At Rocheport Plein Air, painters work at pace to produce works capturing the shifts in light and shadow. The three-day event provides ample opportunity to paint in a wide range of scenic outposts while interacting with passersby.
Missouri River
The Burlington Bridge at Kansas City, also called the Hannibal Bridge, was completed. It was the first bridge ever built across the Missouri River.
The first steamboat to sail on the Missouri River departed port in St. Louis on this date bound for what is now Omaha, Nebraska.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways (NSR) was created by an Act of Congress on August 27, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. Ozark NSR was the nation’s first “scenic riverways”—preceding the Wild and Scenic River Act by four years. President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law and Ozark NSR became …
Missouri was organized as a U.S. Territory. The name was changed from “Territory of Louisiana” to “Territory of Missouri.”
A fire that would destroy a significant portion of St. Louis broke out on this date in 1849.
Missouri History Today December 7, 1803: Lewis Meets With The Spanish Lieutenant Governor
Spend a few days at Big lake State Park. There is so much to do from fishing to camping to boating. Big Lake is an oxbow lake and among the largest remaining natural oxbow lakes along the Missouri River. It is one of the largest natural lakes of any type in the State.
A very unusual steamboat arrived in St. Louis on this day in 1918. Called “Long’s Dragon,” in reference to explorer Steven Long, the Western Engineer was built to travel up the Missouri. It was shaped and painted to resemble a huge serpent. This gave the steamboat a unique way to announce its presence, since the …
“Missouri River Adventure Camp,” a new initiative by Missouri River Relief, explores the Missouri River by motorboat and by land.
Missouri River Relief is hosting Missouri River Days for the first time since 2019. This program provides fourth-graders from Columbia Public Schools with a field trip to the Missouri River, where they will get to experience its muddy waters aboard one of Missouri River Relief’s motorboats.
Missouri River Relief is debuting its new “Missouri River Scientists” traveling trunk education program, partnering with Columbia Public Schools to launch the initiative.
Teachers at Columbia Public Schools will have the first opportunity to bring “Missouri River Scientists” into their classrooms as a fun new way to explore the recovery and management of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon.
This date in Missouri history: The steamboat Alice Gray exploded her boiler and sank at Rocheport.
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.
Experienced adventurers show us around five of the state’s most extreme outdoor experiences.
It’s been a wild eighteen months. Many shifted work and home lives around during the pandemic in an effort to keep others safe. Now as more people are vaccinated, and as case numbers decline and establishments continue to open up, we should all feel relieved, right? Not exactly, says Dr. Arpit Aggarwal of MU Health Care.
This article is presented in partnership with Missouri Division of Tourism. Hi everyone, Outdoor Mo here. While road trips are a great way to explore Missouri, consider pedaling your way across the state on the Katy Trail – America’s longest developed rail-to-trail route. The 240-mile trail is actually a state park that runs through the midsection …
The notorious St. Charles Bridge opened across the Missouri River. It was the scene of several collapses, train wrecks, and riverboat sinkings.
Missouri River Relief helps keep the waterway clean.
The steamboat, E. A. Ogden sank in Murray’s Bend above Jefferson City.
A railroad bridge across the Missouri at St. Charles collapsed for the third time! Thirty one freight cars plunged into the river. It was also proving to be a hazard for steamboats.
The historic riverboat Far West sank at Mullanphy’s Island near the mouth of the Missouri. It was one of Custer’s boats and after Little Bighorn it steamed back 920 miles in just 54 hours! The Far West is also the subject of a Gary Lucy painting.
The Steamboat Arabia left St. Louis. It sank at Westport Landing six days later.
Hundreds of paddlers from around the world will undertake the MR340 next year, a grueling 340-mile race on the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Charles. Get a taste for the adventure from these veteran competitors, and pick a point along the river to watch.
Geh und erforschel (go and explore) Missouri’s German Heritage with a new book by W. Arthur Mehrhoff and published by Missouri Life Inc.
Joseph Robidoux paid $8 for a license to run a ferry across the river at what is now St. Joseph.
Named for the founder of St. Charles, the Blanchette Bridge was dedicated on this date. It carries I-70 traffic across the Missouri.
You can traverse that history on Paddle MO, a five-day canoe and kayak journey on the Missouri River from Hermann to the confluence with the Mississippi River north of St. Louis.
From August 8 to 11, 450 crazy people will paddle down the Missouri River in canoes, in kayaks, and stand-up paddleboats—all competing against each other and themselves in the MR340 race.
