INDEPENDENCE

city, seat (1870) of Montgomery county, southeastern Kansas, U.S., on the Verdigris River, near Elk City Lake (dammed for flood control and irrigation). It was founded in 1869 by a company that purchased a portion of an Osage Indian reservation. The town had temporary economic booms with the discoveries of natural gas in 1881 and oil fields in 1903. Independence is now a trade and processing centre for agricultural products (wheat and beef and dairy cattle) and for the production of oil and natural gas. Cement, boats, machinery, and electronic equipment are manufactured. Independence Community College was established in 1925. Nearby is Montgomery State Fishing Lake. Former residents include Alfred M. Landon, presidential candidate in 1936, and playwright William Inge. Inc. 1870. Pop. (1990) 9,942. city, seat of Jackson county, western Missouri, U.S., immediately east of Kansas City. It is the hometown of President Harry S. Truman (who was born at Lamar , 100 miles south). Settled in 1827, the county was named for Andrew Jackson, and the city recalled his love of independence. Near the western terminus of transportation on the Missouri River, Independence was the starting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails and later became a rendezvous for wagon trains to the California gold mines. Mormon settlers arrived in 1831, but local resentment drove them out in 1833. During the American Civil War, the town was occupied by Union troops and was the scene of two skirmishes with Confederates. The crescent-shaped Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (1957), housing the former president's private papers and mementos, has a Thomas Hart Benton mural, Independence and the Opening of the West; Truman's grave is in the courtyard. His mid-19th century Victorian home and his courtroom and office are preserved. The Auditorium in Independence (completed 1962) is the centerpiece of the World Headquarters of the (Mormon) Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A balanced agricultural and manufacturing economy prevails. Inc. 1849. Pop. (1990) 112,301.