On this day nineteen-year-old Henry Shaw arrived in Missouri. He stepped off the steamboat Maid of Orleans, made a fortune, then retired to look for ways to use his money helping people. He started the Missouri Botanical Gardens at his home, then Shaw Park, schools, hospitals, and he endowed universities. Read more about him in Tales From Missouri and the Heartland.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.