US ResearchConflictsIndian Wars and Frontier ConflictsMissouriUnion Station Massacre
Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts

Union Station Massacre

1933
Missouri
Era
Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts
Year
1933
Location
Missouri
Status
Verified engagement
The Battle

History & Significance

Union Station Massacre was a Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts engagement fought in Missouri, 1933.

Four lawmen and their prisoner, convicted bank robber Frank Nash, were shot dead in a burst of gunfire outside Union Station in Kansas City as officers prepared to transfer Nash by car. The attack, ostensibly an attempt to free Nash, killed an FBI agent, two local police and a police chief along with Nash himself, and was attributed to a group of outlaws including Charles 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, Adam Richetti and Vernon Miller, though Floyd's role remained disputed. The brazen slaughter of officers in a public plaza galvanized federal law-enforcement, providing the Bureau of Investigation with the political momentum to expand its powers and arm its agents. The Union Station Massacre became a rallying event in the federal 'war on crime' of the 1930s and a symbol of the outlaw violence that authorities vowed to crush.

Forces engaged
4 officers + prisoner Nash killed

Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Union Station Massacre take place?
Union Station Massacre took place in 1933.
Where was Union Station Massacre fought?
Union Station Massacre was fought in Missouri, United States.
What was the significance of Union Station Massacre?
Four lawmen and their prisoner, convicted bank robber Frank Nash, were shot dead in a burst of gunfire outside Union Station in Kansas City as officers prepared to transfer Nash by car. The attack, ostensibly an attempt to free Nash, killed an FBI agent, two local police and a police chief along wit
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This page covers Union Station Massacre. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside historic sites, land records, and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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More from this era

Other Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts Engagements

Murder of William 'Willie' Egan
1921
Missouri
Killing of Luke Kennedy (Egan-Hogan retaliation)
1922
Missouri
Killing of Jacob Mackler and attacks on the Hogan gang
1923
Missouri
Killing of Willie Crowe, 'seventh victim' of the St. Louis war
1923
Missouri
Assassination of Johnny Lazia
1934
Missouri
Joplin shootout
1933
Missouri
Red Crown / Platte City gun battle
1933
Missouri
All battles in MissouriIndian Wars and Frontier Conflictsconflicts ›Historic sites in Missouri
Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Wikipedia source.

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