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Prior to European settlement, the land now known as Missouri was home to many Native American tribes:
the Missouris, Osages, Miamis, Sacs, Foxes, Otos, Iowas, Kickapoos, Delawares, Shawnees, and Kansas.
Late in the 17th century, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet traveled down the
Mississippi River and gave accounts of Missouri. They were followed in turn by Robert Cavelier, sieur
de La Salle, who claimed the land drained by the Mississippi for France and named it Louisiana. At
this time, the Osage and Missouri peoples were still present in the area, and the French successfully
traded with the Native Americans.
The 18th century brought French miners to extract galena, a lead ore. Fur trading also became an
important commodity to the French, and led to the establishment of settlements at Ste. Genevieve in
1735 and St. Louis in 1764. The strategic location of St. Louis where the Missouri and Mississippi
Rivers meet led to its rapid success.
Eventually, the Louisiana Territory changed hands with the French, to the Spanish, and ultimately
to the U.S. via the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The famed Lewis and Clark Expedition embarked from
St. Louis in 1804 on its famous westward trek, and St. Louis became known as the gateway to the West.
Missouri became a U.S. territory in 1812. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise made Missouri a slave
state, and it became the nation’s 24th state on August 10, 1821. While the state’s governor attempted
to push for Missouri’s joining the Confederacy, the state remained principally known for fur trading
and for wanting peace. Missouri flourished as a result of pioneers and traders passing along such
famed routes as the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, headed west.
The years just prior to the Civil War brought great turbulence to the state, between pro- and
anti-slavery forces. However, Missouri voted against secession from the Union. A period of strife
and lawlessness continued even after the war, during a time of outlaws such as Jesse James. Following
the Civil War, Missouri recovered, and the advent of the railroad changed the landscape such that less
emphasis was placed on the river towns. Continued expansion and industrialization resulted in the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition being held in St. Louis in 1904.
The 20th century brought World War I, in which many Missourians fought. The state weathered this
war, and struggled through the Great Depression. However, World War II turned the state’s economy
around. Additionally, the Show Me State contributed Harry S. Truman as President of the United States
near the end of the war. Following World War II, the state witnessed increased industrialization and
progression of its economy.
In the 21st century, Missouri provides a diverse economy and its two largest cities, St. Louis and
Kansas City, have begun to shine anew with their burgeoning industries. The state as a whole promises
great contribution from the biotechnology and life science industry into the future.
Many famous personages have called Missouri their home. Among these are songwriter Burt Bacharach,
singer Josephine Baker, film director Robert Altman, author Laura Ingalls Wilder, baseball player Yogi
Berra, famed frontierswoman Martha Jane Canary (Calamity Jane), public speaking guru Dale Carnegie,
author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), agricultural chemist George Washington Carver, newscaster Walter
Cronkite, poet T. S. Eliot, actor John Goodman, actresses Betty Grable and Jean Harlow, aviation
inventor William Lear, astronomer Edwin Hubble, the outlaw Jesse James, actor Vincent Price, actor
Dick Van Dyke, zoo personality Marlin Perkins, and civil rights leader Roy Wilkins.
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