Mission History

Otocast Mobile History Tour

Mission’s past is full of stories you might have missed, and now you can enjoy them in a new way! The Otocast app is a platform for mobile audio guides, and now there is a guide featuring a Mission History Tour. Each stop has an info tab that provides historical background, a collection of pictures from the past, maps to get you where you’re going and audio clips to highlight local stories of interest. To get started, download the free Otocast app from your smart phone app store, available here:  Otocast for Android and Otocast for iOS

Special thanks to local history enthusiasts and contributors to this project, especially Frank Bruce and Suzie Gibbs, for sharing their stories with us.

• Frank Bruce
• Suzie Gibbs
• Andy Akright
• Quinn Appletoft
• Roger Beason
• Carl and Cathy Casey
• Keith Drill
• Andy Hyland
• Martha Sumrall
• Kathy Lockard
• Dave Martin
• Laura McConwell
• Dave Parrish
• Doug Yonke

Share Your Mission History

We are always interested in hearing your stories from Mission’s past. Please share photos, stories and memorabilia with us so we can share with others! Contact City Hall or our City Historian, Frank Bruce.

Mission’s Beginnings

Small nomadic Kansas and Osage Indian tribes lived in Northeast Kansas before white settlers arrived. In 1825, the federal government gave all of Johnson County to the Shawnee tribe. In 1854, the Kansas – Nebraska Act terminated the Indian reservation and opened up the land for white settlers. A wagon trail was established between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The trail wound from Westport through Mission, Overland Park and Olathe. There were two watering stops in the areas of 5920 Maple and 6201 W. 61st Terrace.

Originally called Mission Hill Acres in 1926, this suburb was subdivided into 245 lots and offered for sale by the Breyfogel family. By 1935 there were five businesses: a drug store, restaurant, hardware and dry goods store, a barber shop, and a cleaning and pressing establishment. In 1938, postal authorities recommended shortening the name from Mission Hill Acres to Mission.

Incorporated as a city in 1951, Mission is where the heart of Johnson County intersects with the cool of Kansas City. More small town than suburb, we’re proud without being pretentious, progressive yet rooted in our history, growing but steadfast in our commitment to evolve in ways that are best for our people and our environment.

Mayors of Mission

• E.C. McBride – Term: June 1951 – April 1955
• Sylvester Powell, Jr. – Term: April 1955 – April 1965
• Victor Andersen – Term: April 1965 – July 1966
• George Anderson – Term: July 1966 – April 1975
• Rolan Warman – Term: April 1975 – April 1977
• Sylvester Powell, Jr. – Term: April 1977 – March 2002
• Laura L. McConwell – Term: March 2002 – April 2014
• Steve Schowengerdt – Term: April 2014 – January 2018
• Ron Appletoft – Term: January 2018 – December 2021
• Solana Flora – Term: December 2021 – December 2025