In 1861, General James Lane led his Jayhawkers (a term widely used in the late 1800’s referring to stealing) out of Kansas into the rolling hills of a future Grandview taking over the farm of Solomon Young, Harry Truman’s grandfather and ardent Unionist. The troops slaughtered 400 hogs and forced his grandmother to bake them biscuits while they shot her chickens. The City of Grandview began as a modest farming community called the Anderson District named in honor of John Anderson, the owner of the only general store in the area, also a friend of Young’s. In the late 1800s, the farmers grew fed up with the day long trip to the nearest post office. Inspired by the landscape from the steps of his General Store, Anderson, Young and friend Ervin Wallingford declared it a grand view and in 1912, a city was born. The town became a railroad terminal for Kansas City Southern. The new transportation source brought an influx of people into the town, and by 1929 Grandview had grown into a city of 700 residents. The original depot is still in Grandview next to Grandview City Hall and adjacent to Freedom Park. In 1941, the City of Kansas City built an airport in town. During WW2, the US Army Air Corp built a facility on part of the airfield in 1944. It was used as a sub-base for Sedalia Army Air Corp (which later became Whitman Air Force Base). With the onset of the Cold War, the airport was leased by the United States Air Force and upgraded to accommodate support units and fighter squadrons. The airport was renamed to Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base. The name coming from two local veterans; Lt. John F. Richards, the first officer from Kansas City to die in WW1 and Lt. Col. Arthur W. Gebaur Jr., who died in the Korean War. The Air Force based was officially closed in June 1994, but much of its structure remains today. In 2013, the United States Army Reserve began using a part of it for their support center. There are many things for everyone to see and do in Grandview including an amphitheater, a local art council that supports and encourages creativeness, thrift stores, annual festivals, various city parks including a dog park, baseball fields, and a community fitness center that includes an indoor pool. Grandview has a seasonal farmers market that runs from May through October. Longview Lake has much to offer including a full-service marina, fishing, campgrounds, picnic shelters, golf course, softball complex and horse park. Grandview is located about 20 minutes due south of downtown Kansas City.

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