Westport was the name of a town in Missouri, along the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri. It was first settled by Reverend Isaac McCoy and his family in 1831, platted three years later, and formally incorporated in February 1857.
The community thrived during the mid-1800s as an outfitter for migrants traveling any of the four now-historic trails (Oregon, California, Santa Fe and Lewis & Clark) which went through the area.
During the Civil War, there were many skirmishes between pro- and anti-slavery groups in the area, including the Battle of Westport in October 1864.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the Civil War, Westport's role as the starting point for migrants slowly declined, even as nearby Kansas City grew. It was annexed by Kansas City in 1897.
The present-day Westport neighborhood is known as a center of entertainment and nightlife (including blues music) in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
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Last updated: 05-18-2005 19:40:57
