Jackson County Parks and Recreation
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Administrative Offices: 816-503-4805 Park Rangers: 816-503-4890 Permits + Reservations: 816-503-4805 |
As one of the oldest county parks departments in the United States, the Jackson County Parks System traces its beginning to 1922, with the development of Hayes Park near the banks of the Missouri River. A program of constant expansion and improvement since 1926 has seen the system grow from its original 32 acres to 21,000 acres. That makes the Jackson County Parks system the 3rd largest county parks system in the nation. In 1927, Harry S. Truman, Presiding Judge of the Jackson County Court, created one of the first county parks departments in America. In 1932, a Master Plan was completed and operations transferred to the County Highway Department. It wasn't until the 1950s when the county lake phase of the 1932 plan was put into action. Under the leadership of Judge Harry M. Fleming, a $3 million bond issue was passed, the Jackson County Parks + Rec Department was reestablished as a separate entity and work began on Lake Jacomo. Residents of Jackson County were fishing and boating on their new lake in 1959. |
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