The nine acre park was dedicated in 1997.
In the early 1870’s, Johnson County voted $100,000 in bonds to support the construction of a railroad and the Olathe Township voted an additional $25,000 in bonds if the line would cross the township.
In 1872, shortly after the Civil War, a rail line was built in Olathe and ran through the land that is now Calamity Line Park. The rail line ran from Olathe to Cedar Junction near DeSoto, then on to Lawrence and points west. The rail line was the St. Louis, Lawrence, Denver and Western Railroad yet locals preferred to call it “Calamity Line” because the line always seemed to operate on a financial shoestring.
The rail line followed the winding banks of Cedar Creek through (what is now) Ernie Miller Park northwesterly to the Kaw River. The line also traveled southeasterly through Stanley, across (what is now) Iron Horse Golf Course in Leawood, crossing the Blue River near Kenneth Road in route to Belton and Springfield, Missouri.
