Brown Estates in Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Byram's Ford and the Battle of Westport
Battle of Westport • Byram's Ford • Big Blue Battlefield • 22-23 October 1864
History of Byram's Ford
Freighter Augustine Byram from Kentucky settled here in 1839. Overlooking the Byram's Ford crossing of the Big Blue River, his log cabin stood 900 yards west of here on the rise dubbed by the soldiers in 1864 as "Bloody Hill." The 1895 photograph of the battlefield taken from Bloody Hill shows Byram's cabin and in the distance the Ford at this location.
Two miles east of this ford, the Byram's Ford Road branched off the Santa Fe Trail. The road led west to the fields near the state line used by freighting companies to graze oxen.
Byram's sons Augustus (top) and Peter Byram occupied the cabin in the 1850s while working for Russell Majors and Waddell in the Santa Fe Trail trade. Numerous teamsters in the Santa Fe freighting trade lived in this area. Later, many of these teamsters were part of Price's Confederate army and provided valuable knowledge for guiding the army and its lengthy wagon train through this area.
This site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The land containing Byram's Ford and the adjacent Byram's Ford Road sites were purchased by the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund and the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites in 1992. In 1995 this ground was donated to the City of Kansas City and its Parks Department to establish the Big Blue Battlefield Park.
The Battle of Westport
The Battle of Westport was the largest engagement of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River. Byram's Ford was the pivotal point for two successive days during the battle as the Federal and Confederate armies fought over this ground.
Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price decided to cross the Blue River at Byram's Ford, instead of the Main Ford located three miles north of here, because this location least exposed the Confederate army to the combined Federal forces who were converging on Price's front and rear. Hundreds of Confederate wagons lumbered across Byram's ford during the night after the battle on October 22.
Erected 2021 by Monnett Battle of Westport Fund.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is October 22, 1864.
Location. 39° 1.077′ N, 94° 31.244′ W. Marker is in Kansas City, Missouri, in Jackson County. It is in Brown Estates. Marker can be reached from Hardesty Avenue, ¼ mile north of 63rd Street, on the left when traveling north. The historical markers are located along the Blue River Trail, on the east side of the Blue River about one quarter mile north of the intersection of 63rd Street and Hardesty Avenue. Refer to the map on the marker. Follow the trail about 400 feet west toward the river. Hardesty is .8 of a mile west of I-435. Take Hardesty north .25 of a mile to concrete path. The markers are about 400 feet west on path to Blue River and Byram's Ford. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5900 Hardesty Ave, Kansas City MO 64129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Storm of Lead (here, next to this marker); Contested Crossing (here, next to this marker); Byram's Ford Historic District (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of the Big Blue (approx. 0.3 miles away); Battle of the Big Blue, October 22, 1864 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Byram's Ford Battlefield (approx. 0.4 miles away); Log House and Defensive Line (approx. half a mile away); Pratt's Artillery (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kansas City.
Regarding Byram's Ford and the Battle of Westport. The markers describe the Battle of Byram's Ford on October 22 and 23, 1864.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2021, by Robert Macoubrie of Lenexa, Kansas. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 28, 2021, by Robert Macoubrie of Lenexa, Kansas. 2, 3. submitted on December 1, 2021, by Robert Macoubrie of Lenexa, Kansas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.