Missouri: The Show Me State

• Alternate Nickname: Gateway to the West
• Capital: Jefferson City
• Major Cities:
  • St. Louis
  • Kansas City
  • Columbia
  • Springfield
  • Independence
  • Branson
• Major Geographical Features
  • Mississippi River
  • Missouri River
  • Lake of the Ozarks
  • Ozark Plateau
  • Osage Plains
  • St. Francis Mountains
• National Parks: none
• 1803: Present-day Missouri is acquired through the Louisiana Purchase
• 1820: Missouri Compromise allows slavery to be legal in Missouri Territory despite being north of the 36 degree, 30 minute north parallel because Maine would become a free state
• 1821: Missouri becomes the 24th state
• 1863: The Pony Express begins in St. Joseph, Missouri
• 2014: National attention turns to Ferguson, Missouri for the death of Michael Brown and the ensuing riots
• Motto: "The Welfare of the People Shall Be Supreme Law"
• Name Meaning: "Large Canoes" in the Missouri tribe dialect; the state's name honors this tribe
• Despite being a slave state, Missouri did not secede from the Union
• The Santa Fe and Oregon Trails began in Independence, Missouri
• The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in the United States
• Branson resort is a popular destination for country music fans
• Bagnell Dam crosses the Osage River. It creates one of the largest man-made lakes in the world
• Present-day Missouri has belonged to 3 nations:
  • Spain (1767-1800)
  • France (1800-1803)
  • United States (1803-present)
• Famous People
  • Harry S. Truman
  • Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
  • George Washington Carver
  • Maya Angelou
  • Rush Limbaugh
  • Langston Hughes
  • James C. Penny