Day: May 10, 2022

Overlooking the Missouri River in Jefferson City sits a looming landmark: the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP). Decommissioned in 2004, the penitentiary operated for 168 years, cementing Jefferson City as the state capital in addition to creating its own dark yet intriguing history. 

With more than 6,400 recorded caves, including twenty show caves that are open to the public for guided tours, travelers and spelunkers around the world know Missouri as The Cave State.

On this date in Missouri history, African American entrepreneur Annie Pope Malone dies. She grew her small business into a household name in the early 1900s, making her one of the wealthiest women in St. Louis.

Her face practically fills the frame. You can see every freckle—and the determination in her eyes. She’s Abby, a twenty-two-year-old with Down syndrome who wishes servers wouldn’t offer her a kid’s menu. She’s a homecoming queen working at her old high school and dreaming of going to college and getting married.

For dozens of young women in the Sikeston area, the prom experience begins in Leilani Smith’s garage.