Missouri Summary

photo by greg

Missouri, America’s “Gateway to the West,” lies at the geographical center of the continental United States. Its two major cities, St Louis and Kansas City, lie at opposite ends of the state and symbolize Missouri’s bi-regional character.

St Louis predates the nation; French traders built the settlement on the banks of the Mississippi River in 1764. Missouri was then part of the vast, unexplored Louisiana Territory, which belonged first to France and then Spain. Yet by the time the United States purchased it in 1803, American adventurers such as Daniel Boone had already pushed back the frontier and settled in the Missouri hinterlands.

The Mississippi River, memorialized by native son Mark Twain, brought in settlers from the East. Some of them remained in Missouri; others used it as a launching pad for the frontier lands of the Far West. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory in 1804. They left from the vicinity of St Louis and returned 28 months later. Fur trappers followed in their wake, blazing trails that were later traveled by pioneers seeking better lives in Oregon, California, and Utah.

The legendary Pony Express, which briefly serviced these far-flung settlers, also originated in Missouri. The state’s railheads were the end of the line for some of the great Texas cattle drives. Kansas City thus evolved into a major cattle-trading center. When horses eventually gave way to automobiles, the nation’s first paved transcontinental highway, Route 66, passed through Missouri.

Today, visitors can relive some of this early history in Missouri’s museums and historic towns. They can also experience Missouri’s more recent contributions to the nation’s culture in Kansas City’s jazz clubs and barbecue joints, or Branson’s country music halls, for instance. The state also boasts many caves, lakes, and forests for outdoor recreation.