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1928-1939
1928-1939
1928 Interurban Schedule
The tall guy in the back row was Homer Suddarth, the teacher!
Brenner Ridge 1929
1928, August 12
This ad appeared in the paper. It would later become Houston Lake, named after C. E. Houston
who was CEO of Lake Venetia Gardens Development.
In the left photo are Otto Keller, left, and John Brenner, right. Their families owned the land now comprising Houston Lake, until they "swapped" their properties and the Brenners built a dam to create what later became Houston Lake.
According to a brief history of Houston Lake on the community website, “In the 1800’s the land where Houston Lake is now was pasture and farmland, with Jumping Branch Creek running down through it. Early records indicate that our city and the surrounding land was owned by the Keller family followed by the Brenner family.” Former Mayor Jewel Head relates that the Brenners and Kellers swapped land at one point. Then, according to the website history, “Around 1880 the Brenner's built a dam across the creek to make a farm pond. The dam washed out a few times and through the rebuilding process the Brenners turned the creek into a twenty acre lake. Initially known and recorded with the county as Lake Venetia. On Sept. 10, 1928 Charles (C.E.) and Emma Houston purchased the land from Alma Brenner Hauetter. Mr. Houston developed it for recreational purposes and rented previously built cabins to fishermen. Mr. Houston, hearing stories of how the dam had washed away, decided to protect the lake. In 1930 he hired an engineering firm to design and supervise construction of a new dam. The dam he built is the dam we depend on today to give us our lake.”
1928-1937
RIVERSIDE PARK, aka RIVERSIDE DOWNS, RIVERSIDE JOCKEY CLUB
[See the video page for more]
Tom Pendergast, infamous political boss of Kansas City during the 1930s, had close ties to Riverside. One of Pendergast's passions was gambling and especially horse racing. He helped return horse racing to Kansas City during the 1930s when a court ruling allowed a limited form of "donation" gambling. In 1928, he and a Kansas City group organized the Riverside Park, taking over the grounds previously used by a dog track. The park was generally known as Pendergast's track, although his name did not appear on the legal papers. However, the names of his business associates and close friends were prominent in the list and the Pendergast association stuck.
The first horse track was a part of the old greyhound track that had bee owned by the Fairview Kennel Club. It was just inside the Clay county line and had been expanded from 1/4 to 1/2 mile. That was the Riverside Park track from 28' to 32'.
In 1933 Pendergast moved it inside Riverside and expanded the track to 1 mile. This would be it's last move and it lasted from 1933 to 1937.
Riverside Park, also sometimes known as the Jockey Club or Riverside Downs, was very successful, growing into a large establishment with many windows for "contributions" and "refunds." With exciting thoroughbred racing almost all week, at its peak the track drew crowds of nearly 20,000 in a single day. These crowds were a major factor in Pendergast's push for the widening of the highway from a two-lane to a four-lane and the building of the Fairfax Bridge to bring over the Kansas money.
There were two seasons per year for racing; 30 days in the spring and 30 days in the fall at the rate of eight races per day. The track achieved national notoriety in movies and had public appearances by Harry Truman among various others during its years of operation.
The park was comprised of about 30 buildings. West of the track was the clubhouse where Pendergast's friends and other elite visitors would sit on the second floor. From there they could see the entire racetrack. North of the clubhouse stood the huge grandstands which surrounded three-fourths of the track.
Built mostly of wood, these bleachers held several thousand people and resembled those at the state fair grounds. Just before one race season, a fire destroyed the bleachers. But within hours, Pendergast had bulldozers scooping up the debris. He brought in floodlights and a 24-hour work crew. Before opening day, new grandstands were complete.
On a normal race day, jockeys were up at 6 a.m. exercising the horses and checking the charts to see what horses they would be riding that afternoon. Jockeys would draw their riding numbers and do their required routines until the 1 p.m. weigh-in. A jockey might have ridden five to eight mounts a day, a grueling schedule requiring physical training and constant dieting, plus a thorough knowledge of horses and how to ride them.
The track's livelihood lasted only until 1937, when a new wave of anti-gambling sentiment swept the area and brought laws which outlawed even the "donation" gambling. At the time of Pendergast's downfall in 1939 (due to taxes and colin cancer), the District Attorney noted that in 1935 Pendergast's horserace bets and losses had forced him to seek income outside his normal resources.
Little evidence of the graceful Riverside Park still remains today; several Riverside businesses utilized various structures originally built for the track. To this day, a building south of the new Riverside city maintenance center sports some unusual poles atop the building - flag poles that once graced the club house for the old Riverside jockey club.
Confessions of a Jockey & Riverside resident.
Vern Davis of Riverside doesn't have to read about Tom Pendergast or thoroughbred racing in Kansas City. He lived it. Davis was raised in Brookfield, Mo. and spent most of his time riding horses. By the age of 13, he was competing in the "bushes" - local events at county fairs and other venues. With his light weight of only 105 pounds, he was a perfect Jockey. "I was horse crazy. I was small and that's how I got started." Not surprisingly, Davis quickly gravitated to what became Missouri's finest track, Riverside Park. "I came to Riverside the year it opened," he recalled. "I was just a kid and it was the big time, even though it was not a recognized track. They didn't have betting. They had donations. If you won, you went to the window and got a 'refund.'" The track held up to eight races each day so a rider could stay very busy.
The Interurban provided easy access for anyone from Kansas City. The station was literally across the street from the entrance to the track. "It was really 'the place' to be," Davis recalled. "There was a restaurant right there in the club house. Sandwiches and everything was available in the grandstand. People would come out and make a day of it." The quality of the track was evident by the thoroughbreds shipped in to compete. Davis had been riding under contract to another stable when Riverside opened. The owner brought him to the new facility and sold his contract to a large stable at Riverside. He rode at Riverside for all of its brief life. "My last year or so I worked with Tom Pendergast," Davis recalled. "He was the best man in the world. He liked all of the stable hands and all of the riders. He was a really good man to us. He treated me awfully good."
Davis managed to keep his 103-104 pounds until he was 40 years old. He also managed to sustain a close-knit family life for what was often a vagabond lifestyle. "I had my wife and two kids in a trailer traveling all over the U.S.," he recalled. "We'd go from Chicago to New Orleans to Florida. My first winter of racing was even in Cuba." Davis and his wife, Berneice, eventually had four sons and today have 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He admits that his growing family was a reason to retire, along with his growing waistline. "Berneice liked the tracks but it was rough," he agreed. "That was one thing that helped me get off the track. I was a family man. I wanted to stay together."
Davis still had time for a couple more careers. He broke horses for several years for Herbert Wolfe, of Wolfe Brothers clothing fame, and eventually held a 30-year career with Kansas City Power and Light. He also served as a Riverside Marshal and remained active in the Riverside community affairs for years. Now 93 he says, "I've lived a long time," he recalls. "But I can still remember that track. You should have seen it with all those people. It was something alright."
Vern Davis, 1990
Riverside, 1930
Topography map from 1936
showing the location of Riverside Park track. For prehistory buffs, it clearly shows to professionals at least 6 of the 20 known prehistoric burial mounds that still existed at the time.
1936
County Map
1930
County Plat map. Riverside would be most all the lower right hand portion. This map also shows the interurban rail system our area.
This is believed to be the first ad in the Kansas City Star for Riverside Park, June 7, 1928
Kansas City Journal
June 9, 1928
June 28, 1928
Tom Pendergast
Horse track in upper mid center
in this 1930 air photo.
1928
1935 to 2020
Then and now
This is a colorized photo by K. Klamm that was taken from the Brenner Store Interurban station. It shows the highway, field house and track. At the top near the river are the horse stables. This photo is taken about 1930. The main grand stand and finish line are out of frame to the right.
Grandstand and a brochure from about 1929 listing horses and jockeys.
This article is from 1976, however it seemed to fit better in this slot.
1928
Enjoying race day.
The Triplett family lived in Riverside.
The Cuban Gardens [additional info further down]
Was a high end restaurant opened by KC mob boss, John Lazia in 1929. It was within walking distance of Riverside Park. He imported the finest French chefs and only had the best orchestras play. On some nights it could be converted into a gambling casino.
The Platte County sheriff's department tried raiding it 5 times one night and failed because of the extensive security. It later came out in court that Lazia had bribed sheriff Holt Coffee to forget about them.
Lazia may have had a roll in setting up the Union Station Massacre, which involved Pretty Boy Floyd. Pendergast began to distance himself from that and in 1931, Lazia was gunned down outside his downtown home. Thus, the Cuban Gardens closed.
The building remained up to the early 70's when it was destroyed to make way for the 169 roadcut.
August 21, 1929
Son of the first permanent Riverside settler, John P. Brenner passes away at his daughter's home (Carolina Renner).
1929
September 18
1932
Brenner Ridge School
1930's
First Grocery Store
Edward Brenner opened the first grocery store in the old East Lakeside School building that was north of current Liebrands Auto Repair the John and Elizabeth Cemetery.
May 5, 1931
1931
Harry Truman also reportedly frequently visited. Vice President Curtis would be the first of three known presidential leaders to be in Riverside. Second would be Harry Truman who would become President later. Third, George W. Bush.
Tack stables in back beside the Missouri River.
May 6, 1932
The grandstand burnt down that were only about 4 years old. It would be rebuilt in about two weeks.
The grandstand burned on the 6th of May, but the news didn't go national until the 10th, when work was underway. The new grandstand was constructed 200 yards west of the one that burnt and was larger. The old one reportedly held 5,000 people and the new one could have 6,000.
1932
June 19
1933, March 1
Court order closes the Interurban.
The artists drawing in the top of the article is the clubhouse and would be known as the Jockey Club. It would be built similar to the drawing.
1933
May 5
1933
Track expansion finished later that same May.
In 1976 it still had the name Riverside Downs near the roof line.
Here's the same building as the drawing above about 2000. Still had the flag poles and doesn't look 77 years old.
How same view looks today.
Below is looking southwest at the back of the building during the flood of 1952.
1933
Surprise winner, May 30, 1933 Jim Dandy
BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE GLORY DAYS
INTERURBAN SHUTS DOWN IN 1933 AFTER 20 YEARS
FATA'S GROCERY OPENS
The sagging economy and financial problems saw the Interurban
make its last trip in 1933 and closed. In debt, The K.C.C.C.& St.J. railway abandoned its tracks and bordering landowners reclaimed much of their land.The Brenner Store/station
actually was shut down by the Interurban in 1932, because the lady manager of the store had two kids who liked to play on the tracks and after several warnings, the Interurban closed the station and gave Albert Brenner
48 hours to remove the building. Albert did and moved the building across the street in one weekend for a family who was going to start a gas station. Their names were the Fata's.
Fata Grocery was the epitome of old fashioned family business. Jim Fata, Sr. founded his grocery and "general store" in 1934. Operated by Jim and his family, Fata Grocery was located east of the present Red-X store. Like other small businesses, Fata Grocery was known for its good-natured humor and warmth. Many customers still recall the sign near the old-fashioned cash register: "In God We Trust— but you pay cash." Jim Fata, Jr., recalled recently that the business also involved delivery of ice and coal throughout the area. The coal was used to heat many area homes and the ice (chopped from area creeks during the winter) was used in early refrigerators and iceboxes. It was definitely a family business. "We lived behind there and all of us worked— mom, dad and four children," Jim Fata, Jr. now recalls. In the 1950s, E.H. "Ed" Young of Red-X fame purchased the business, but not before it had left its mark on Riverside. "It was great because we knew all of our customers and they knew us," Fata recalled. "It was a real family store."
1933
October 16
FATA'S GAS, ICE AND GROCERY 1934
Opened in 1934 by Jim Fata. It was a Standard Oil gas station that sold groceries and famous for selling block ice. It was located about 100 yards off the far east end of the current Red X parking lot. 
Fata's ice sign here the numbers stood for the weights of the blocks you could buy.
In it's later years.
March 23, 1934
After the Interurban closed people could buy former cars for $50 each. The article says the developer would call this White City and is believed to be on the spot where the White City motel would later be---generally where the big waterfall is now.
1935
Posted by Tom Eagle
for Gary Grantham
of Benard & Neal Elizabeth Grantham
at the track in an article from the Kansas City Star.
1935
Riverside Park Jockey Club. This is the back of the building in the photo three above.
Turn 1. [colorized]. from 1935 The Jockey Club in the above photos would have been just out of frame to the left.
Same view as above only further back and shows the Jockey Club on the left.
June 13, 1935
1936, May 29
June 25, 1936
June 28, 1936
This was at the stables in back by the river.
The Stables
May 29, 1936
1936
Jerry Carver would build a brick build for a Texaco gas station. No one is certain why, but only a few months later Ferd Filger took it over.
1936
Ferd Filger opens Filger Oil,Company
which as of 2018 is the oldest business in Riverside
using that same name and license. began Filger Oil Company in 1936 at 4533 Gateway. The building was originally build by Jerry Carver and had been known as Jolly Jerry's. Ferd took it over for about 5 years and then added a large warehouse where he would run his business from. Over the years the old gas station and cafe would be a Texaco station and the cafe would transform into Mary's Cafe, then Reece's and would become the first Corner Cafe.
1936
Article of the Supreme Court's decision signaling the end of Riverside Down's. Article from 1936.
June 28, 1936
1937
The personal Jockey Club pass below belonged to Gertrude Lawhorn.
The track closed in 1937 being busted for illegal gambling,,,,but what a great ride!!!
August, 1938
RIVERSIDE PARK WAS MADE FAMOUS AS A PART OF THE STING OPERATION IN THE MOVIE THE STING.
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss (Robert Shaw).[2] The film was directed by George Roy Hill,[3] who had directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid just four year earlier. The story was inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man.
The movie won 7 academy awards and also starred Robert Shaw who would become an instant star in Jaw's three years later. In the movie, Shaw places a $500,000 bet for Lucky Dan in the third race at Riverside to win. Part of the sting was that Shaw was supposed to put the bet for "place".
The point near the end of the movie where Shaw places the half million dollar bet on Lucky Dan at Riverside.
Even though it won academy awards, most people don't care about much---but when you watch it as a Riverside resident and the scenes come up that specifically mention the Riverside track--well it gives you goose bumps.
Here's the clip.
