The Fairfax area of Kansas City, Kan. has an interesting history that is probably little known by even long-time residents of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Fairfax is not actually a separate municipality, even though most people recognize its uniqueness within the City of Kansas City, Kansas. Fairfax is formally known as the “Fairfax District” and has been primarily an area used for commercial industrial production since it was developed. Fairfax’s geographic area had great importance just prior to the Civil War. It was in this general area, between Kansas and Missouri, that slaves would make their escape from the slavery state of Missouri to the free state of Kansas. They chose this particular area of the Missouri River due to ease of crossing and the assistance provided to them in the location.
The Missouri River In 1880, a flood moved the Missouri River’s main channel from around the north, east and south to a low elevation on the west and created what was known as Goose Island. The State of Missouri brought a petition to establish that even though the channel of the Missouri River had moved, the area was still part of the State of Missouri. Kansas answered Missouri’s petition and eventually the matter was taken up by the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court declared that the area was part of the State of Kansas on March 22, 1909. The flow of the Missouri River to the west of the area was eventually stopped by a dike installed and the area became a river bend location as opposed to an island. At that time the area was no longer known as Goose Island, but rather as the Fairfax Industrial District. The District was named after Alfred Fairfax who was the first African American Kansas State legislator. Subsequently, development was undertaken in Fairfax, initially to control the typical flooding of the Missouri River in that location. In late 1923, Union Pacific Railroad purchased 1,300 acres in the area and made further infrastructure improvements to create the actual industrial district. Eventually, an aviation school and small passenger and business airport were constructed. In 1936, Chrysler Motor Parts Company began operations in the area of the airport. Leading up to WW II the United States Army Air Force constructed a bomber manufacturing facility in Fairfax. In February 1942, the first of numerous B-25 bombers were manufactured and flown from the area for use in WW II. In 1945, General Motors started leasing the bomber manufacturing facility and eventually, in 1960, it bought the facility and constructed a new factory in 1985, when the airport was closed. Although General Motors has been recognized as being the primary industrial resident of the area, Fairfax continues to be the home of a significant portion of the industrial activity in Kansas City. Numerous industrial concerns recognize the area to be convenient not only for its proximity to rail and road transportation hubs, but also for the numerous residents of both Missouri and Kansas that they employ. The Fairfax Industrial District has been and continues to be an integral part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
