Incorporated with only 500 in 1907, Lenexa now boasts thriving commerce, rich history

What do these three facts have in common?

▪ Home of the Spinach Festival.

▪ Where you can find the “real” Santa Fe Trail Road.

▪ Briefly, the home of Wild Bill Hickok.

It’s all part of the backstory of Lenexa.

The city was incorporated in 1907 when the population was little more than 500. Today it approaches 60,000.

Like most of present-day Johnson County, the land once belonged to the Shawnee Indians through an 1825 treaty that exchanged the property for land in Ohio. Gradually, through a 1854 treaty, the U.S. government shrank the area’s size and the American Indians sold off land. The three main trails connecting the East with Santa Fe, Oregon and California wound through the area, splitting off farther west.

Adam Legler built his limestone barn in 1864 close to the Santa Fe Trail, and today it is the Lenexa Historical Society Museum. Legler Barn is home to many artifacts and exhibits.

In 1865 Squire Charles A. Bradshaw acquired 160 acres. The Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad negotiated with him for a right-of-way and Bradshaw agreed, stipulating that there would always be a depot on the land. A depot, Bradshaw predicted, would guarantee more business and transportation.

He was proven right for many years after the railroad replaced the trails.

The depot and a caboose have been relocated to Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park.

The infamous Wild Bill Hickok staked a claim on 160 acres near what is today the corner of 83rd Street and Clare Road, but did not stay around to develop it.

But Octave Chanute did. In 1867, Chanute, a civil engineer, was employed to design and build the Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River at Kansas City. He also acquired 41.5 acres from Bradshaw in 1869 and platted Lenexa, named for Na Nex Se, widow of the Shawnee Chief Thomas Blackhoof. Chanute sold the land to three Missouri men that year.

Population boomed after the Civil War, with settlers coming from the eastern United States, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. The Belgians, in particular, knew how to farm. In the 1930s they capitalized on the popular comic strip “Popeye the Sailor” that created a national demand for spinach.

Farmers trucked their bumper crop to the railroad, and for a brief period Lenexa was the Spinach Capital of the world. In September, Lenexa held its 36th annual Spinach Festival with such items as the world’s largest spinach salad, Wimpy burgers and Spinach cookbooks.

The city looks ahead

Continuity is a key word as the city progresses. In 1997 the city government initiated a Lenexa Vision 2020 study. It set forth critical issues as determined by public input, a steering committee and task force teams.

Lenexa City Center, which many consider the city’s new downtown, is one result of that study. The 200-acre district offers a mix of shopping, living and retail spaces at 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard.

Mike Boehm, who has been mayor for 17 years, said the city keeps moving forward, but tweaks its focus as times change.

“The world changes and you adapt. You make decisions with the facts you have at the time,” said Boehm, a lifelong resident of the city.

Another major result of the 2020 plan is the city’s Rain to Recreation program, which has become a national model, Boehm said.

Lenexa has turned stormwater into an asset, he said, eliminating flooding while creating recreational opportunities.

“Stormwater is treated by greenways,” said Logan Wagler, deputy director of Lenexa Parks and Recreation Department. The filtered water then flows to lakes (retention basins) in Lenexa parks and eventually the Kansas River. Residents pay a system development fee annually.

The four largest lakes are Lake Lenexa, Mize, Central Green and Hidden Wood Park, Wagler said. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism stocks some lakes with fish. Boats without gasoline engines are permitted. Lenexa has 34 parks, a multitude of ponds and 38 miles of trails. As a sign of the times, it’s including pickleball as a recreational sport.

The parks and recreation department is reinvesting in Old Town with sustainability in mind. Eight original buildings exist.

Beccy Yocham, the city manager, said Lenexa has the small-town appeal she grew up with and the benefit of a larger area. The city delivers on its visioning reports, she said.

The city is landlocked but only 70% built out.

The 10 largest employers employ more than 10,000. Coming soon is a 200-bed hospital and office buildings built by Advent Health at 87th and Renner, near City Center.

The future, Yocham said, is promising. “The pace of change is accelerating. It’s impossible to know what technology will permit.”

In 2017 Direction Finder Survey found 92% of respondents said they were satisfied with the overall quality of life in Lenexa.

The city aims to keep it that way.

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Incorporated with only 500 in 1907, Lenexa now boasts thriving commerce, rich history."