June 30, 1823
Prominent St. Louis citizens Joshua Barton (first Missouri Secretary of State) and Thomas C. Rector fought a duel at Bloody Island. Barton was killed in the duel and Rector was unhurt. However, Rector was later killed in a knife fight.
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.
Read more about other famous Missouri duels and feuds in this article from the Missouri Life magazine archives.
Image by Missouri Historical Society from Flickr licensed under CC by 2.0
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