Missouri is the crossroads of the American heartland, where the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers converge and eastern woodlands give way to western plains. From the gleaming Gateway Arch in St. Louis to the Ozark Mountains' ancient caves and the world-class barbecue pits of Kansas City, Missouri packs an extraordinary range of landscapes, history, and culture into a single state.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Missouri.
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1
French explorers Marquette and Jolliet become the first Europeans documented to enter present-day Missouri.
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2
St. Louis founded by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and René Auguste Chouteau as a trading post on the western bank of the Mississippi.
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3
Louisiana Purchase — the United States acquires Missouri and the vast Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
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4
Lewis and Clark Expedition departs from Camp Dubois (near the Missouri River mouth at St. Charles) and returns to St. Louis, opening the American West.
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5
Missouri admitted to the Union as the 24th state under the Missouri Compromise (admitted as a slave state; Maine admitted as a free state simultaneously).
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6
St. Louis and Independence become the staging grounds for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, funneling hundreds of thousands of westward migrants.
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7
Civil War. Missouri formally remained in the Union but was bitterly divided. Guerrilla warfare (Quantrill's Raiders, Jayhawkers) devastated western Missouri. Battle of Wilson's Creek (1861) and Battle of Westport (1864) were major engagements.
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8
Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, drawing from his Hannibal boyhood and cementing the Mississippi River in American literary culture.
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9
Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World's Fair) in St. Louis attracts 20 million visitors. The ice cream cone, hot dog bun, and Dr. Pepper gain national exposure.
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10
Kansas City jazz scene emerges. Tom Pendergast's political machine drives economic growth and tolerates an open jazz and blues nightclub culture on 18th & Vine.
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11
Harry S. Truman of Independence, Missouri serves as the 33rd President. Authorizes use of atomic bombs on Japan; oversees creation of NATO and start of Korean War.
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12
Gateway Arch completed in St. Louis, designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. At 630 feet, it remains the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere.
Historical sites
Places where Missouri's past comes alive.
Gateway Arch National Park
Where: St. Louis
Admission: Adult: $10 (Museum of Westward Expansion only); $15 (tram ride) | Child: $7 / $11
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
Where: Independence
Admission: Adult: $13 | Child: $5 (ages 6–15)
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Where: Hannibal
Admission: Adult: $14 | Child: $8
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Where: Republic (Springfield area)
Admission: Adult: $10 | Child: Free (15 and under)
Jefferson Landing State Historic Site
Where: Jefferson City
Admission: Adult: Free (museums inside charge $2–5) | Child: Free
Missouri State Capitol
Where: Jefferson City
Admission: Adult: Free (tours available) | Child: Free
Scott Joplin House State Historic Site
Where: St. Louis
Admission: Adult: $4 | Child: $2
Meramec Caverns
Where: Sullivan
Admission: Adult: $23 | Child: $11.50