History

Missourians love their coffee now as much as they did hundreds of years ago when the French first brought coffee to the shores of the Mississippi River. Indie coffee shops, boutique roasters, national brands, and regional roasters are pleasing customers all over the state.

At a time when the nations of Europe were competing for global control of trade and land, the New World offered the ideal opportunity to fill European coffers and expand their empires. The only problem was that someone already lived here.

Each year there’s something new to see, and yet some components of the Fair date back from before Missouri actually had a designated State Fair. Let’s take a walk through time and look at some of the State Fair’s most proud traditions.

100 years ago in April, Missourians and other Americans left home to fight in the First World War. Here are their stories.