Jim Bridger Monument

A photographic postcard in black and white pictures the monument of the famous mountain man James Bridger, erected by Maj. Gen. G.M. Dodge, Dec. 5, 1904, in Mount Washington Cemetery here. Bridger's body had been moved from its original burial place from the Stubbins Watts farm, north of Watts Mill, in the old community of Dallas, Mo. James Bridger was a well-known figure in Westport, when the little village was an outfitting post for wagon trains moving out on trails west, and before the founding of Kansas City. He bought a large farm near the old community of Dallas, at 103rd and State Line. In 1866 he bought Chouteau's store, 504 Westport Road, one of the oldest buildings still standing in Westport. (He never ran a Westport dance hall and saloon, as has been erroneously reported.) Recently a bronze sculpture with larger than life figures, was unveiled at the new Pioneer Park, Broadway and Westport Road. It depicts the full figures of James Bridger, John Calvin McCoy, Father of Kansas and Alexander Majors, the great freighter. The Westport Historical Society and the Native Sons of Kansas City, with a diligent committee chaired by the late Laurance C. Larry Phister, sponsored the project for the monument. They obtained the services of Tom Beard, Kansas City sculptor and artist, who produced the masterful bronze piece. Necessary funding was by contributions from business firms, local organizations and hundreds of private donors. Kansas City Times, November 6, 1987.