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Miracle on Pershing Road: The Holidays at Union Station
Since 1914, Union Station has celebrated the holidays with Kansas City. Through two world wars, thousands of trains, and even the quiet times, our station continues to give everyone a taste of magic in the Midwest. In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s always important to make time for a great story. So curl up with some cocoa, get cozy, and settle in for a few tales surrounding Kansas City’s miracle on Pershing Road.
Lighting Up the Town
Ever since I was a boy, I remember piling into the car with my family to see the Christmas lights. We got to see our lights every day in winter, but there was just something special about watching Kansas City light up. As we jostled for the window seats in my dad’s Nomad, we’d cruise Country Club Plaza, through Ward Parkway, and bop around Brookside.
In ‘57, Harry Truman pulled the switch on the lights, and I saw Santa take off his beard. Despite that Chris Kringle impostor, amazing light displays are still some of my fondest memories of the holidays in Kansas City.
Courtesy of the Missouri Valley Room
I may not be in the driver’s seat anymore, but I always join my grandchildren for the Country Club Plaza lighting ceremony. It’s a tradition that has stayed in my family since my grandfather immigrated here after WWI. Even as his memory faded, he still remembered the first electric lights he saw at Union Station. When the Weeks family put them in their big square bay window in 1946, my dad said he stared in awe. As the years pass, the lights only get brighter, and I’d love to see what he thinks of the city now!*
Milk, Cookies, and Moss?
Like many farm kids on the outskirts of Kansas City, my grandmother was used to seeing deer and other animals in their backyard. But in 1926, she came face-to-face with the most legendary sleigh team in the world. Every year, she gathered us around the fireplace on the night before Christmas to tell us one tall tale. Here’s how it went:
October was especially cold that year. Starting in October, a chill came over me that led me to be on bed rest with a fever. I couldn’t do much else than look out over the forest that backed up to our big window. After Thanksgiving, my fever broke, and I was finally able to go outside. To celebrate, we visited my relatives in Swope Park. There, I looked out to see deer that were larger than anything I’d ever imagined!
Courtesy of the Missouri Valley Room
Their antlers were massive, and they had hooves that almost looked manicured. I couldn’t stop staring. That’s when I finally got the gumption to ask a life-changing question. “Could I pet your deer?” “Reindeer,” replied my uncle. “They’re just here for the holiday celebration. I’ll go ask their handler.” One door knock later, I was face-to-face with the legendary team. Dunder, Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, and Vixen all had me as starstruck as a 6-year-old could ever be. Eventually, supper was called, and I had to go back inside, but I got a window seat everywhere I went in the house that night.
After our nightly service, we went home, and I made a fort near the window facing the forest. My mom stayed in the room with me to keep the fire going and make sure I didn’t catch a cold. There, I camped out for Santa. All night I stayed up, and just before I was about to fall asleep, my stakeout had paid off. I was resting my eyes when I heard a slight thud and saw the silhouette of a sled appear on the lawn in front of our house! Since Mom had been keeping the embers hot, I immediately threw on my coat and headed outside.
On the lawn, I saw the same reindeer as before, but with three more hitched up to a wooden sleigh. As I approached them, I stuck out a carrot from the shed, and they loved it! I must have fed a dozen or so carrots to them until I heard a soft voice say, “Moss!” I whirled around to see the big man himself standing right behind me. After seeing the reindeer, I was in a daze. “Where would I get moss?” I sleepily asked Santa Claus. “Right here,” he said, and he took me to the back of the sleigh to grab some he had stowed under his seat. There, I sat on his lap and told him what I wanted for Christmas.
He handed me a clump of moss, and I stuck a few handfuls in my pocket for safekeeping. I fed each reindeer, and before I knew it, I woke up in my bed, confused if I had just been dreaming. I threw on the warmest clothes I could find and rushed outside to find two runner lines and a few faint hoof prints. As I looked closer, there was a little moss in the freshly fallen snow. I scooped up as much as I could carry and rushed inside to tell my mom and pop! Before I made it inside, the snow melted in my hands, and my proof was gone. Disheartened, I laid under the stockings until it was time for presents.
We opened our stockings to find oranges and a few trinkets, but nothing from Santa. I thanked my mom, dad peeled my orange, and I sat by the back window to think about what I’d seen and sip some tea. That’s when I saw a burlap sack in the middle of the snow with a bow on it. I yelled to my parents as I dropped my tea to sprint outside. Dad thought I had seen a ghost, so he ran out to catch me. As we approached the bag, my dad read me the note attached to the feed sack.
“Thanks for feeding my reindeer. Keep this handy until next year!”
Mr. C
Courtesy of the Missouri Valley Room
That Santa Fe Railroad sack looks just like any from that era, but my grandmother always swore it was magic. My grandfather will back her up on it, as well! Grandpa slipped a snipping from that sack into his pocket as he joined other soldiers at Union Station. He always swore that snipping was what brought him back safely. My grandmother became one of the first women to cultivate moss in our area as a part of her victory garden. Now, every Christmas Eve, we make sure to douse the fire, put out milk and cookies, and each of us leaves out a clump of arctic moss in memory of her. We also visit a local reindeer farm every chance we get to keep the magic alive.
Related: The 5 most wonderful times of the year in KC
About These Stories
Any true Kansas Citian is full of holiday memories like these from days gone by. Union Station continues to play a pivotal role in many of the most heartwarming stories from America’s heartland. These editorials are inspired by real accounts found in the Missouri Valley Room in the Kansas City Central Library.
The first two stories are based on real accounts surrounding the history of the most wonderful time in Kansas City. The stories may be fictional, but the history is yours to learn at your local library. Our final tale shares Union Station’s miraculous history through every holiday season.
Kansas City’s Miracle on Pershing Road
On Kansas City’s front porch, immigrants, commuters, soldiers, shoppers, and world powers share the same roof. When our lights went dark, Kansas City kept them on in what can only be described as a miracle chain of events. Let’s take a look at what our grand hall looked like during three memorable holidays for Union Station.
In the 1930s, Union Station was a pillar of modern society in Kansas City. New Year’s Eve Under the Clock became a tradition for upwards of 15,000 people. During those years, teenagers played, couples got engaged, and hot chocolate flowed like a river from Harvey House. One teenager shared her first experience as she rang in the new year with her friends.
‘Under the Clock in Kansas City was like Times Square in New York. Everyone hugged one another, stranger or not, and wishes for a new year bounced out of everyone’s mouth. When the final tone of midnight struck, it was like the 4th of July, with many balloons bursting with the prick of a pin. Hot chocolate from Harvey House brought my friends and I together, and shortly after, our ride was at the southwest entrance near the baggage handling department.’
Laura Winkler—Kansas City Star**
Half a century can change a lot of things, even for a pillar of society. In the 1980s, John became one of the last remaining people keeping the station company. Maintenance was limited to a handful of men as Kansas City’s former home for the holidays crumbled away.
John would walk the halls, fixing broken windows, emptying rain barrels, and ensuring no uninvited guests made their way in. As the station fell into more disrepair by the day, tenants left, trains stopped, and his daily walk became lonelier than ever. Just before Christmas in 1988, John was reassigned due to the maintenance company’s new contract. Before he finished his final walkthrough of the station on December 23rd, he looked up at the clock where so many gathered before him. “Merry Christmas,” he said, before locking the front doors for the last time.
Today, Kansas City gathers under the clock once more. With an overwhelming push by citizens, Union Station avoided demolition. Getting back to the glory days took thousands of workers, politicians, and volunteers coming together because they believed in the magic within our halls. Under the clock, this year visitors can enter a world of wonder at Holiday Reflections.
As you enter through a glowing archway, you’ll be transported to a winter wonderland filled with talking penguins, historic train rides, and the spirit of the holiday season. Take a seat and feel the sparks fly with the aquatic fireworks display set to classics of the season. Make your way down the plaza and stop to be serenaded by Santa’s reindeer, or take off in his sled with a one-of-a-kind VR experience! Kids can enjoy a piece of history with a ride on the train and by watching models zoom around a winter village that spans the entire width of the plaza.
Experience the Miracle
Our halls are livelier than ever this season, and it’s all because of the wonderful citizens who truly believe in miracles. To see where Kansas City gets its holiday magic, there’s only one place to go. Meet us under the clock this season to see why we’re the Midwest’s destination for the holidays. Climb aboard to start making your own memories that last a lifetime at Union Station.
To make your journey a smooth one, get your tickets in advance to all the festivities this holiday season.
Happy Holidays from Union Station!
Sources and Our Thanks
*Thank you to the Kansas City Library for providing the materials that bring these stories to life!
**- “Union Station Kansas City by Jeffrey Spivak: New Hardcover (1999) 1st Edition.” El Gato de Papel, 1 Jan. 1999