Camp Union

Camp Union, near the site of the Coates House Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.

Notable Events:

  • Union Soldiers secure Kansas City and establish Camp Union (June 1861)

In 1857, construction began on the Broadway Hotel, but the coming of the Civil War prompted the Union Army to board over the construction site and use it as a cavalry barracks and "Camp Union" garrison. Camp Union helped secure Kansas City for the North, making it an important but unrealized target for Confederate General Sterling Price in his Missouri Expedition, which culminated with his defeat in the Battle of Westport. Following the war, construction resumed on the hotel, which was eventually named the Coates House Hotel. After a long history of hosting U.S. presidents, declining into short-term housing for transients, and suffering a catastrophic fire, the historic building now holds apartments and condominiums in the revitalized Quality Hill area. 

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