Andrew Drips Marker
Owner: Kansas City Parks & Recreation
Artist: Unknown
Dates: Dedicated 1951
Medium: Granite and limestone
Description:
Andrew Drips (1789-1860) was an agent of the American Fur Company. His name appears on one of the earliest maps of Kansas City. He was married to Mary, a member of the Oto Nation. They came to Kansas City in 1839 and called it home for the rest of their days.
The monument is a low limestone wall topped with granite. On each side is a granite plaque. The plaque facing west has an inscription illustrated with a figure of a fur trader, in honor of Andrew Drips. The east-facing plaque has another inscription along with a figure of a Native American woman, in honor of Mary.
His daughter, Catherine Drips Mulkey, deeded the land on which the monument rests to the City of Kansas City in 1882 in honor of her father. The land, a little over 0.1 acres, became the first park in Kansas City. Originally named West Prospect Park, it was renamed Andrew Drips Park in 1951. It is considered the keystone of the Kansas City public park system.
