Ha Ha Tonka Builder Killed in Auto Accident
On October 27, 1906, Robert McClure Snyder, one of the wealthiest men in Kansas City and builder of Ha Ha Tonka mansion in Camden County, was out for a drive. He was one of the first people in Kansas City to own an automobile. When his driver swerved to miss a child, Snyder became one of the first people in Missouri to be killed in an auto accident. After Snyder’s death, work on the mansion was halted for 16 years.
This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.
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