This street’s provenance is uniquely mysterious, in that an individual asked for its name yet gave no reason for it – at least not publicly. In 1930, orchardist Edwin K. Dabney (1868-1951) petitioned City Council to change Hickey Avenue to Troost Avenue. He and his wife, real estate agent Ada May (née Sturtevant, 1880-1970), lived one block west on Colfax but I found zero connections between the couple and anyone or anything named “Troost”. While there’s a major thoroughfare in Kansas City called Troost Avenue, neither the Kentucky-born Edwin nor Ada, a native Ohioan, ever lived in KC. Troost is Dutch for “comfort, consolation” so it’s remotely possible that Ada, given her maiden name, was honoring her Dutch roots with it. But I wouldn’t bet money on that. Anyway, I have a crazy story for you involving the Dabneys: In 1915, when the Valley was rural, a laborer named Ralph “Lonesome” Rogers was relentlessly harassing Ada, insisting that she was his soulmate and threatening to murder Edwin. Things came to a head that February 4th when Rogers confronted Edwin while pruning. Edwin whacked him with his pruning shears, went home, ate supper, took a bath, and informed Ada, “Rogers is lying in the orchard. I struck him.” Rogers died from his injuries; Edwin was exonerated on grounds of self-defense.
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