Missouri History

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that separate-but-equal facilities like schools were unconstitutional. This led to the closure of the school perched on the hillside in Dalton. After the 1956 school year, active Dalton students attended now-integrated schools in their hometowns.
Now seemed like a great time to gather memories of Dalton Vocational School from the shrinking pool of aging alumni. This podcast tells the story of Dalton Vocational School—Missouri's "Little Tuskegee"—in the former students' own words. 

The story is familiar, replicated by scores of people living and working in Missouri in the 1800s. It goes something like this: a person starts from humble beginnings, takes big risks in moving west to pursue new opportunities, starts simple and builds a trade or business, employs many people, offers essential products or services that make life possible, and in the end not only enjoys success but becomes a benefactor for the common good.
Those stories are common. What is rare is a person who was born into slavery and then did all those things, like Hiram Young.

Fifty years after Mary Gant became the first woman elected to the Missouri Senate, a record number 11 women now occupy nearly one-third of the 34 seats in the Senate chamber. That history is the fulcrum of a new book, You Can, Too! Journey to the Missouri Senate, presented by Missouri Humanities Council and published by Missouri Life Media.

The Henry Blosser House and Barn near Malta Bend had been abandoned and neglected for years when new owners Dr. Art and Carolyn Elman stepped in to preserve these architectural treasures. The project, led by acclaimed interior designer Kelee Katillac, took years of painstaking effort by a team of preservation experts. The result is a masterpiece where conscientious conservation and spectacular design intersect.

Why bother with imagining the future at all? The future is a place to project our hopes, along with our doubts and uncertainties. We invite you to imagine the future as you’d most like to see it, and to think about what Missourians living in the present day can do to reach that imaginary destiny.

The story about a New Year’s Eve spur-of-the-moment fish fry with fifty or more people showing up at our house is one of those “I remember when” trips down memory lane that might have faded road signs, considering the trip goes back an eon or two to December 31, 1974.

I remember when …

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.

St. Joseph is home to iconic places, including Jesse James’s home, the Pony Express birthplace, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp. History flows through this town where museums tell the stories of this westward jumping-off point and where new stories are beginning.

The 2021 Missouri Life readers' choice awards are here!

An old roofless silo stands in the south field of my Missouri hay farm. While the exact circumstances are a mystery, neighbors say the silo lost its roof over forty years ago. Nothing is left of it now except for the bare ends of rebar exposed on top.