Missouri History Today

St. Louis dedicated a monument to General Nathaniel Lyon on this date. Lyon was the first Union General to be killed in the Civil War.

Lewis and Clark were out of meat and had to stop to send out hunters before they could continue. They were near the mouth of the Nodaway River.

Baseball Hall of Famer Roger Maris was born on this day. He played for both the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals.  

The first Missouri State Fair was held in Sedalia. Previously the fairs were held in Boonville.

Phoebe Couzins was born in St. Louis. She went on to become one of the first female lawyers in the United States and the first woman to be appointed to the US Marshall. She earned a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and she is now buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. 

The city of Blue Springs was incorporated on this date.

Hernando DeSoto’s party of exploration entered Missouri at what is now Ste. Genevieve.  They made camp that night near present day Farmington.  

Birthday of expert on military affairs, railroad and bank withdrawals, Jesse James was born in Clay County, Missouri.

Gas prices topped $3.00 per gallon for the first time ever. Hurricane Katrina had shut down the oil wells.

Cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey, and loyal University of Missouri Alum was born on this day. Beetle Bailey’s Camp Swampy was modeled after Missouri’s Camp Crowder where Mort Walker had been stationed.