History Happy Hour: “Direct Your Letters to San Jose..."

Next date: Friday, February 27, 2026 | 06:30 PM to 07:30 PM

Jackson County was a funneling point for hundreds of thousands of overland travelers beginning in the 1820s with the Santa Fe Trail, and continuing in the 1830s for those traveling the Oregon Trail for territorial land. When gold was discovered in California Territory in 1848, the floodgates opened and western Missouri — including the Kansas City area — participated in another very important American history chapter.

Follow the trail through the letters and diary of two young men who traveled across Missouri heading west for gold in 1850. Did they strike it rich?

Presented by author, historian and historic preservationist David W. Jackson. Book by the same title available: “Direct Your Letters to San Jose: The California Gold Rush Letters and Diary of James and David Lee Campbell.”

Ages 18 and up.

Learn more and register to attend

Grab a drink or bite to eat at the Lenexa Public Market and join us upstairs in the Community Forum at City Hall.

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About the series

Hear stories that will inspire and spark conversation as you learn new insights and strengthen your community. Lenexa’s History Happy Hour series will help you become an informed citizen and learn about the unique topics and current events that impact our state. The series is a partnership with Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit organization encouraging Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures and cultures to create connections with one another and strengthen Kansas communities and democracy.

When

Location

Held in the first floor Community Forum.

Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Pkwy, Lenexa, KS, 66219, View Map