The first thru train between Kansas City and St. Louis on the Pacific Railroad passed through Lee's Summit on September 20, 1865. Now seeing mostly west-bound traffic due to Independence Hill with its summit adjacent to Noland Road in Independence, the line through Lee's Summit, combined with the east-bound River Sub through Lexington, is the direct rail route between the #2 and #3 cities in the US as rated by rail traffic. The rail routes to the south and east from Sheffield Junction in Kansas City are marked by steep grades through the "mountains" of Jackson County, and the local high point on the line in the middle of downtown Lee's Summit only points to the town's name being appropriate.