Transcontinental buses

In addition to passenger train service, Joplin was also connected to the rest of the country by bus. The 1940s and 1950s represented the heyday of bus travel; in 1948 for example, 156 buses arrived and departed daily. The Greyhound, Crown Coach, Santa Fe Trailways, MK&O Trailways, Kansas, Frisco, American, Missouri Pacific, and Southern Kansas lines all serviced Joplin. The bus terminal shown here, which opened in 1936 at 3rd and Joplin, reflects the art deco style popular at the time.