Beaver working on its dam

Shining Times: Missouri’s Fur Trade Story

Fur played a vital role in the early Anglo settlements. It was animal pelts, not tobacco, that the early Virginia colonists first exported. The North American fur trade had a tremendous impact on exploration, colonization, and international politics.


National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

December 7, 1941

George A. Whiteman from Sedalia was shot down as his plane took off from Hawaii. He became the first pilot killed in World War II. Whiteman Air Force Base near Sedalia is named in his honor.