The in-state rivalry between Missouri’s two largest metropolises, Kansas City and St. Louis, has permeated politics, sports, and culture.

Competition between the two is ingrained in state history and dates to a 30-year period between 1888 and 1916. During that time, St. Louis became the epicenter for national and international gatherings — highlighted by the 1904 World’s Fair — bringing with it broad public attention and publicity. These events presented an opportunity for St. Louis to welcome visitors from across the globe, promoting the benefits and growth potential. Less than three hundred miles west, business leaders and elected officials in Kansas City wondered what these developments meant for them.

Drawing extensively from historical newspapers, chamber of commerce records, and other primary source materials, historian Dustin Gann suggests that the rising profile of a regional rival in St. Louis inspired mixed feelings among Kansas Citians and anxiety over Kansas City’s own growth trajectory.

Yet, Gann concludes, the success of St. Louis events also provided a model for municipal promotion which Kansas City emulated and used to secure future large-scale events of its own, such as the 1900 Democratic National Convention.

Gann is an assistant professor of history at Southeast Missouri State University. He examines the relationship between national culture and regional identity, focusing on the processes, individuals, and interactions that have shaped Midwestern communities throughout the 20th century. Gann’s research is featured in the book Wide Open Town: Kansas City in the Pendergast Era and the accompanying Pendergast Years website.