Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
Bet you didn’t know our lovely state has a national day, did you? Well, we do, and why shouldn’t we; there is a lot to offer here in the “Show Me State.”. First and foremost, here is a disclaimer: if you look up National Missouri Day, you will get conflicting information; some sites say it is January 4, and other sites say it is the third Wednesday in October. I am using the latter since it was officially ratified by a constitutional convention for Missouri Day to be in October.
It seems many people who call Missouri home take pride in that fact. One such person was Anna Brosius Korn, a school teacher, who wrote the former state song, aptly named, “Missouri.” It did not have a musical score, so it was a poem, but was recognized as a love sonnet to her home state. Eventually, it was ousted by the “Missouri Waltz” in 1949.
Korn was not done demonstrating her love for Missouri. It is because of her actions in 1911 that you are currently reading this article. Korn created a petition to have a day established to honor Missouri and, in 1915, she succeeded. Initially, Missouri Day was the first Monday in October, but in 1969 it was moved to the third Wednesday of the month.
Trivia: Look at the list below and see how many you can identify. The answers will be provided at the end of the article. No cheating!
- State Flower
- State Bird
- State Tree
- State Insect
- State Animal
- State Dinosaur
- State Sport
Missouri has long been a crucial state in the history of our nation. Here are some important dates:
- 1803: Missouri territory becomes part of the United States in the Louisiana Purchase
- 1804: Lewis and Clark, along with their Corps of Discovery, set out from St. Charles to explore the lands acquired in the purchase.
- 1820: Missouri’s petition for statehood is debated by Congress in what is known as the Missouri Compromise. They passed, “An act to authorize the people of the Missouri territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states to prohibit slavery in certain territories” (Yes, that was the name of the act). It became better known as the Enabling Act.
- 1821: President Monroe signed the proclamation making Missouri the 24th state of the union.
- 1836: The Missouri State Penitentiary opens - the first west of the Mississippi River. The first inmate was Wilson Eidson.
- 1841: The State University (you know it as the University of Missouri) opened - it was the first university west of the Mississippi River.
- 1842: Oregon Trail begins: The first organized wagon train leaves Elm Grove (We can thank Missouri for all the elementary students of the 80s and 90s, sitting in front of their computers in class, who died of dysentery).
- 1849: California’s gold rush commences. Missouri cities became launching points for wagons going west; the state became known as the “Gateway to the West.”.
- 1861: Missouri votes NOT to secede from the union as tensions are rising between the North and South.
- 1865: Missouri votes to abolish slavery on Jan. 11, three weeks before the 13th amendment is ratified.
- 1870: Lemma Barkeloo becomes the first female lawyer in the United States as she begins working for the Missouri Supreme Court.
- 1899: “The Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin is published in Sedalia
- 1945: Missouri native, Harry Truman, becomes the 33rd President of the United States.
- 1946: Winston Churchill delivers his famous “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton.
- 1956: Missouri gets the first contract to construct an interstate highway and begins working on two: I-44 and I-70.
- 1965: The Gateway Arch is completed, making it the tallest monument in the United States at 630 feet.
There are so many more interesting facts about Missouri that should instill pride in every native; this is just a small sample. After reading how crucial this state was in the development of the country, it is no wonder there is a day designated to give it glory.
Trivia Answers:
- State Flower: White Hawthorn Blossom
- State Bird: Eastern Bluebird
- State Tree: Flowering Dogwood
- State Insect: Honey Bee
- State Animal: Mule
- State Dinosaur: Duck-Billed Dinosaur (there is a technical name…I am not attempting that!)
- State Sport: Archery
