The NE KCK Heritage Trail connects Kaw Point to the Quindaro Townsite, integrating green infrastructure, job access, expanded transportation options, and wayfinding along its path. While the physical trail is in the works, the stories of the community’s rich cultural history are continuing to be shared. Visit the NE KCK Heritage Trail Tour Guide to learn more or plan a self-guided tour.
NE KCK is an extraordinary destination. Tour the Quindaro Ruins, which tell the story of a town built around the Wyandot Nation and abolitionist belief that no human being should be owned by another. Uncover hidden designs etched into the bluffs along the river and stitched into quilts as codes for those traveling the Underground Railroad. Take in the sights, sounds, and food of the hometown of legendary African Americans, including jazz legend Charlie Parker, and connect to a community whose future is defined by its culture.
Click below to explore our stories. Stay tuned for more updates as the NE KCK Heritage Trail implementation continues.
View the Northeast Kansas City, KS Heritage Trail Plan
In 2021-2022, Groundwork NRG and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS worked with members of our community to create a NE KCK Heritage Trail Plan. The NE KCK Heritage Trail will integrate NE KCK’s rich cultural history into land use, green infrastructure, and job access. Through a participatory community planning process, we identified people, places and events that are important to our community. We also narrowed down three routes that will make up the path of the Heritage Trail and connect Kaw Point and the Historic Quindaro Townsite.
Get involved
Did you know that Northeast KCK is part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area? This area lifts up stories of African Americans' struggle for freedom on the Kansas-Missouri border. Explore an interactive map of the area on the Freedom's Frontier website!
Thank you to everyone who hosted or attended a porch conversation this August! These conversations helped our team better understand significant People, Places, and Events that may become memorialized as part of the NE KCK Heritage Trail.
Participatory Community Planning Highlights
Background
Northeast KCK is blessed with fascinating historical sites—like the nationally-recognized Quindaro Townsite—and a rich history that spans generations. The purpose of the NE KCK Heritage Trail is to connect these sites with a single path that utilizes as much existing green space as possible and provides a new reason to get out and get active.
The Heritage Trail will stretch from Historic Kaw Point in the south to the Quindaro Townsite in the northwest, and will include green infrastructure installed on vacant lots by Groundwork NRG’s youth Green Team. By planting shade trees and testing stream water for dangerous pathogens, Green Team’s efforts to restore Jersey Creek Park also support the Heritage Trail project.
Recently we’ve taken important steps towards making the trail a reality. After interviewing a number of consulting firms, Groundwork NRG selected COLLABO, who had previously worked on the planning process for the Northeast Area Master Plan. We kicked off the planning process in May and have been touring, listening, and hosting community workshops since.
The final plan will outline an identity and vision for the trail and clear, implementable steps to get there. The following graphic contains a map of the planning process, what we've done, and the exciting road ahead:
