Interstate 44 crosses Missouri from St. Louis to the Oklahoma state line, just west of Joplin, a length of 293 miles. For 235 of those miles, from St. Louis to Halltown, I-44 follows the route of what John Steinbeck called America’s “Mother Road”—the legendary Route 66.

After entering the Union in 1821, Missouri went nearly an entire century without a state flag. The Missouri state flag was finally designed by Ray County native Marie Watkins Oliver.

From the “Petticoated Terror of the Plains” Belle Starr to the fearless Bonnie Parker of America’s most notorious criminal couple, Missouri holds ties to more than its share of nefarious women.

A good sailing day at Stockton Lake begins with a casual breakfast at the dock until around 9 o’clock. One tipoff of correct wind velocity is a particular tingling sound as it blows through the mast lines.