Wynkoop Kiersted (1857-1934) Papers (KC0102)
Wynkoop Kiersted was born at Mongaup Valley, New York, on February 9, 1857. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, receiving a degree in civil engineering in 1880.
Kiersted’s professional career began in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1880 with the Missouri River Improvement Commission. Thus started his long association with water works engineering. In 1887 he moved his offices to Kansas City, Missouri, where he practiced until 1931. While in Kansas City, Kiersted served as chief engineer for the Kansas City water works from 1895 to 1900. He also designed water works systems for some one hundred other cities and appraised water works systems for many other municipalities. Among the many water works systems Kiersted designed were those in Galveston, Abiline, and Amarillo, Texas; Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Camp Funston, Kansas.
While working as a designer for water and sewer systems throughout the country, Kiersted investigated methods for clarifying and purifying water. This led to his experimentation with sulfate of alumina as a coagulant to hasten sedimentation in water. As a result of these studies, he published, A Discussion…Prevailing Theories and Practices Relating to Sewage Disposal, in 1894.
Kiersted died in Liberty, Missouri, on November 7, 1934.
The collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Wynkoop Kiersted, Sr. It includes personal correspondence, patents and legal documents, and a copy of Kiersted’s 1894 book, A Discussion…Prevailing Theories and Practices Relating to Sewage Disposal. Contracts, specifications, notes and drawings pertaining to a number of Kiersted’s projects are also included in the papers (the drawings have been microfilmed and filed within the architectural records series, 67:1 - 67:16). In addition to these records, a series of newspaper clippings (1922-1930) which Kiersted maintained is included in the collection. These clippings contain a great deal of information on his projects in Kansas City, Missouri; Amarillo and Abilene, Texas; and Fort Smith, Arkansas. 1880-1952.
45 folders, drawings.
© WHMC-KC, University of Missouri
updated:
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
(816) 235-1543 WHMCKC@umkc.edu