Missouri: The Show Me State

Missouri: The Show Me State book cover — ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Missouri The Show Me State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO

Missouri: The Show Me State — page 1 — 4 MISSOURI There are more than 100,000 farms in Missouri Only Texas has more Kansas City calls itself the Heart of America because it is not far from the geographic center of the 48 states Missouri was the 24th state to enter the Union on Aug 10 1821 The state flower is the white hawthorn blossom Early settlers made jelly using hawthorn berries INTRODUCTION Missouri takes its name from the river that flows through it The river is named for a nation of Native Americans and may mean people having canoes Today Missouri is known as the Show Me State The nickname probably came from Congressman Willard Vandiver who said in 1899 I am from Missouri you have got to show me In other words the people of his state are not impressed by fancy speechmaking for them actions speak louder than words Missouri has characteristics of several regions Its cornfields are reminders of the Midwest while its cotton fields reflect the South Missouri’s cattle ranches are a fond reminder of the West and the state’s factories recall those found in the East In politics Missouri is often referred to as a swing state and it almost always votes with the winner in national elections The Gateway Arch provides St Louis with a unique skyline

Missouri: The Show Me State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 No state shares more borders with other states than Missouri Arkansas is to the south Oklahoma Kansas and Nebraska are to the west and Iowa is to the north To the east across the Mississippi River are Illinois Kentucky and Tennessee The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers near St Louis has been a crossroads of North America since Native Americans ruled the land Rivers brought European explorers settlers and traders into the region Today Missouri also has nearly 125,000 miles of public roads binding the state together Missouri also has many airports to serve air travelers St Louis and Kansas City have the state’s main public airports Missouri is also a rail center crisscrossed by many miles of tracks Passenger trains run between St Louis and Kansas City Missouri Location Map Capital Jefferson City Interstate highways 0 0 40 64 80 128 Mi Km Scale Population 5,595,211 Size 69,709 square miles Highest peak Taum Sauk Mountain 1,772 feet The Lambert St Louis International Airport serves about 20 million passengers per year The state bird the bluebird is a symbol of happiness The Missouri mule is the state animal The mule’s toughness made it popular with early farmers St Louis is one of the largest inland river ports in the country The fiddle is the official state instrument The fiddle was the main source of musical entertainment for early settlers

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