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Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:36 pm
by DeadendLafayette
zonk wrote: Interesting story i came across on ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7178402

Not necessarily related to KC, but definitely Modeern ARcheology.....New York City's Lost Tunnel.  check it out.

Ps....you also might recognize the moderator...a former Kansas Citian.
I don't see how that guy can resist chipping through that wall whether the authorities give him permission or not. I'd be down there with a hammer and a chisel...

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:55 pm
by KCFutbol
DeadendLafayette wrote: I don't see how that guy can resist chipping through that wall whether the authorities give him permission or not. I'd be down there with a hammer and a chisel...
They could at least drill a small hole and feed in a fiber optic camera to see what's in there.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:51 pm
by mlind
DeadendLafayette wrote: Sunken Garden, 11th & Minnesota, KCK:

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All that remains- from the air:

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Looking west:

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These steps once led down:

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Looks like an old Roman ruin:

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Here is a short article about Big Eleven's history.  You need to scroll down.

http://tinyurl.com/dyae4n

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:37 pm
by grovester
what a waste.  kck would have an unmistakable allure if those things had survived.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:48 am
by Stockton
I was just thinking that if the sunken garden still existed it would be alluring to people looking for a place to smoke crack!

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:09 am
by grovester
distinct possibility

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:48 am
by DeadendLafayette
staubio wrote: I love this stuff and I love exploring KCK, so please keep it coming.

Are there any remnants of this railroad right of way left? I realized that the area between Quindaro/Brown and Parallel is one that I've missed most of during my explorations, so I'm especially curious about finding interesting spots here.
Found some more streetcar tracks, or at least the ghost of them. The post in the Kansas Suburbs forum had me checking out Northeast Junior High from on high, and just down the street I spotted this:
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Apparently the tracks ran up 5th and angled off just before Troup, ran along side the wedge shaped building,
Image and crossed Parallel right about at the "P". Here's where they crossed Parallel. North side:
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South side:
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I don't have any idea why the tracks curved there rather than going straight up 5th to Quindaro.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:56 am
by staubio
Fascinating, as always. I wonder how the property ownership has ended up now that these right-of-ways are long abandoned. I'm guessing that wedge building still has a zero lot line triangle parcel as a remnant of being there.

I've recently embarked on finding and documenting all kinds of disused staircases in the city. I'll have to post some photos soon.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:24 am
by PumpkinStalker
staubio wrote: Fascinating, as always. I wonder how the property ownership has ended up now that these right-of-ways are long abandoned. I'm guessing that wedge building still has a zero lot line triangle parcel as a remnant of being there.

I've recently embarked on finding and documenting all kinds of disused staircases in the city. I'll have to post some photos soon.
I like the sounds of the staircase project. The remnants of stairs going down from a section of Cliff Drive alway fascinated me.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:59 am
by DeadendLafayette
staubio wrote: Fascinating, as always. I wonder how the property ownership has ended up now that these right-of-ways are long abandoned. I'm guessing that wedge building still has a zero lot line triangle parcel as a remnant of being there.

I've recently embarked on finding and documenting all kinds of disused staircases in the city. I'll have to post some photos soon.
I'm looking forward to the staircase project. There are lots of them in KCK, pointing to where houses once stood.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:31 am
by staubio
Here are a few previews. These are all from my bike ride in KCK yesterday.

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Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:41 am
by staubio
Here is a quick overview of the small area where all of these goodies can be found

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8& ... 4aae8182be

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:44 am
by PumpkinStalker
That's great staubio, thanks for sharing.  I think modern ruins are fantastic, and the photographing of stairs is a great idea.  The super long one is awesome!

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:51 am
by mlind
I love this sort of thing.  Are the staircases from long-gone houses/buildings or from abandoned paths or both?

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:55 am
by LenexatoKCMO
I would assume the automobile would be responsible for many of these paths going defunct - the more people get used to driving short distances, the less they will be willing to use a stair-heavy path to get from A to B on foot. 

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:59 am
by staubio
I share Lenexa's theory. I'm guessing these were to connect folks living up the sharp bluffs from Argentine to the jobs down on the river and the rail yard. There are a few of them, all of them left to rot.

Other than the first and last stairs, these were all just municipal walking paths. They just connected sidewalks. I have no idea what the first one is.

The last stair might be a remnant of a house. I can't really tell.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:19 am
by mlind
Old paths were shortcuts to help people get to work, streetcars, etc.  There are groups in Berkeley/Oakland CA (where I now live) that are restoring them. 

If you google 'urban exploring' you will find lots of sites with really cool pictures of all sorts of abandoned things.  Warning-you may feel the urge to start doing it yourself.  I found one site with very interesting pictures of the towns around Chernobyl - they take tourists there now!

In high school (in the early 60's), there was a large white modern house on the Missouri side of State Line that was empty.  We found an open door and used to go in to look around. I wonder if it is still there. 

One of my favorite things used to be exploring old mining ghost towns in Colorado and California.  Of course, now due to the housing collapse, we have ghost suburbs. 

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:21 am
by staubio
Streetcars are probably another big reason why these were here. Ruby had a line and all of these staircases would have connected to it. Good call.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:40 am
by staubio
By the way, if any of you can point me to other interesting staircases or closed intact roads for this series, that'd be awesome. I'm headed for the stairs along Cliff Drive next.

Re: Modern Archeology

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:44 am
by LenexatoKCMO
Are there any still intact around the quality hill/west bottoms bluffs?  Case Park perhaps?