MISSOURI

Show Me State

Origin of state's name: Named after Missouri Indian tribe whose name means "town of the large canoes"

Get Sponsored

Centered on red, white and blue fields is the Missouri state seal. It is encircled by a blue band with twenty-four stars representing the number of states in 1821. The stars in the inner circle have the same meaning. Two huge grizzly bears support the circular shield in the center which has three parts:
1.The motto "United We Stand, Divided we Fall"
2.The right section representing the United States
3.The left section containing a moon representing a new state and a grizzly bear standing for courage.

Entered Union: August 10, 1821; 24th State
Capital: Jefferson City
Motto: Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto (The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law)
Flower: Hawthorn
Bird: Bluebird
Tree: Dogwood
Song: Missouri Waltz

A LITTLE HISTORY
Hernando De Soto visited the area in 1541. French hunters and lead miners made the first settlement, c1735, at Ste. Genevieve. The U.S. acquired Missouri as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The fur trade and the Santa Fe Trail provided prosperity; St. Louis became the 'jump-off' point for pioneers on their way West. Pro-and anti-slavery forces battled each other there during the Civil War.

FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT MISSOURI
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.

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, until 11:30 a.m, March 5, 1849.

Graphics Above Made at ZY Graphics-For Free Go Get Yours!!!