Amelia's father was a RR lawyer and at the time, he and his wife lived in Kansas City itself. The house is now a museum featuring Amelia's life and aviation exploits.
The Earhart house looks down on the old (1900) steel truss RR bridge across the Missouri River. The swing span of the bridge is at the right side of the photo. The view is towards the south (downriver).
The Missouri River starts to bend northwest at Kansas City, and Atchison happens to be the western-most bulge of the river. Upriver of Atchison, the river trends briefly NE, then continues decidedly north, so Atchison landing became a convenient place jumping-off town for the 1800s western migration! Merchants made a lot of money selling supplies and tools. 