Longview Campground, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. ~ Proverbs 29:17
We spent the first half of today on our own, spending a bit of time exploring this County Park and the area surrounding Longview Lake.
Once upon a time . . . .
At its roots, Longview Farm was the country estate of Kansas City lumber baron and philanthropist, R.A. Long. (1850-1934). Long’s city home was Corinthian Hall, now the Kansas City Museum. He also built the city’s first skyscraper, the R.A. Long Building at 10th and Grand, as a headquarters for his Long-Bell Lumber Company.
In just 18-months, Longview Mansion and 50 other farm structures were constructed in 1913 and 1914. The workforce behind this project was immense, including over 50 Belgian craftsmen and 200 Sicilian stonemasons among the 2,000 workers employed to turn 1,780 raw acres into what become known as the “World’s Most Beautiful Farm”.
The farm employed 200 people. There were 51 buildings on the property including a horse race track that seated up to 1,000 people; giant sparkling greenhouses; handsome barns with wood pegged floors for prize cattle and hogs; a police and fire department; a hotel for men; housing for employees; a church, and community newspaper.
Besides horses, Longview was known for its purebred Jersey dairy cattle that provided pasteurized milk for the region, and for its greenhouses that produced prize winning roses and other flowers. Ahead of its time, this self-sustaining community had electricity, filtered water, steam heating, and indoor plumbing. The Mansion was the jewel of the property. A massive 22,000 square foot structure, it boasts 48 rooms, 6 fireplaces, 14 bedrooms and 10 baths. It also claimed the first central vacuum system west of the Mississippi.
It’s apparent that Long built the farm with his daughter, Loula Long Combs in mind, where she lived from the time it was opened until her death. Loula loved breeding, training, and showing horses across the United States and Canada, including Madison Square Garden where she was one of the only women to enter the ring. She continued to appear at the American Royal yearly well into her eighties.
2018 was a year of renewal for the 104-year-old Historic Longview Mansion, as a multi-million renovation took place, restoring this crown jewel to its original splendor. Sunflower Development Group, a Kansas City developer committed to preserving our communities’ history, took ownership in late 2017. Their extensive investment to restore the property is just the beginning of their commitment to transform The Historic Longview Mansion into a modern destination venue.
As I searched for more information about the actual Longview Lake, I ran across the following on the Jackson County website (that’s where we currently are), and was very surprised when a familiar name popped out of the text!
Early History
As one of the oldest county parks departments in the United States, the Jackson County Parks System traces its beginning to 1922, with the development of Hayes Park near the banks of the Missouri River. A program of constant expansion and improvement since 1926 has seen the system grow from its original 32 acres to 21,000 acres. That makes the Jackson County Parks system the 3rd largest county parks system in the nation.
Truman’s Plan
In 1927, Harry S. Truman, Presiding Judge of the Jackson County Court, created one of the first county parks departments in America. In 1932, a Master Plan was completed and operations transferred to the County Highway Department. The ambitious plan called for the building of a series of lakes and recreational parks. Provisions for the development and preservation of a scenic natural parkway, where people could drive and enjoy nature, were also included.
2 decades passed before the county lake phase of the 1932 plan was put into action. Under the leadership of Judge Harry M. Fleming, a $3 million bond issue was passed, the Jackson County Parks + Rec Department was reestablished as a separate entity and work began on Lake Jacomo. Residents of Jackson County were fishing and boating on their new lake in 1959.
Parkland Acquisition
As a result of recommendations contained within the 1962 major Park System study for Jackson County, an active program of parkland acquisition was launched in the 60s and 70s producing the bulk of the park system’s current land holdings.
20 years later, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Little Blue Trace Flood Control Project, development of Longview Lake began. Its completion in 1986 added over 4,800 acres of parkland and a 930-acre lake to the park system inventory. This lake-related park development was further augmented in 1989 with the addition of the 720-acre Blue Springs Lake, encompassing over 2,500 acres of parkland.
Emphasizing Development
During the last 20 years, construction activity within the parks has emphasized development. These projects include the 27-hole Fred Arbanas Golf Course at Longview Lake; the Frank White Jr. Softball Complex, which includes 5 irrigated and lighted fields and a 2-story restroom/concession pavilion; Adair Park, a girl’s softball complex, featuring 7 lighted and irrigated softball fields, 2 concession buildings, 5 shelters and an 8-station batting cage; and the construction of the Blue Springs Lake Marina, Longview Lake Marina and the Lake Jacomo Marina, which are widely thought to be the finest public marinas in Missouri.
Today, the County Parks + Rec Department offers premier land and water recreation for the residents of Jackson County, Missouri, and surrounding states.
What they don’t mention (probably because it’s not Parks and Rec), is that just outside of the campground/Park, there are quite a few allotments. And each one’s name, includes the name Longview in them somehow. 😊
This afternoon, Uncle Nick and Aunt Sherri came to visit, and after sitting around in the air-conditioned coach (It’s still stinkin’ hot west of the Mississippi! Are things ever going to cool down?), they took us to dinner at Houlihan’s for fantastic burgers on their patio! We returned to the coach and sat outside under the shade of our tree, and I force-fed them Kentucky Derby Pie. It’s the only thing I could make that didn’t require a trip to the grocery store. 😊
We had a marvelous time! It’s soooo good to see them again! In fact, we had such a marvelous time, we didn’t think to take any pictures!
It’s a VERY, VERY old picture of Uncle Nick and Aunt Sherri with her mom (Blaine’s maternal gma), Pearl.
I’m certain Aunt Sherri will be quite pleased if she sees it. LOL
KENTUCKY DERBY PIE
1 C. sugar
½ C. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 C. walnuts
1C. chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla extract
½ C. melted butter
1 homemade pie crust (ONLY use homemade! See below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the flour and sugar. Add eggs, then butter. Add nuts, chocolate chips and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 35-45 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick. Pie should be chewy but not runny. Bake longer if necessary.
HINT: This is so easy, and soooooo yummy! Tastes like a gooey chocolate chip cookie.
PIE CRUST:
1 ½ C. flour
1 t. salt (use this)
½ C. oil
2 T. milk
1 ½ T. sugar
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients until the mixture holds together when pressed under your fingers.