European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 28, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inde by James Oneill yank staff writer so very Long 3go 3 curious visitor from out state stopped a Farmer on Liberty Street Here and asked him if he knew president the loaded Down with the coming weeks groceries and very much in a hurry to get snapped Back of course i know Harry and so does everybody in town who has been Here More than 15 whats so blamed particular about that everyone in Independence feels much the same Way As the although the townspeople Are proud that a boy who once worked in the local drug store for a week now holds the highest office in the they dont see Why they should go into conniption about As one old timer has said Harry himself  want anyone making a fuss Over president Truman neighbors Are much More interested in the Industrial Boom that started m their town during the War this the townspeople May be the beginning of a new even before a collection of sprawling wooden buildings and Muddy streets was incorporated As a City in Independence was a More or less important Community in this part Otmis it was in the that the Pio neers gathered with their Wagon trains for the Long trek across the Independence was the jumping off Point for Prairie schooners taking any one of the three great routes to the Golden Santa Oregon and California in those Days Independence merchants equipped the Pioneer trains with Hai nes and oxen when the Midwest settled Down to an agricultural Lite of its the town became the county seat and the chief shopping Center for the farms in Jackson throughout the 50 years preceding Pearl har Independence changed very the big houses built by a group of businessmen from nearby Kansas City gave the place a somewhat suburban but by and Large Independence remained just another Missouri country after things began to first the Standard Oil refinery out at sugar Creek was enlarged and hired twice the number of its prewar then the Small Indus tries on the Edge of Kansas 17 Miles South of began to mushroom out of the metropolitan District and overflow into the Blue the Lake City a reming ton arms came and All of Placid Jackson county was involved in the during the War the Lake City project manufactured Small arms for the situated five Miles East of it grew into one of the most important munition centers in the coun at one More than persons were on its payroll though Many of them came from Jackson the majority were out of towners from nearby despite the abrupt Stop in War production since the japs if you came Home now you would notice the Way the past few years have changed these Days there seem to be Many More cars parked along the and there is much More traffic and Hustle and Bustle along Liberty Street than there were before the Cook and sermons big grocery store on West like every other store in has twice the business it used to have and now stays open till 8 on saturday Bundschuh place on the East Side of the Square looks like one of the big Kansas City department stores when the Farmers and employees from Lake City gather there on a Busy saturday the town now has four air conditioned Gra Nada Maywood and allot them Are crowded every chamber of com Merce officials figure that local business has Dou bled in the past two at they claim then estimates Are the population Rose from in 1940 to 000 Early in most of the new Comers were defense workers hired for Lake during the War this influx created quite a housing and civic officials had to Send a petition to the Federal housing authorities for the government finally permitted the City fathers to build a housing project out on Chrysler the project consists of 300 family units and it eased the shortage the Lake City project absorbed so much Man Power that a lot of people took on extra jobs to help ease the four of the towns fire George de Mccullough and Ernie been working at other jobs in their spare civic officials be Lieve they will have Little trouble finding jobs for the Independence men still in despite the War Boom and the increase in Independence looks much the the War Hast wiped away the Stone Andrick houses with their comfortable porches and Green and the streets Are still lined with those Lovely Maples and it is still customary to wind up a saturday night with a Coke at John Feldhans drug store on Union Street and the High school As in the Days of Harry Truman still use Johns As their official those two ancient Booths with All the names carved on their surface re main in the righthand but there Are Many new the country club has increased its despite the shortage of Golf the grammar school kids go out there on week ends and search for members say the prices the Little bandits charge for them is the swim Ming Pool out on Lexington Avenue did a tremendous business in last Summers heat and be cause of the manpower shortage had a hard time getting a remember the Kirby bowl with its 12 alleys it aint no no one seems to know exactly How it but the place caught Page 16