Archaeological History of Riverside, MO
Category: History
Updated: 8 months ago
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Lewis and Clark camp where Line Creek empties into the Missouri River. June 29, 1804Missouri is admitted to the Union and becomes the 23rd state and the largest at that time.1936, Native Americans were paid $7,500 for the Platte Purchase which added territory to Missouri in a line drawn between Platte and Clay counties, north to Iowa and west to the Missouri River1844,Several families arrive from Germany which included the Brenner's, Keller's, Groh's and many more.The greatest flood ever recorded on the Missouri happened in 1844.St. Matthew's Church was organized after a meeting about the flooding where the decision was made to either go back to Germany, or stay and build a church. The church at that time was known as St. Peter's.St. Matthew's Cemetery is formedSt. Matthew's had been a log structure and in 1870 it was made into a frame building, part of which still exists today.Civil War impacted the area by Bushwackers. These were groups of men who went around stealing and causing problems. One was killed in Riverside after robbing the Renner Family and stealing a gun from the Peter Brenner family.Judge Putnam West investigates some of the 28 burial mounds in one weekend.Lykins comes to investigate mounds.Not to be left out, Curtiss comes in 1879.And Professor Broadhead in 1880It was Professor Fowke who arrived in 1907, who did real investigative work showing more of an interest in why the mounds were the way they were and not showboating so much their contents. By the time Fowke arrived, there were only 18 mounds remaining.Fowke's returned in 1910 taking photos. There were only about 14 mounds leftThe Interurban begins and has a stop in Riverside at the Brenner Station. The retaining walls around Brenner Station were from the burial mounds after they were excavated.J. Mett Shippee investigates a mound on the west bluff and names it the Renner mound.J.Mett Shippee discovers the Renner site while walking to Parkville. Vivion road was being cut through Carolina Brenner Renner's property and he made notes of the vast artifacts that surfaced.Nov. 9th, 1937, Shippee sends a letter to Dr. Wedel about the Renner Mound.Shippee is notified by the National Museum that they were sending a new graduate, Waldo Wedel that summer.Over the next 15 years, Shippee would send several letters to the National Museum pleading that they send someone out to investigate the Renner Site.Wedel leaves Washington DC driving his own car headed to the Renner Site where he arrives four days later.Wedel and his team begin excavating Saturday, June 5th. and will last until June 30th.A book by Wedel was published. ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN PLATTE AND CLAY COUNTIES, 1943. To this day, it is still considered a "must have" book for anyone interested in Kansas City archaeology.Leo Roedl and James Howard, under a joint undertaking by the Kansas City Museum and the Kansas City Archaeological Society, excavate at Renner.The development of Indian Hills begins and residents are assured the mounds will not be disturbed. By the end of 52', any remaining intact mounds are gone.Carolina Brenner Renner passes away and Gary & Mary Brenner rent her home from her estate.Dr. Walter Burks, from Park College, gets permission from Carolina's estate to excavate in back of the house.Dr. Burks, over the past year, had switched from Park College to Maple Woods. In the summer of 1981, Brenner replaced Burks in teaching a non credit archaeology course that would continue until 1994.Gary & Mary Brenner were able to purchase the Renner house and one of the six acres.Twenty seven year old Brenner is elected to the Riverside city council. His purpose is to save he remaining portion of the Renner Site.Brenner proposes to the Riverside council actively seek to purchase the remaining acres. He personally tells Shippee he is 100% confident.11:50 am, June 18 Councilman Jim Karr made a motion to purchase the Renner Site. All were yes with Brenner abstaining. Motion carried.Shippee passes away.Part of the agreement with the Carolina Renner estate called for a marker that had Shippee's name, Carolina Brenner Renner's name and the fact is was on the National Register. Mayor Holmes appointed Brenner to design the monument and gave him a $2500 budget.The Renner Site is the first place or site in Platte County to be put on the National Register of historic places. The designation is 23PL1.The Kansas City Archaeological Society publishes Brenner's: EXCAVATIONS AT THE RENNER SITE in the Kansas City Archaeologist, special bulletin 1.Brenner is elected to a second term.The Johnson Monument Company was hired to make the monument.Election day. Brenner helps Johnson Monument Company set the 3 ton granite monument. Brenner's election would tie and he would loose in a second election after a ruling from the Supreme Court.Mayor Holmes appoints Brenner to the Riverside Park Board.Brenner instructs the city employee's on construction of the park. It becomes a three year task.The Kansas City Archaeological Society publishes Brenner's second paper: RECENT EXCAVATIONS AT THE RENNER SITE, The Kansas City Archaeologist, Special Bulletin 2Anita Gorman is the head speaker as the Renner Brenner Site Park is dedicatedBrenner inhales a 2,000 year old enzyme while sifting dirt as the effects start shutting down his organs. He spends two weeks in the hospital.During the flood of 1993, which was a 500 year flood, the Coast Guard, National Guard and Public Safety, tied their boats to the Renner Shelter house. Water never made it to the level of prehistoric occupation.Gary and Mary divorce. She keeps the house. He keeps the artifacts.SCI is hired by Riverside to conduct a professional excavation where they wanted to put in a playground. Brenner puts up a public display of dissatisfaction in the way SCI removed the top soil. It would be nearly 10 years before SCI released their report.Brenner produces a short video on the Archaeology of the Renner Site.Brenner produces a second video on Riverside Archaeology, which is a look back at the prehistoric burial mounds and vaults.Brenner produces a third video on the History of Riverside, MissouriBrenner writes an unpublished paper entitled: POPULATION STUDIES OF THE RENNER SITEBrenner produces a fourth video: PREHISTORIC POPULATIONS IN THE KANSAS CITY AREABrenner invents an automatic sifter which can safely sift a 5 gallon bucket of dirt in 30 seconds.Brenner is given the J.M. Shippee award by the KCASBrenner believes he has a way to tie radiocarbon dates in a way to help determine population sizes over time.
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