Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:

Name: Glaciers to Gentrification: A Short History of the West Bottoms
Start: 2018-04-24T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2018-04-24T20:30:00-05:00
Location: Healthy Rivers Partnership

Glaciers to Gentrification: A Short History of the West Bottoms

Presented by Larry O'Donnell

            
           
The History of Kansas City's west bottoms is intertwined with the rivers surrounding it. From pre-glacial times, through the French farms, Lewis and Clark, the Hannibal Bridge, the stockyards, the 1903 flood, the Turkey Creek diversion, the meat packing industry, the 1951 flood, the industrial era, and the 1993 flood to current growth. We will explore through pictures the major highlights of the interaction between the West Bottoms and the rivers bordering them.

Meet Your Presenter

Larry O'Donnell

, Healthy Rivers Partnership

Larry O'Donnell with Healthy Rivers Partnership has been active with rivers for over 20 years. The mission of Healthy Rivers Partnership is to connect people to their rivers. One way Larry does this is through connecting people with their local river history.

Resources & Links

The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City

is hosted by these wonderful partners!

Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.

Recordings of Presentations

Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org.

We are deeply saddened by our loss of KCDV's driving founder, Michael Morgan. Our hearts are with his family. Big Muddy Speaker Series will always be indebted to his vision, skill and selfless hard work.

Upcoming Presentations

Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy

November 10, 2026
Columbia, MO

Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.

See Event

Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality

November 11, 2026
St Charles, MO

Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.