Turn the clock back to 1899.
It is the Gilded Age, a time of fabulous prosperity and crushing poverty. Across America and the Western world, there is a sense of optimism for the future. In Kansas City, something begins that will ultimately help to revolutionize an industry.
It starts with the Heim Brothers--sons of a German immigrant who had previously operated breweries in Missouri and Illinois. Coming to Kansas City, they purchased a brewery in the East Bottoms neighborhood and grew it into the largest pre-Prohibition brewery in the city. But their legacy would ultimately not be in the alcohol industry, but in something else.
To increase traffic to their brewery, the brothers built a streetcar line running from the City Market to the brewery, but business was slow. To drum up activity on the line, the brothers built an Electric Park adjacent to the brewery. Common in the early 20th century, Electric Parks were small regional amusement parks inspired by Coney Island in New York, often built by streetcar or electric companies and placed adjacent to streetcar lines.
Kansas City's Electric Park opened in 1899 and eventually featured attractions including two roller coasters, a shoot-the-chutes, a 2,800 seat theater, and a beer garden with beer piped directly from the brewery. The park was a smashing success, and the brothers were able to sell their streetcar line for a significant profit. It was so successful, in fact, that the brothers decided it was time to expand and go where the city was experiencing growth--south, to Paseo and Brush Creek Boulevard. The original park closed at the end of the 1906 season.
19 years later on August 1, 1925, at the site of the original Electric Park, J.J. Heim attended the dedication for a new playground: Heim Park. In May 2019, the KC Parks Board restored the original name of the park, Heim's Electric Park. As you discover the cache, take a look to the north across the park grounds and try to envision what once was. Please use stealth as this cache has already been muggled twice.
To continue the story of the Heim's ventures and how their legacy changed the amusement industry, visit the cache page of Electric Park II.
A subset of my sources, search for "kansas city electric park" in any search engine to learn more:
http://www.kchistory.org/week-kansas-city-history/tripping-light-fantastic-and-then-some
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Park,_Kansas_City
https://rcdb.com/12451.htm
Permission granted for placement by Lorri Calandra at KC Parks and Rec.