Independence is the "Queen City of the Trails" for good reason. All three of the routes that pioneers took to go West in the 1800's - the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails- began in or near Independence. And as the country's only museum and library exclusively dedicated to the frontier trails, The National Frontier Trails Center does an excellent job in capturing the wonder and excitement of this fascinating time in American history.

Housed in a former flour mill, the museum's authentic covered wagons, pioneer implements, and pioneer drawings give visitors a look at what life was like when the Santa Fe Trail was blazed in 1821.

History comes to life in the museum's exhibit hall as the trip West is described firsthand by the settlers who cut a path to Oregon in 1841. At that time, Independence was the bustling seat of the newly formed Jackson County and a booming outfitting post for merchants equipping pioneers making their Westward trek.

The National Frontier Trails Center is all about those that went West in hopes of building a home to call their own, working hard to make a better life and finding their fortune... in short, to fulfill the American Dream that still lives within us all.

The National Frontier Trails Center is located at 318 W. Pacific Ave. and is open 9 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Saturday; 12:30 to 4:30 pm Sunday. Admission is $5.00 for adults; $4.50 for seniors; $3.00 for students; under 6 free. Phone 816-325-7575.

Spend some time in jail! (Round trip, of course!) Used extensively from 1859 until the early 1920's, the old Jackson County Jail was host to such infamous characters as
Jesse James' older brother, Frank, Outlaw John Younger and the Confederate guerrilla William Clark Quantrill of Quantrill's Raiders, as well as dozens of Southern sympathizers during the Civil War. Painstakingly restored, this two-story brick building houses twelve limestone-walled jail cells each with barred windows and double iron doors.

Adjacent to the jail, is the Federalist-style Marshal's Home. Responsible for keeping justice in the frontier days, this was home to a succession of county marshals and their families.

The superb historical collections from both the jail and the Marshal's Home are open to the public 10 am to 4 pm Mon. through Sat.; 1 to 4 pm Sunday. April-October. Admission is $5 adults, $4.50 seniors, $2 children (those under 6 free.) 217 N. Main Phone 816-252-1892.

(A $12 ticket admits adults to the Vaile Mansion, 1859 Jail & Marshal's Home and the Bingham-Waggoner Estate.)

Speaking of courthouses, at 107 W. Kansas Ave. you'll find the restored 1827 Log Courthouse that served as the last courthouse between Independence and the Pacific Ocean for forty years. And nearby is Pioneer Spring Cabin, which will give you an idea of what residential log cabin life was like in the early 1800s.