A history of Independence,
since 1827
Postcards, papers and photographs of Independence from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area that is now Independence was originally inhabited by Missouri and Osage Native Americans. Later made part of the territory of Louisiana that was alternately part of New France and New Spain, it became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped in what would become Independence in 1804.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Independence’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewSaints Driven From Jackson County…, 1850: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Independence
See all 64 →
Independence, decade by decade
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Joseph Smith junior 1842 (c. 1842) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.