History
When Marie Minor Sanborn (Mrs. Thor Sanborn) died in 1941, she willed about 200 acres of the farm that she and her husband owned just south of Kansas City, around 110th Street (Red Bridge Road) at Holmes, to the City of Kansas City as a park upon her husband’s future death. Mrs. Sanborn indicated that the park be named for her father, Dr. William E. Minor, who had owned the property and had been a surgeon in Kansas City. She also willed that the City be required to spend $2,500 annually for 10 years on the property. The acreage was located outside Kansas City’s city limits.

Thor Sanborn died in March 1956, and the property was turned over to the City on Sept. 1, 1956. Two years later, Kansas City’s city limits were extended to include the property. Work began on a golf course in 1965, and it was dedicated in June 1967. A history of the property shows that the Santa Fe Trail passed through part of what is now Minor Park.

There are six Pickleball Courts in Minor Park, accessible from Red Bridge Road.

***New Trail Construction Project in Minor Park***
Blue River Trail – Martha Truman Connector
Project # 70191308 – TAP 3301(519)

A new segment of the Blue River Trail will be developed near the south end of Minor Park, headed south from where the existing trail ends near the tennis courts, traversing through the Blue River Greenway along the Blue River floodplain to the intersection of Blue River Road and Martha Truman Road.  This new trail will consist of a ten-foot-wide shared-use path with ADA accessibility standards.

This project is being completed in partnership with MODOT and Jackson County Parks and Recreation Dept. Project scheduled to begin the final week of March and be completed by mid-December 2025.