This 1936 photo by Arthur Rothstein shows the Kansas City Stockyards during one of its peak years. Second only to the Union Stock Yards in Chicago, Illinois, the Kansas City Stockyards processed millions of cattle, sheep, hogs and horses in the '20s and '30s. Located west of downtown Kansas City, the facility began operation in 1871. Served by as many as 16 railroads during its lifetime, it strugled to exist following a devastating flood in 1951; eventually shutting down in 1991.

Public domain photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information.