(updated Mon. Feb. 8, 2016)

(created 2015)

I grew up in Illinois; we moved from Bethalto, IL to St. Charles, MO in 7th grade.

Ann Marie grew up in Michigan and moved to St. Louis in 1993, the year of the Great Flood.  We met in 1998.

Since the kids were born we have had much fun in and around Missouri... there is much great fun to be had here!

Smithsonian’s Aerial America show highlights each state. 

They welcomed public input on what to highlight in the Missouri episode.

The following are primarily from my input to the show.

This is by no way a complete list of any of the areas; just those I could compile.

This page is organized by:

1. -Missouri Government sites
   

2. -Things applying across the state
   

3. -Five geographies matching those of our Missouri Tourism Guide
   

Many of the facts presented on this page are from the great MissouriLife magazine.

The Office of the Missouri Secretary of State, shares this site of our State Symbols:

http://www.sos.mo.gov/symbols

“On March 22, 1915, the 48th General Assembly set aside the third Wednesday in October each year as "Missouri Day," due to the efforts of Mrs. Anna Brosius Korn, a native Missourian. Missouri Day is a time for schools to honor the state and for the people of the state to celebrate the achievements of all Missourians. (RSMo 9.040)”

source:  http://www.sos.mo.gov/symbol/day

In 2015, the Missouri History Museum, in St. Louis, shared these three fun facts via three Instagram posts:

source:  Missouri Day - state name

source:  Missouri Day - Great Seal of the State of Missouri

source:  Missouri Day - State Flag

MISSOURI STATE WEBSITES

http://www.mo.gov/

http://www.mo.gov/#about-missouri

Missouri Division of Tourism

http://www.visitmo.com

ALL AROUND MISSOURI

Missouri, translated:

“those who have dugout canoes”

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345126/The-meaning-map-America-Missouri-land-dug-canoes-Mexico-really-means-Navel-Moon.html

&

http://www.kalimedia.com/Atlas_of_True_Names.html

         A site with several maps of our state - counties, lakes and rivers, population densities and more:

http://www.statemapsonline.com/missouri-state-maps.html

A mere glimpse into a bit of the background of some of the Native Americans (fka / aka Indians) - the Missouri and the Osage - can be glimpsed from:

1. -http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/record_tribes_012_1_9.html
   

1. -http://www.missouri-vacations.com/missouri-native-american-history/index.htm
   

- http://desototrails.com/#Missouri

- http://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/historyculture/osage.htm

- http://www.indians.org/articles/osage-indians.html

Missouri’s four historic covered bridges:

The Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, on northeast Jefferson County, near St. Louis:

http://mostateparks.com/park/sandy-creek-covered-bridge-state-historic-site

The Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Monroe County

http://mostateparks.com/park/union-covered-bridge-state-historic-site

The Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site, in Linn County (near Chillicothe – home of sliced bread)

http://mostateparks.com/park/locust-creek-covered-bridge-state-historic-site

The Burfordville Covered Bridge, in Cape Girardeau County – the oldest of the four, part of the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site

http://mostateparks.com/park/bollinger-mill-state-historic-site

Source:

Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ “Resources” magazine… the current Spring, 2014 issue.  Article, “Bridgeing Our History: Missouri’s four historic covered bridges;”  pp 18-19;  by Tom Uhlenbrock.

http://www.dnr.mo.gov/magazine/docs/exploremo.pdf

Missouri’s remaining mills:

http://www.ruralmissouri.org/02pages/02DecMills.html

Missouri Conservation Department (MDC)

”MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources. We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature. Read more about our mission.”

source:  http://mdc.mo.gov/about-us

Wildlife & Conservation:

Amazing Conservation history/heritage… most trees cut down; few deer or turkey at all; now strong forestry management; nation's best deer and turkey hunting.

http://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/get-know-us/75th-anniversary

Elk in southern MO Conservation area:

http://mdc.mo.gov/media/video/elk-arrive-kentucky-2013

Paddlefish are only found in Missouri and China

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/paddlefish

Two MDC Publications worth subscribing to:

Missouri Resources

“Missouri Resources magazine is published quarterly by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to inform readers about important natural resource issues and how they are being addressed. Missouri Resources is free to Missouri residents. Out-of-state subscriptions cost $4.50 per year or $8.00 for two years.”

http://dnr.mo.gov/magazine/

http://dnr.mo.gov/magazine/subscription.htm

Missouri Conservationist

http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag

http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/subscribe-update

Missouri State Parks

”Missouri's state park system, which on multiple occasions has been ranked as one of the top four state park systems in the nation, contains 87 state parks and historic sites plus the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry.”

...

“To help visitors enjoy their stay, the system offers more than 2,000 structures, 3,500 campsites, 194 cabins, almost 2,000 picnic sites, and nearly  1,000 miles of trail. These trails include opportunities for hikers, backpackers, bicycle riders, off-road vehicle users and horseback riders. The system boasts the longest developed rails-to-trail project in the nation - the 240-mile Katy Trail State Park. About 18 million people visit the system annually to hike, camp, fish, discover the past and explore nature.”

http://mostateparks.com

MISSOURI FUN FACTS

Eight border states… only TN ties us for most.

Second most caves, only after Tennessee

see just a few at http://vanvooren.us/VV/MO_Caves.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Missouri

The Katy Trail

Longest rails-to-trails in the USA

http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park

&

http://www.bikekatytrail.com

First university west of the Mississippi - 1818

St. Louis University

First public university west of the Mississippi - 1825

the University of Missouri, in Columbia

Ste. Genevieve

First settlement west of the Mississippi

http://visitstegen.com

Here are 13 Missouri places that sound like international cities. But you won't need an interpreter to talk to the locals. Well, usually.

June 10, 2015 8:30 am

NO PASSPORT? NO PROBLEM.

  

http://www.stltoday.com/gallery/travel/missouri-world-cities---almost/collection_918c0685-3afa-50d4-98d6-dda5044f9729.html#0

MISSOURI WINES

Missouri Wines ™

Augusta, Missouri was America’s first viticultural / wine region, yes, even before Napa.  Missouri was the second largest wine-producing state before Prohibition.  The destruction of the wineries during Prohibition delayed our restart.  Many Missouri wines are very fine; sadly the current approach is to sell the sweeter wines in the grocery stores, to encourage us to visit the wineries in person for the better ones; if only there were more hours in a weekend. ; )

The Norton is our state grape.

Missouri has seven wine regions:

1. 1)Augusta
   

2. 2)Hermann
   

3. 3)Ozark Highlands
   

4. 4)Ozark Mountains
   

5. 5)Southeast
   

6. 6)Central
   

7. 7)Western
   

    http://missouriwinecountry.com/regions/

From the Smithsonian Channel’s “Aerial America” posting:

“Reply

“Thanks for sharing, Harlan.  I read in Charlie Brennan's "Amazing St. Louis: 250 Years of Great Tales and Curiosities" (p. 71) that "a pest destroyed 2 1/2 million acres - about one-third- of French vineyards."  In 1870,Charles V. Riley, and English-born state entomologist working in St. Louis, … suggested grafting European grapes to the [North American] Vitis labrusca rootstock."  "They proved to be the only reliable day to tend the grape devastation in France."  "The French hailed the entomologist in St. Louis for saving their wine industry." 

“I have also read that Missouri is the world's leading wine barrel producer, and that many French wines use our oak barrels.

“At the National Norton Festival, one winery that had the same wine in that was both only in non-wooden barrels and the same batch in a small barrel overnight.  While I cannot fully articulate the difference, I can confirm that the wine that was only in the oak barrel overnight was much tastier (and it was quite fine in the other non-wooden barrel, too).”

SOUTHWEST (SWA) IN MISSOURI (MO) - The “Missouri One”

“Southwest Airlines celebrates more than 30 years of service in the state of Missouri with the unveiling of the Airline’s newest specialty aircraft, named Missouri One—a Boeing 737-700, on Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo. // Southwest Airlines 2015”

Source:  http://www.swamedia.com/videos/missouri-one-b-roll

Southwest Airlines debuted the newly-painted Missouri One aircraft April 15, 2015.  It’s clearly the best-painted plane in the air.

They posted three videos to their website.

The links are:

“Missouri One Time Lapse Video”

http://www.swamedia.com/videos/missouri-one-time-lapse-video

“Missouri One B-Roll”

http://www.swamedia.com/videos/missouri-one-b-roll

“Southwest Airlines Shows the Show Me State Missouri One”

http://www.swamedia.com/videos/southwest-airlines-shows-the-show-me-state-missouri-one

Thanks to various school assignments with the kids, and from Scouts, I thought I knew our State Flag and State Seal well, but when I looked at the engine cowlings, I was confused... they look like something that belongs on Air Force One.  So I investigated and learned the engine markings come from the center of The Great Seal of Missouri:

“The center of the state seal is composed of two parts. On the right is the United States coat-of-arms containing the bald eagle. In its claws are arrows and olive branches, signifying that the power of war and peace lies with the U.S. federal government. On the left side of the shield, the state side, are a grizzly bear and a silver crescent moon. The crescent symbolizes Missouri at the time of the state seal's creation, a state of small population and wealth which would increase like the new or crescent moon; it also symbolizes the "second son," meaning Missouri was the second state formed out of the Louisiana Territory.”

Thank you, Southwest, for your attention to detail, as it has helped educate me, and has helped me to appreciate our state all the more!

NORTHWEST MISSOURI

Missouri Travel Guide:

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/MaddenMedia/2015-missouri-travel-guide/2014111301/#31

Kansas City, MO (& KS)

So much it almost merits its own page.

When the kids were little, Abby just born, we rode Amtrak from Kirkwood to KC, and stayed across the street from Kansas City Union Station.

We had much fun at:

1. -Union Station, with the joy of trains
   
   

2. -Union Station, with its many stores and Science City / Science Center
   
   

3. -Hallmark’s Crown Center
   
   

4. -The National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial, http://theworldwar.org/explore/museum-and-memorial
   
   

5. -Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun
   

Excelsior Springs

http://visitexcelsior.com

&

The Elms Hotel & Spa

St. Joseph

http://www.stjomo.com

Home to Aunt Jemima - where the company was founded, anyway.

The Pony Express, home of and Pony Express Museum

Prairie chickens and restored prairies in northern MO - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-restoration/prairie-chicken-restoration.

Amazing skies, by Dan Bush, in Albany, MO

http://www.missouriskies.org

Home of sliced bread - Chilicothe, MO

http://www.homeofslicedbread.com

http://www.chillicothecity.org/bread.html

"Hello! You've heard of the "greatest thing since sliced bread," of course. Well, we have the real thing - sliced bread! It was discovered that sliced bread was first offered for sale - ever - in Chillicothe, Missouri. A product of the Chillicothe Baking Company, it was sliced on a machine called the Rohwedder Bread Slicer. Invented by Iowa inventor, Otto Rohwedder, the bread slicer was put into practice in 1928 in beautiful downtown Chillicothe. Our poster briefly outlines the history of sliced bread, and we created and produced a brochure for distribution. Click here to request a free brochure. Click here for the latest news!"

&

http://www.homeofslicedbread.com/breadmural.html

World's largest pecan - Brunswick, MO 

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2138
&

http://www.worldslargestthings.com/missouri/pecan.htm

Brunswick is also home to the lake that feeds the St. Francis / St. Francois River, which flows into Arkansas and forms the bootheel’s western border with AR.

World's largest Goose - Sumner, MO

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7248

&

http://www.worldslargestthings.com/missouri/goose.htm

Marceline, MO

Walt Disney's boyhood home, the inspiration for Main Street USA

http://www.waltdisneymuseum.org

Northern Missouri, home to two great American Generals:

General John J. “Blackjack” Pershing, General of the Armies, who led the American troops into Europe’s War and who led the troops into Paris when it ended.

1. -http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/johnjose.htm
   
   

2. -KETC | Living St. Louis | General Pershing's Boyhood Home
   
   

3. -http://mostateparks.com/park/gen-john-j-pershing-boyhood-home-state-historic-site
   
   

General Omar Bradley,  the

1. -“soldier’s General”
   

2. -first ever Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
   

3. -a five-star General; only John Pershing and George Washington ever held a higher rank
   

4. -and for whom the now-famous tank is named.
   

1. -http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/omarnels.htm
   
   

2. -http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/b/bradley/index.html
   
   

3. -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_tank