Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs
on their repeat as Super Bowl Champions!

UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE EXCITING GAMES

WE HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING.

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A little over two weeks ago we received the following blog on the Back Pages of the Raytown Report.

Blogger Chris Inlow wrote . . .

Greg,

You stated the reasons why this logo is bad, for which I agree. But what do you think the new logo should be? What colors should it be? What should it have on it?

Very respectfully,

Chris Inlow

January 19, 2024 at 12:28 PM

Battle of the Flags Continues
A municipal flag should easily be identified as to what it represents. For that simple reason we have placed the City’s name as the dominant language at the top of the flag. The type underneath the flag shows the City can trace its roots back to 1858. It shows Raytown was incorporated in 1950.

It is proof positive that Raytowns history as a community currently spans 166 years.

The symbolism of the anvil and the outline of a black smith in the act of striking the anvil shows the city’s roots go back to when Raytown was a destination on the Santa Fe Trail.

On the national level, this has proven to be a well worn path. Two of the most recognizable flags in our world are the United Kingdom’s “Union Jack”, and the United States “Star Spangled Banner”. 

The Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom).

The American Flag became known as the Star Spangled Banner after Francis Scott Key saw a bombardment of Fort McHenry by English ships during the War of 1812.

In 1818 Congress enacted the third and last Flag Resolution, requiring the 13 stripes symbolized the original 13 colonies. The number of stars should always match the number of states, and any new star should be added on the July 4 following a state’s admission.

This has been the system ever since. The last two states to be added to the flag came about in 1959 when Hawaii and Alaska became our 49th and 50th States.

Both flags are unique. Each tells a unique story of the history of the country they represent. Raytown’s flag should do as much.

So, without any further ado, here is our suggestion for a new flag for Raytown, Missouri.

OUR THOUGHTS . . .

The most important part of any symbol of a community is that it tells a story. The symbols used on the flag shown at right are unique to Raytown.

The opening of the Santa Fe Trail increased the number of people coming into the area.  Raytown had become an important point for settlers and adventurers heading west. Cattle, oxen, fruits and vegetables were purchased from the farmers already in the area. Soon blacksmiths, wagon makers and iron workers were coming from the east to add their much needed skills to the growing number of wagon trains. 

As more and more travelers pushed westward along the Santa Fe and Oregon trails, pioneers, predominantly from Kentucky and Virginia, began to settle in numbers.

They discovered an area of high wooded ridges that reminded them of the shrouded Blue Ridge Mountains of their former homes. They named the land Blue Ridge, and the adjoining streams, the Big Blue and Little Blue Rivers.

Several tradesmen set up businesses along the trail. William Ray, born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1808, was a blacksmith who moved to Jackson County around 1848 and established his shop on the Santa Fe Trail.

Ray’s blacksmith shop was located at a crossroads where the Santa Fe Trail was crossed by other important trails. It became a meeting and gather place for pioneers to continue their trek to the west. 

By 1850, William Ray’s blacksmith shop was well established on what is now the intersection of 63rd & Raytown Road. He purchased the seven acres of land for $72.16.

William Ray’s shop, therefore, became a geographic landmark and is mentioned twenty-seven times in the next fourteen months of county court proceedings. William Ray himself appears to have been somewhat of celebrity. By 1854, his neighbors were referring to the town as “Ray’s Town,” and eventually, “Raytown.”

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