Saving the Quindaro Ruins: Fight to save Black Kansas history has dragged on for decades
The Quindaro Ruins are a major part of Black and Indigenous Kansas history, but efforts to preserve the site have taken decades.
The Kansas City, Kansas, site is all that’s left of a Civil War-era boomtown that was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Modern-day efforts to preserve the ruins have been ongoing since the 1980s, after archaeologists uncovered the ruins in preparation for a proposed landfill.
The landfill site was canceled, but advocates and community members have struggled in the decades since to secure enough money to transform the site into a world-class destination that they hope will eventually include a museum.
Jonathan Shorman
The Kansas City Star
Tammy Ljungblad
The Kansas City Star