, while the land of the Country Club remained undeveloped. In 1926, Ella Loose bought a 74-acre plot of land of the Ward estate to create a park in honor of husband Jacob, who passed away in 1923.

In 1926, what is now Loose Park was part of a 74-acre parcel of land purchased by Ella Loose with the intent to donate it as a public park in honor of her late husband Jacob Loose, Kansas City philanthropist and founder of Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company. Ella gifted the land to the city the following year with five conditions: the current buildings must be removed; no roadways would be constructed in the park; no monuments or statues were to be erected without the permission of the trust; no golf links or baseball diamonds shall be built; and the land must always remain a park. However, the known history of this land dates back well before Ella Loose's purchase.

History of the Land that Becomes Loose Park 

During the same time, a new scholar of law Alexander Doniphan (1808-1887) departed Kentucky in search of greater opportunity. He settled in Lexington, Missouri and quickly made a reputation as a skilled defense attorney. In 1833, he moved to Liberty, Missouri and joined the local militia company called the Liberty Blues. Worries began to grow amongst locals that Mormons would soon outnumber non-Mormons, and efforts to force them out of Jackson County began. Doniphan was hired by the church members for representation; he believed in fairness, was devoted to the rule of law, and insisted Mormons were entitled to the same constitutional rights. However, he was unsuccessful in his defense, leading to their departure in 1833.Partridge, Smith, and the other members of LDS moved north to Clay County, but speculation of their presence continued to grow. In 1836, Doniphan was elected to the Missouri State House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party and introduced legislation that organized a county exclusively as a safe haven for Mormons - Caldwell County. By 1838, the militia arrested and imprisoned dozens of Mormons, including Smith and Partridge, with accusations of treason, murder, burglary, arson, robbery, and larceny. As a Brigadier to the militia, Doniphan helped negotiate the surrender of Joseph Smith while others escaped during a prison transfer. He was then ordered to execute the men by firing squad but refused and proclaimed their rights shall not be hindered. As partial payment for his counsel, Doniphan was granted the deed for Partridge's land in Jackson County.In 1840, Doniphan sold the land to two men; Johnston Lykins, a doctor of medicine, Baptist missionary of Shawnee Indians, and later the second mayor of Kansas City, purchased a portion in the northwest corner, and Westport farmer William Matney bought 212 acres. After years of family dispute following Matney’s death in 1854, distant cousin and son-in-law William Matney Jr. was awarded his land in 1857 but sold it the following year to Colonel William Bent.William W. Bent (1809-1869) was best known for the establishment of Bent's Fort in the Colorado Territory in 1833. As a major stop along the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail, Bent virtually monopolized trade with American Indians throughout the southern Black Hills. Each spring, 20 to 30 wagons would travel east to Westport and St. Louis with livestock and the goods collected through the summer for trade, and returned in the fall with supplies for winter. Around 1850 Bent abandoned his fort and erected a new post in 1853, but later sold it to the Army. He then built a stockade and became a freighter for the government, and in 1858 purchased Matney’s land in Jackson County.One of the most notable events on this land was the Battle of Westport during the Civil War. After a two-hour artillery engagement on the third day of battle, October 23, 1864, Confederate soldiers retreated, which is regarded as turning point in the war and the end of Confederate threat in the west.After Bent’s death in 1869, his widow ran the estate before selling it in 1871. Seth Ward (1820-1903) was a successful trader and was the official Sutler of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, one of the busiest posts on the Oregon Trail. He purchased the 212-acre plot of land in 1871 in his wife’s name, Mary F. Ward, and years later acquired 180 more acres to the south. He incorporated a previously-built small brick house into a mansion and in 1897, leased 110 acres to the newly established Kansas City Country Club, the first of its kind, for a nine-hole golf course for $1 per year. Ward bought into a bank established by his brother in-laws and became president, but in 1878 when the bank failed, Ward retired to the farm. In 1902, he created Ward Investment Company but died the following year.The city annexed more land in 1909, moving its boundaries further south. Mary Ward and her son Hugh, partnered with J.C. Nichols to sell their acreage for residential development, while the land of the Country Club remained undeveloped. In 1926, Ella Loose bought a 74-acre plot of land of the Ward estate to create a park in honor of husband Jacob, who passed away in 1923.

Prior to the creation of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, most of the land of what is now Jackson County, Missouri was occupied by Kansa and Osage Tribes. Under President Andrew Jackson's administration, the creation of the Act forced Native Americans to relocate to territories that were designated west of the Missouri border. Because it was furthest west, the newly established town of Westport became a major resource along the western trail routes of the California, the Oregon and the Santa Fe Trails as travelers outfitted their wagons with supplies before setting out on expedition. In 1831, land just south of Westport became occupied by members of the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Successful hatter from Ohio, Edward Partridge (1793-1840) became the first Bishop and was chosen to accompany founder Joseph Smith to establish the holy land of Zion in Missouri. Partridge left his merchandise and family, and purchased land in Jackson County, in which a portion would later become Loose Park.

19th Century History of Present-Day Loose Park

The Battle of Westport was the largest and one of the last battles to occur west of the Mississippi River in the Civil War. Local historians sometimes refer to this battle as "The Gettysburg of the West" because of the battle’s similarities to the Confederate strategy. The Battles of Westport and Gettysburg were both planned by the Confederate War Department as a means of taking the war to Union-controlled in hopes of rallying Southern sympathizers and forcing the United States to defend their territory in addition to trying to take and hold ground in the South.The largest stage of the Battle of Westport took place on October 23, 1864, when soldiers fought along a mile front that included modern-day Loose Park. The Union outnumbered their invading enemy 2:1 with 20,000 troops compared to the Confederates' 10,000 troops. The Confederate plan fell apart almost immediately due to the Union having superior numbers and the strategic advantage of being on the defensive in a territory they controlled. Union troops were able to open up two fronts on the Confederate invaders, quickly breaking their lines which forced a retreat. Small contingents of Union troops attempted to capitalize on their success and capture the retreating Confederates, and while Confederate forces were able to escape and regroup, subsequent clashes saw additional Union victories and the Confederacy never again seriously threatened the area similar to how Gettysburg marked the last attempt to invade Pennsylvania. The Battle of Westport effectively ended the Confederate's campaign in the West. While both sides sustained roughly the same number of casualties, 1,500 men, the loss was harder for the Confederates as these losses accounted for around twenty percent of their effective force while the Union only lost ten percent and the attack galvanized local support.In the decade that followed, the land where Loose Park is now located became home Kansas City Country Club, one of the city’s first country clubs. Developer J.C. Nichols bought the land surrounding the club to create the Country Club Plaza, and as single-family homes and businesses moved into the area, the country club moved to a new location on the Kansas side of the growing community. This land was sold to Ella Loose, who wanted to create a park out of the site that honored her husband, Jacob Loose. The park has been operated by Kansas City, Missouri and remains the third-largest in the city.

These historical markers share information about the Battle of Westport, the most consequential battle fought west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. The battle raged over two days throughout this part of what is now Kansas City, and while the precise location of all troop movements and engagements are not known, some of the most critical locations of the battle can be identified because of topography. For example, the land that is now home to Pembroke Hill was the high ground initially occupied by Confederates but captured by Union forces. The land that is now home to Loose Park was near the center of several known engagements and may have likely been used as an encampment and staging ground by Confederate troops in the early stages of the battle. Given the popularity of the park and its walking path, local historians chose this location for the replica cannon and a variety of detailed historical markers that were installed as part of an Eagle Scout project. For those who want to learn more about the Battle of Westport, there are several other historical markers in driving distance as well as a small visitor's center and museum that was established in 2008.

Replica Canon at Loose Park and Battle of Westport at Historical Markers

At age 60, Ella became “Kansas City’s No. 1 Society Dowager” and often traveled to Washington D.C. as part of an action plan to conquer capital society. On September 26, 1945, Ella passed away as the last member of the Loose family. The majority of the Loose estate was turned over to the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association. The Fund was renamed to the Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose Foundation in 1977 and helped launch the Greater Kansas City Community Fund, which now ranks in the top 1% of more than 700 community organizations nationwide.

In addition to acquiring this land for the purpose of creating a park, self-made millionaire and philanthropist Jacob Leander Loose and his wife Ella established a variety of charitable funds. In 1913, Jacob Loose started the endowment fund for Children’s Mercy Hospital. Two years later, he donated the largest flagpole to Swope Park. After WWI, the Loose family became an active supporter of the Liberty Memorial Association, which is today home to the National World War I Museum. Loose died on September 8, 1923, but even in death, his contributions to the city continued as his death established the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association which gave resources to people in need. Ella Loose also became a philanthropist with a particular interest in children, after losing two of her own as infants. She was a benefactor of Gillis Orphanage and established “Loose Shoe Day” in 1907, which provided a new pair of shoes and a $1 bill to the resident children. The special event was held for more than 30 years and extended to the WCA in 1927, in which the Loose family was a leading benefactor.

Charitable Contributions of Jacob and Ella Loose

Loose Park Lake is one of the original features of the land but has been improved over the years to include paved walking paths, benches, bridges, and fountains. The Rose Garden was first established in 1931 by the newly formed Kansas City Rose Society led by Laura Conyers Smith; it was officially named for the leader in 1965. Thousands of roses in more than 130 varieties form a circular courtyard and features statues, verandas, and a large Italian stone fountain that was dedicated in 2002. The Garden Center was built in 1957 for meetings and horticultural exhibitions and features the Japanese Tea Room. Established in 1972, the arboretum showcases more than 4000 trees. It was named for Stanley R. McLane who was president of the Garden Center Association of Greater Kansas City and the landscape supervisor for J.C. Nichols Company.

Pin Oak and Loose Park Lake 

Union General Blunt established a strong position at the Wornall House with three of his brigades occupying positions behind a stone wall, roughly three hundred yards removed from a sizable Confederate line. The gun section of McLain's Colorado Battery sat on a road on top of a hill near Blunt's stronghold; they used thirty guns to fire into the Confederate Toops located at the bottom of the hill. Confederate Major General Fagan proposed to Brigadier General Jo Shelby that a Confederate battery supported by the cavalry charge up the line to attack McClain's Colorado Battery gun section.Colonel James H. McGhee, who commanded the 44th Arkansas, comprised of roughly 300 soldiers, led the charge. The Union Army responded by sending the 16th Kansas Cavalry, 2nd Colorado, and 2nd Colorado Cavalry to meet McGhee. During the battle, a rare occurrence transpired: two commanders engaged in individual combat. Colonel McGhee clashed with Captain Curtis Johnson, commander of Company E of the 15th Kansas Cavalry. Both men charged each other and drew their revolvers, leaving both wounded. Although the marker states that Colonel McGhee had been killed, that is incorrect. McGhee is known to have been wounded a second time two days later at the Battle of Mine Creek and consequently had to relinquish his command as a result of his numerous injuries. Still, McGhee survived the war, living out the rest of his life in Arkansas until he died in 1870.McGehee's attack resulted in the loss to the Confederates of thirty-five prisoners (some accounts note as many as 100 prisoners), nineteen dead and thirty-seven wounded. Thwarting McGhee's charge saved McLain's Battery and ultimately ended a larger Confederate charge northward known as Price's Raid. Confederate Major General Sterling Price led his cavalry forces into Missouri with hopes of installing secessionist Thomas Reynolds as state governor in Jefferson City, thus establishing the Confederate state government’s legitimacy. He felt that if Missouri transitioned from a border state to a Confederate state, it would result in President Lincoln losing his reelection bid in 1864, giving the Confederacy an opportunity to win the war via a peaceful settlement. Instead, not only did Union forces repel Price's advances, they forced Price's troops to retreat and, in the end, end the Confederate's hopes of winning the war west of the Mississippi.

This historical marker designates the approximate location of McGhee's Charge on October 23, 1864. This battle maneuver marked a critical turning m point in the Battle of Westport, the largest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River. The marker is at the location where Confederate Colonel J. H. McGhee led his Arkansas Cavalry Regiment in an attack of Union Captain William D. McLain's Battery, resulting in a Union victory. The battle included a one-on-one fight between two commanding officers, McGhee and Union Captain Curtis Johnson, a rare scene that demonstrates the nature of warfare in smaller skirmishes where commanders were sometimes also combatants. The marker incorrectly states that McGhee was killed as he was only wounded and lived until 1870. United States troops turned back the Confederate offensive, forcing a retreat that continued in the days ahead and effectively ended Confederate hopes for controlling western Missouri and other areas west of the Mississippi River.

McGhee's Charge Historical Marker

France was one of many Colonial European powers that settled America, though each of them approached the challenge differently. The French strategy was to access territory by boat through extensive river systems from the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River. From this, they were able to claim the entire Mississippi river drainage basin by building small forts and trading posts as they went along the river. Aside from a few towns in Canada, the French were not interested in ferrying their own people en masse across the Atlantic to fully settle the lands they had claimed. Instead, the French opted to exercise minimal control over their frontiers in the south, rarely straying far from the Mississippi river and its tributaries. They were far more interested in the economic possibilities the “new world” offered, and they exploited these by forming and maintaining positive relationships with groups of Native Americans. They did this by trading manufactured goods like guns and clothes in exchange for valuable furs that were sent back to Europe.The Osage lived mainly around modern day western Missouri and were one such group that found itself heavily intertwined with the French presence in North America. They gained regional dominance from their relationship with the French. With a steady supply of guns, munitions, and horses the Osage suddenly had an insurmountable martial advantage over their old neighbors and rivals. The French and the Osage supported each other in many armed conflicts against other Native groups, and even other Colonial powers. France and other colonial powers had similar arrangements with other Native American groups. In 1754, France found itself at war with its North American neighbor Great Britain in what would come to be known as The Seven Years War. This was a global conflict that involved fighting in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Asia and Africa with large coalitions on each side. France heavily relied upon their Native American allies like the Osage to provide most of the fighting force in the North American theater of the war. By this point, Osage warriors, and other Native Americans had become extremely adept at guerilla warfare, and these tactics served them well in the early stages of the war. Ultimately, France lost the war in 1763 and had to give their Canadian holdings to the English as recompense. The Mississippi River drainage basin was then sold to the Spanish, but this was largely in name only as Spain never sent any sizable force to the territory to exercise any real authority or control over the land. Despite the exit of the French Crown, most of the North American Frenchmen remained there and continued their trade relationships with their Native American allies. A near trade monopoly with the Osage and other people groups was held into the early nineteenth century by the French fur trading Chouteau family. This de facto French system remained as the norm in the Mississippi River drainage basin, even well after the land was initially purchased by the United States in 1803 with the Louisiana purchase. This historical marker reads as follows:<blockquote>A Frenchman, Pierre Esprit Radisson, wrote in 1659 of a nation "of extraordinary height and bigness” (the Osage) living up the Missouri River. Marquette and Joliet’s 1674 maps show the village of the Osage, and some of La Salle’s entourage wrote of the Osage in 1687. In 1724, Louis XV’s emissary, Sieur de Bourgmont, left Fort Orleans (at present Brunswick, Missouri) for the west with many Osage, and negotiated a Comanche treaty to open the trail to Santa Fe. In 1755, the Little Osage went east with the French to help defeat British General Braddock (and George Washington and Daniel Boone). Later, Osage Chief Pawhuska showed Lt. Zebulon Pike a scarlet coat and blond scalp taken in that battle.</blockquote><blockquote>The French said the Osage had much “amour propre” (i.e. pride). The Osage grew more and more obstreperous, culminating in the “Osage War” of 1793 which stifled trade on the Missouri. In 1794, Spanish Governor Carondelet ordered the St. Louis Chouteaus to build a fort among the Osage, in southwest Missouri, cut off their trade, and eradicate them. But the Osage were their best customers – and in-laws! So the Chouteaus secretly diverted trade goods to them and the Osage boasted that Fort Carondelet was built at their request and that they owned it. It soon closed, however, and the U.S. took little to Louisiana in 1803.</blockquote><blockquote>After Fort Osage was built on the Missouri near Kansas City in 1808, the Little Osage moved there en masse for two years, and the Big Osage visited periodically, inhibiting the Osage business of the French until it closed in 1822. Ferry owner Peter Roi improved what became Wornall Road to the south. Eventually it reached to the French-speaking entrepots of Pappinville and Trading Post on the Marais des Cygnes (march of the Swans) River in Osage county far to the South. The French traders said the Osage liked “pantoufles sauvage” (i.e. savage slippers – moccasins). The Osage called the future Kansas City “Sho-To-To-Wan” – Chouteau’s Town. “Big Oil” was found on the Osages’ later Oklahoma tribal land, and they drove the most expensive Cadillacs and Pierce Arrows – amour proper still!</blockquote>

Located in original Osage Nation territory, this historical marker was placed in Kansas City by The Chouteau Society to commemorate the influence of the French relationship with the Osage in the Kansas City area. The French first arrived in the area in the 1700s and as a result of successful trade, the Osage became a dominant force. After multiple wars, the establishment of Fort Osage, and increased farming, the French tradesmen moved northward in the early 1800s.

Loose Park Walking Tour

Pergola and World War II Tribute

Introduction

Images