Lenexa was platted in 1869 by French-born civil engineer, Octave Chanute, who, in addition to designing the original Hannibal Bridge over the Missouri River in Kansas City, also served as a mentor to the Wright Brothers in their quest to fly. This map shows the original plat of the town, which was 42 acres (the town at that time could have fit inside Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park where the Great Lenexa Barbeque and Spinach Festival are held each year). First Street on the map is what is now known as Pflumm Road . Elm Street is now Santa Fe Trail Drive .
Thirty-eight years later, on May 8, 1907, Lenexa was incorporated as a city.
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