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History Of Kansas City's Streetcars

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-781041.mp3

Kansas City, MO – These discussions about light rail in Kansas City are focused on the future. But many residents can recall a time when our streets were criss-crossed with streetcar tracks, and trolleys could zip commuters throughout the metro area. Kansas City Star history editor Monroe Dodd wrote about this original mass transit system in his 2002 book A Splendid Ride: The Streetcars Of Kansas City 1870-1957. Dodd recently told KC Currents' Alex Smith how it all began as a system of horse-drawn carriages on rails.

This story was produced for KC Currents. To listen on your own schedule, subscribe to the KC Currents Podcast.

As a health care reporter, I aim to empower my audience to take steps to improve health care and make informed decisions as consumers and voters. I tell human stories augmented with research and data to explain how our health care system works and sometimes fails us. Email me at alexs@kcur.org.
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