 
Route 66 in Missouri:
Route 66 entered Missouri at St Louis and followed the path
roughly described by today's Interstate 44, and passed out
of the state in the southwest corner. The crossing of the
Mississippi River from Illinois into St Louis occurred at
different points over the years, with the Chain-of-Rocks
Bridge being probably the best-known. Closed to traffic for
many years, the Chain-of-Rocks Bridge is now a
pedestrian/bike area. Parts of U.S. 66 in Missouri use
portions of the old Ozark Trail system of roadways and the
infamous Cherokee Trail of Tears. A major tourist
attraction, Meramec Caverns, is a short distance off Route
66 south of Stanton. There are still a few barns on old 66
which are painted with advertising copy for the caverns.
Missouri is known as the "Show Me State".
The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when
Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from
Missouri and you've got to show me."
The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving
airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
The most destructive tornado on record occurred in
Annapolis. In 3 hours, it tore through the town on March 18,
1925 leaving a 980-foot wide trail of demolished buildings,
uprooted trees, and overturned cars. It left 823 people dead
and almost 3,000 injured.
At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden,
served tea with ice and invented iced tea.
Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream
cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and
asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold
ice cream.
Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in
the union, bordered by 8 states.
The state animal is the Mule.
St. Louis is also called, "The Gateway to the West" and
"Home of the Blues".
Warsaw holds the state record for the low temperature of -40
degrees on February 13, 1905.
Warsaw holds the state record for the high temperature
recorded, 118 degrees on July 14, 1954.
State bird - native Bluebird March 30, 1927
State insect - honey bee July 3, 1985
Mozarkite was adopted as the official state rock on July 21,
1967, by the 74th General Assembly.
On July 21, 1967, the mineral galena was adopted as the
state's official mineral.
The crinoid became the state's official fossil on June 16,
1989, after a group of Lee's Summit school students worked
through the legislative process to promote it as a state
symbol.
On June 20, 1955, the flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida L.)
became Missouri's official tree.
The "Missouri Waltz" became the state song under an act
adopted by the General Assembly on June 30, 1949
The present Capitol completed in 1917 and occupied the
following year is the third Capitol in Jefferson City and
the sixth in Missouri history. The first seat of state
government was housed in the Mansion House, Third and Vine
Streets, St. Louis; the second was in the Missouri Hotel,
Maine and Morgan Streets, also in St. Louis. St. Charles was
designated as temporary capital of the state in 1821 and
remained the seat of government until 1826 when Jefferson
City became the permanent capital city.
The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a
second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was
struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.
Kansas City has more miles of boulevards than Paris and more
fountains than any city except Rome.
Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any
metro area with more than 1 million residents.
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the
Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St.
Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nationwide competition in
1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a
630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect
monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction
of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28,
1965. The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the
ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high
winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is
built to sway up to 18 inches.
Saint Louis University received a formal charter from the
state of Missouri in 1832, making it the oldest University
west of the Mississippi.
In 1889, Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph,
Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and
the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.
The tallest man in documented medical history was Robert
Pershing Wadlow from St. Louis. He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches
tall.
Creve Coeur's name means broken heart in French, comes from
nearby Creve Coeur Lake. Legend has it that an Indian
princess fell in love with a French fur trapper, but the
love was not returned. According to the story, she then
leapt from a ledge overlooking Creve Coeur Lake; the lake
then formed itself into a broken heart.
The most powerful earthquake to strike the United States
occurred in 1811, centered in New Madrid, Missouri. The
quake shook more than one million square miles, and was felt
as far as 1,000 miles away.
Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest
beer producing plant in the nation.
During Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the presidency, a
Democrat named Valentine Tapley from Pike
County, Missouri, swore that he would never shave again if
Abe were elected. Tapley kept his word and his chin whiskers
went unshaven from November 1860 until he died in 1910,
attaining a length of twelve feet six inches.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, May 8, 1884.
The first train of the Atlantic-Pacific Railway, which
became the St.Louis-San Francisco Railway, or "Frisco,"
arrived in 1870.
Callaway County was organized on November 25, 1820 and named
for Captain James Callaway who was killed in a fight with
Indians near Loutre Creek.
Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians;
meaning "town of the large canoes."
Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population,
Branson and the Tri-Lakes area serves up to 65,000 visitors
daily. Branson has been a "rubber tire" destination with the
vast majority of tourists arriving by vehicles, RVs and tour
buses. Branson has also become one of America’s top motor
coach vacation destinations with an estimated 4,000 buses
arriving each year.
Charleston holds the Dogwood-Azalea Festival annually on the
3rd weekend of April. "Charleston becomes a blooming
wonderland."
Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
Missouri's oldest community, Saint Genevieve, was founded as
early as 1735.
In 1812 Missouri was organized as a territory and later
admitted the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.
In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its
slaves.
Hermann, Missouri is a storybook German village with a rich
wine-making and riverboat history that is proudly displayed
in area museums. Built in 1836 as the "New Fatherland" for
German settlers, the town has achieved national recognition
because of its quality wines and distinctive heritage.
Auguste Chouteau founded Saint Louis in 1764.
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, writer of Little House on the
Prairie, grew up in Missouri.
"Madonna of the Trail" monument in Lexington tells the story
of the brave women who helped conquer the west and is one of
12 placed in every state crossed by the National Old Trails
Road, the route of early settlers from Maryland to
California.
Soybeans bring in the most cash for Missourians as a crop.
Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October.
On Sucker Day in Nixa, Missouri, school closes officially
and the little town swells to 15,000 hungry
folks. All crave a taste of the bottom dweller fish (the
Sucker) - which is disliked by almost everyone
else.
Point of highest elevation: Taum Sauk Mountain (1,772 feet)
 
24th state in the USA; it became a state on August
10, 1821.
State Abbreviation
- MO
State Capital - Jefferson City
Largest City - St. Louis
Area - 69,709 square miles [Missouri is the 21st
biggest state in the USA]
Population - 5,595,211 (as of 2000) [Missouri is
the 16th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Missourians
Major Industries - farming (corn, soybeans), mining
(zinc, lead), aircraft equipment, cars, beer.
Presidential Birthplace - Harry S. Truman was born in
Lamar (near Joplin) on May 8, 1884 (he was the 33rd US
President, serving from 1945 to 1953).
Major Rivers - Mississippi River, Missouri River,
Osage River
Major Lakes - Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake,
Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello
Highest Point - Taum Sauk Mountain- 1,772 feet (540
m) above sea level
Bordering States - Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee
Origin of the Name Missouri - Missouri was named for
an Algonquian Indian word that means "river of the big
canoes."
State Nickname - The Show Me State
State Motto - "Salus populi suprema lex esto " - The
welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.
State Song - Missouri Waltz
State Flag:
The flag has a red, white, and blue background
(representing Missouri's French heritage; it was part of the
Louisiana Purchase from France). The circular center is
surrounded by 24 white stars (the number of states when
Missouri entered the Union). Two grizzly bears represent
bravery and strength. A knight's helmet and another 24 stars
are above the bears. The motto, "UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE
FALL" is around the inner circle. The motto, "SALUS POPULI
SUPREMA LEX ESTA" (meaning "Let the welfare of the people
be the supreme law") is on a yellow ribbon under the
bears. The inner circle has an eagle holding the olive
branch of peace and the arrows of war (representing the
federal government), a crescent moon, and another
grizzly bear. The Roman numeral MDCCCXX is under the two
bears (1820 was the date of the Missouri Compromise).
State Bird:
Bluebird
State Animal:
Missouri mule
State Insect:
Honey Bee
State Aquatic Animal:
Paddlefish (a large, primitive, freshwater cartilaginous
fish).
State Fish: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
State Tree:
Flowering Dogwood
State Flower:
White Hawthorn
State Nut Tree:
State Nut Tree
State Fossil:
Crinoid (a sea lily that lived 250 million years ago).
State Mineral:
Galena (Lead Sulfide)
State Rock:
Mozarkite
State Musical Instrument:
Fiddle
State Folk Dance:
Square Dance
  
Information From 50states.com and EnchantedLearning.com
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