World War II spurred industrial construction all over the United States. It created opportunities for new industries in areas considered safe from Axis attack. The Tri-State District was one of those areas.

A man whose foresight led him to call for defense industries to be established in the Midwest was Pittsburg, Kansas, native Kenneth Spencer. Spencer, manager of Pittsburg & Midway Coal Co., wrote a detailed plan for a coordinated explosives industry in the district in 1940, which became the template for the Jayhawk Ordnance Works at Military, Kansas. After the war, he bought the plant, which became the basis for the Spencer Chemical Co. ×

This page requires Javascript.

Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kA

See Full Page