Kansas City Public Library: An Island, A Village, A Treasure: KCQ Looks Into The Story Of Kansas City's First Integrated Community

Press release from the Kansas City Public Library:

February 4, 2022

Sometimes, “What’s Your KCQ?” gets more than one question on the same topic. That’s the case this week.

A reader asked how “a small Black neighborhood…sandwiched between Westport and the Country Club Plaza” could have flourished in the days when restrictive covenants excluded people of color from owning homes in certain areas.

Another referred to the neighborhood by name—Steptoe—and wanted to know more about its history.

Let’s start with the second question, which may help answer the first.

The area that came to be called Steptoe officially began life in August 1857. It was called Pate’s Addition to the Town of Westport, named after Henry Clay Pate. He was a Virginia native, and a prominent figure in the pro-slavery movement.

Yes, you read that right.

A pasture at the time, Pate’s Addition ran from what is now W. 43 Street south to W. 44 Street, and from Wornall Road to Summit Street.

For recognizable reference points, think St. Luke’s Hospital at one end, with the venerable Temple Slug at the other. Much of the rest is parking lots, apartment complexes and medical buildings.

Pate was a white soldier. In 1856, he was captured by John Brown’s forces at the Battle of Black Jack near Baldwin City, Kansas.

Daniel Smith, a former President of the Civil War Roundtable, has been researching Steptoe for the Westport Historical Society. He noted that prior to the Civil War, land speculation along the Santa Fe Trail ran rampant, which would have made the land that became Steptoe a hot commodity.

Since Pate wasn’t particularly wealthy, Smith believes some of the funds for his development came from well-heeled family friends back in Virginia.

The family friends were named—you guessed it—Steptoe. That explains why Steptoe Street (W. 43 Terrace since 1933) ran through the heart of Pate’s Addition.

But Pate wasn’t around long enough to prosper from his investments. He returned to Virginia, joined the Confederate Army and was killed in battle in 1864.

Yes, but not right away.

Stories told about the origins of Steptoe often suggest the land was somehow set aside for formerly enslaved people and populated by “Exodusters,” or freed Black people who headed West for new opportunities.

But evidence to support that is scant.

This press release was produced by the Kansas City Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.