Missouri

Map of US with Missouri highlighted

State Quick Links:

Just the Facts

Capital	Jefferson City
Population	5,595,211 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Matt Blunt (R, to January 2009)
Entered the Union	August 10, 1821 as the 24th state
Motto	Salus populi suprema lex esto (The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law)
Nickname	Show-me state
Flower	Hawthorn
Bird	Bluebird
Song	Missouri Waltz
Sports Teams (sport listing policy)	St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs (Football); St. Louis Blues (Hockey); St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals (Baseball); Kansas City Wizards (Soccer)
Origin of Name	Named after a tribe called Missouri Indians, meaning "town of the large canoes"
Major Industries	Transportation Equipment (including Automobile Manufacturing and Auto Parts), Beer and Beverages, Defense and Aerospace Technology
Historical Sites	Mark Twain's Boyhood Home in Hannibal, the Harry S. Truman Home and Library in Independence, and the Pony Express and Jesse James Museum in St. Joseph
Points of Interest	Bagnell Dam, Branson Country Music Shows, Bass Pro Shops National Headquarters in Springfield, the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion in St. Louis, and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Bordering States	Missouri borders Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
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Follow these links to read articles about Missouri from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

Show Me - Missouri.gov: Your Online Portal to State Government Services
http://www.state.mo.us/
This is the official website for the State of Missouri.
Missouri State Library
http://www.sos.mo.gov/library/Default.asp
Here is the homepage for the Missouri State Library.
State Historical Society of Missouri
http://www.umsystem.edu/shs/
Here is the homepage for the Missouri State Historical Society.
Missouri State Museum
http://www.mostateparks.com/jeffersonland/museum.htm
Here is the homepage for the Missouri State Museum.
Missouri State Archives
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/links.asp
Here is the homepage for the Missouri State Archives.
Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
http://www.mostateparks.com/
Here is the homepage for Missouri State Parks.
Missouri: Where the Rivers Run
http://www.missouritourism.com/
Here is the official state tourism website for Missouri.
Missouri Kids Page
http://sos.mo.gov/kids/
Here is the official Missouri state site for kids, developed by the Secretary of State office.

Missouri played a leading role as the gateway to the West. St. Joseph, Missouri was the eastern starting point for the Pony Express, and both the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails began in Indep endence, Missouri.
Bagnell Dam across from the Osage River in the Ozarks is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, covering 65,000 acres of surface area. It was completed in 1931.
As part of the Louisiana Purchase territory, Missouri has belonged to three nations: France, Spain and the United States. First claimed for France by LaSalle in 1682, Missouri was ceded to Spain in 1762. By secret treaty in 1802, Spain ceded the Louisiana Territory back to France. Napoleon Bonaparte, anxious to rid himself of the vast and troublesome frontier, sold it to the United States in 1803 for a total of $15,000,000. Missouri was organized as a territory in 1812, and was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. Missouri was the second state (after Louisiana) of the Louisiana Purchase to be admitted to the Union.
In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed, whereby Missouri was to be admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state. Although admitted as a slave state, Missouri nevertheless remai ned with the Union throughout the Civil War.

Presidents from Missouri with links to the IPL's POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
- Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri in 1884.
Samuel Clemens, better known as author Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri. His love for the Mississippi River and for his Missouri boyhood are best reflected in his stories about Tom Sawyer and Hu ck Finn.
George Washington Carver, born a slave near Diamond, Missouri, later became one of America's greatest scientists.
Jesse James, the notorious outlaw, was born in Kearney, Missouri in 1847.
Omar N. Bradley, born near Moberly, Missouri in 1893, commanded the 12th Army Group in World War II, the largest American force ever united under one man's command. Bradley served 69 years on active duty in the Armed Forces (until his death in 1981), longer than any other soldier in United States history.
David Rice Atchison, a Missouri native, held the office of president of the United States for one day in 1849. The terms of President James K. Polk and Vice President George Dallas officially expired at noon, Sunday, March 4. President-elect Zachary Taylor, a very religious man, refused to take the presidential oath on a Sunday. Senator Atchison, then president pro tem of the Senate, thus served as president of the United States from noon, March 4, unt il 11:30 a.m, March 5, 1849.

Updated on 15 Apr 2008