Riverside City History
First Visitors, First Residents

It's not clear when the first Europeans came to what is now Riverside. The area almost certainly was used by early hunters and trappers. These included well-known French "runners of the wood" who traded with contemporary Native American tribes, such as the Osage and Kansa tribes. The first recorded visit by European Americans was the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which passed along the nearby Missouri River. These two explorers sent by President Thomas Jefferson even mentioned Line Creek in their journals, which they said was, "teaming with wildlife". Today, nearby Vivion Road is designated as part of the national Lewis and Clark Trail.

The first permanent settlers came in 1843. Henry and Susanna Brenner, along with their seven children, became the first family to make the area their home. They took up residence above the river's high mark, selecting a location well up Line Creek near modern Homestead Road, (the road is named to commemorate these early pioneers). One story disputes Henry Brenner as the original pioneer and relates that it was his younger brother Peter Brenner who actually came to the area first.

War was on the horizon in Germany and the Brenner family had long considered moving to America. Peter was sent on a "scouting" expedition from the family homeland in Germany's Rhine Valley. After passing through the Riverside area, he wrote of its excellent prospects and basically said, "It looks like home. Come on over!" W.M. Paxton, the famous chronicler of early Platte County, depicted the area as originally being covered with dense forest, a contrast to the more open savannah and prairie to the north. Describing Peter Brenner's life upon his death in 1894, Paxton noted that the tremendous work that was needed to clear the land was well rewarded, "Year by year he faithfully labored and cleared the land until he had one of the prettiest and cleanest farms in Platte County."

Following the arrival and success of the early Brenner clan, other families began settling in the area. Many of these family names are still important in the region: Burrichter, Filger, Groh, Hartman, Hasenjager, Huckett, Keller, Klamm, Leimkuehler, Linder, Miller, Pixley, Renner, Rogers, Russ and Spalding. Most of these early families relied on farming (some opened shops) as their first and most important livelihood. The rich soil, nearby water and other advantages soon made the area successful. Roads soon began connecting the area's increasing stores and farms. These early residents traded goods with Parkville and the City of Kansas - today's Kansas City.

Peter Brenner became known as "The Wheat King of Platte County." Well into the 20th Century, many residents of what became Riverside based their living on raising produce to be sold at Kansas City's City Market or at other area locations.

At that time, people referred to modern day Riverside as "East of Parkville." When the Brenner Ridge School was built, the area became known as "Brenner Ridge". It adopted the name "Riverside" much later - after many area businesses and locations used the name "Riverside" in their store name - including the popular Riverside Park.

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