Sunflower Ordnance Works sprang up after the attack on Pearl Harbor pushed the United States into World War II. Almost overnight, it grew to become the world’s largest powder and propellant plant, bringing as many as 12,000 employees at a time to the small town of De Soto. Workers bused in from virtually every town within an hour’s drive, and Sunflower Village was built to house others. Sunflower Village, now known as Clearview City, became part of De Soto. And although there have been plans through the years to turn the shuttered ammunition plant into everything from a research park to a Wizard of Oz theme park, the only activity has been a long-running environmental cleanup.
Source: Kansas City Business News
