First Edition: Krug Park — Beauty, Memory & Murder
WRJE-LP 96.1 FM is proud to announce the launch of The WRJE Archives, a new historical-preservation project dedicated to documenting the people, places and events that shaped St. Joseph, Missouri.
Our inaugural edition, Krug Park: Beauty, Memory & Murder, is now available.
The WRJE Archives grew from a simple belief: local history should not be allowed to disappear.
Too many important community stories remain scattered among family albums, aging newspaper pages, museum collections, public records and fading memories. Some survive only because residents, historians and organizations made the effort to preserve them.
The WRJE Archives will bring those fragments together and present them in carefully researched, accessible publications that can be read, shared and preserved for future generations.
Why Krug Park?
Few places represent St. Joseph as completely as Krug Park.
For more than a century, its waterfalls, lagoon, stone passageways, wooded roads and historic structures have provided a setting for family gatherings, concerts, childhood adventures, first dates, weddings and quiet afternoons.
It is a place where generations of St. Joseph residents have created personal memories.
Its story began with the generosity of the Krug family, whose gifts of land helped establish one of Missouri’s oldest and most distinctive public parks. From those original donations grew formal gardens, a conservatory, animal exhibits, streetcar connections, stone gateways, the Krug Bowl, the castle and the architectural features that remain familiar today.
The new publication follows that history from the park’s earliest development through the present day.
It also explores the annual transformation of Krug Park into Holiday Park, a St. Joseph Christmas tradition that began in 1981. The book documents how a community idea developed into the lighted drive enjoyed by generations of local families.
The final chapters examine the extensive restoration now underway. Supported principally by the half-cent parks sales tax approved by voters in 2021, the project includes improvements to the castle, Krug Bowl, Children’s Circus, shelters, restrooms, playgrounds, utilities, historic masonry and accessibility. The city’s current schedule calls for the overall project to be completed in fall 2027.
Preserving Difficult History
Krug Park’s history also includes tragedy.
The publication carefully documents the 1913 murder of Madeline Rowbotham, the 1940 deaths of Jane Miller and Alfred Dick, and the 2016 murder of Kaytlin Root.
These chapters were not included to sensationalize violence or turn Krug Park into a true-crime attraction. They are presented because responsible history must acknowledge difficult events as well as celebrations.
Whenever possible, the stories are reconstructed through contemporary newspaper coverage, documented court proceedings and other surviving records. Original newspaper pages from the State Historical Society of Missouri are reproduced as primary historical sources.
Most importantly, the victims are treated as people—not merely as names in old headlines.
Krug Park should never be defined by the violence that occurred there. Its greater history is one of public life, generosity, resilience and generations of community memories.
Inside the First Edition
Krug Park: Beauty, Memory & Murder includes:
- The history of the Krug family’s gifts to St. Joseph
- The development of the gardens, conservatory and early attractions
- Historic photographs, postcards and newspaper pages
- Modern photography of the lagoon, waterfall, Bowl and colonnade
- The history of Holiday Park
- Documented accounts of three tragedies connected to the park
- Information about the current restoration project
- A historical timeline
- Sources and editorial documentation
The publication combines archival materials with modern photography to show how the park has changed—and how much of its original character has survived.
More Than a Single Publication
Krug Park is only the beginning.
Future editions of The WRJE Archives will explore additional St. Joseph landmarks, neighborhoods, institutions and events. Each edition will be developed from historical records, original reporting, community contributions and photographs preserved by those who understood their importance.
Through this project, WRJE hopes to create a growing collection that residents, students, researchers and future generations can use to understand the community they inherited.
WRJE will continue reporting on the St. Joseph of today.
The WRJE Archives will help preserve the St. Joseph that came before us.
Read the First Edition
The WRJE Archives, Volume I: Krug Park — Beauty, Memory & Murder is available now.
[READ OR DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE FIRST EDITION HERE]
Because this publication discusses historical and modern acts of violence, some sections may not be appropriate for all readers. The material is presented respectfully and without unnecessary graphic detail.
We invite readers to share the publication, contribute historical information and help us identify photographs, documents and memories that should be preserved in future editions.
History survives only when someone chooses to preserve it.
With The WRJE Archives, WRJE is making that choice.
The WRJE Archives
Preserving the history of St. Joseph, Missouri
WRJE-LP 96.1 FM
Where St. Joseph Comes First