Upcoming Events

The remarkable story of the Kansas City Southern tells of a railroad that followed its own path from the very beginning, led by a succession of visionaries unafraid to take risks in pursuit of success. Without the resources of earlier land grant railroads, the Kansas City-based company forged a unique approach to growing its franchise. Though modest in size, it developed an outsized, personalized commitment to its customers, suppliers and rail partners. With their vast rail networks, larger railroads sometimes cajoled customers and smaller railroads into conforming to their service offerings, while the Kansas City Southern sought to develop mutually beneficial relationships. Vision Accomplished is the story of a succession of individuals who – through the strength of their personalities, vision, courage and character – led the railroad through a series of perilous situations and, in so doing, crafted a corporate culture truly unique in the railroad industry. Author William H. Galligan describes how a railroad that by rights should have failed dozens of times instead survived and grew to become a major participant in the North American supply chain.

Swindler. Murderer. Scoundrel. Robert Boatright was one of Middle America’s greatest confidence men. Although little remembered today, his story provides a rare glimpse into America’s criminal past. Working in concert with a local bank and an influential Democratic boss, “this dean of modern confidence men” and his colorful confederacy of con men known as the Buckfoot Gang seemed untouchable. A series of missteps, however, led to a string of court cases across the country that brought Boatright’s own criminal enterprise to an end. And yet, the con continued: Boatright’s successor, John C. Mabray, and his cronies, many of whom had been in the Buckfoot Gang, preyed upon victims across North America in one of the largest midwestern criminal syndicates in history before they were brought to heel.

Author Kimberly Harper will discuss how Boatright’s story exposes a rift in the wholesome midwestern stereotype and furthers our understanding of 19th- and 20th-century American society.