Area's name was a mystery

Kansas City made history in the 1960s when bond issues were passed for both the Truman Sports Complex and a new Mid-Continent International Airport in the same election, and construction begun on both projects shortly thereafter.

A new sports venue was sorely needed to house the Super Bowl Chiefs and, in time, the Royals. A suburban location east of the city would afford ample parking and easy access to the interstates.

The huge new jetliners taking off and landing from the outdated downtown Municipal Airport not only created a lot of noise downtown, but posed a danger for the jetliners landing so close to the Missouri River bend and the tall skyscrapers. A Platte County location far north of the city for the new airport seemed ideal.

New construction and new highway interchanges near the new airport began almost immediately. One of those lovely new dual-lane intersections named Tiffany Springs Parkway sparked my interest, as it seemed to go nowhere except for a couple of blocks in each direction and sat that way for many years. Only within the past few years has the interchange begun to grow with office buildings, restaurants, hotels and fantastic new homes.

Tiffany Springs was such a cool name for a town, and I thought I knew most of the towns around the area, but I had never heard of Tiffany Springs, and no one I asked seemed to know any more than I did. While sitting in a coffee shop at I-29 and Tiffany Springs Parkway one evening, I asked where the town of Tiffany was, and the cook said it was east of I-29 on the other side of the golf course. An airport police officer sitting behind me disputed his claim and said there was no town named Tiffany Springs, only a road named Tiffany Springs Road.

Recently, my interest in the town was brought to life again while reading a book entitled “Healing Waters: Missouri’s Historic Mineral Springs and Spas,” by Loring Bullard of Springfield. Bullard spotlights at least 120 of the more prominent mineral springs and wells in 58 counties across Missouri.

I’ll be jiggered if there in the middle of the book, Tiffany Springs of Platte County appeared before my very eyes. Walla – it’s not a town after all, rather a spring, and it seems to have had more than one name down through the years.

According to Bullard, the area was known as Artesian Springs in 1888, when Mortimer Parks owned the springs and surrounding land. By 1890, the area had also come to be known as Crystal Springs. An early photograph shows Crystal Springs flowing from a shady glen traversed by a narrow walkway. Promoters claimed the spring benefited rheumatism, constipation and sore eyes. Visitors at that time saw only a few private residences near the spring.

Sometime later, the property sold to Dr. Flavel Tiffany of Kansas City, who intended to launch a health resort. Tiffany was apparently very wealthy, living in a mansion at 25th and Troost. A 1907 plat of Tiffany Springs included a large hotel depicted in the center of town, with bathhouses and a golf course nearby. But these were never built, and the town never grew beyond a handful of homes, a store and a blacksmith shop.

After an exhaustive search, I still do not know where Tiffany Springs is, however, Tiffany Springs Park, Tiffany Springs Road, and of course Tiffany Springs Parkway should keep the name alive forever.

Reference: Healing Waters, Missouri’s Historical Mineral Springs and Spas, by Loring Bullard