Portal:Missouri

The Missouri Portal

Missouri (see pronunciation) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it borders Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to the south and Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska to the west. In the south are the Ozarks, a forested highland, providing timber, minerals, and recreation. At 1.5 billion years old, the St. Francois Mountains are among the oldest in the world. The Missouri River, after which the state is named, flows through the center and into the Mississippi River, which makes up the eastern border. With over six million residents, it is the 19th-most populous state of the country. The largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia. The capital is Jefferson City.

Humans have inhabited present-day Missouri for at least 12,000 years. The Mississippian culture, which emerged in the ninth century, built cities with pyramidal and other ceremonial mounds before declining in the 14th century. The Indigenous Osage and Missouria nations inhabited the area when European people arrived in the 17th century. The French incorporated the territory into Louisiana, founding Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764. After a brief period of Spanish rule, the United States acquired Missouri as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Americans from the Upland South rushed into the new Missouri Territory, taking advantage of its productive agricultural plains; Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States. Missouri was admitted as a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. As a border state, Missouri's role in the American Civil War was complex, and it was subject to rival governments, raids, and guerilla warfare. After the war, both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became large centers of industrialization and business.

Today the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis. Missouri has been called the "Gateway to the West", the "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State". Its culture blends elements of the Midwestern and Southern United States. It is the birthplace of the musical genres ragtime, Kansas City jazz and St. Louis blues. The well-known Kansas City-style barbecue, and the lesser-known St. Louis-style barbecue, can be found across the state and beyond. (Full article...)

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Stone wall near the Ritchey House. Fighting occurred close to this area during the battle.

The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H. Cooper and a Union column commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon near Newtonia, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Cooper's force had moved into southwestern Missouri, and encamped near the town of Newtonia. The Confederate column was composed mostly of cavalry led by Colonel Joseph O. Shelby and a brigade of Native Americans. A Union force commanded by Brigadier General James G. Blunt moved to intercept Cooper's force. Blunt's advance force, led by Salomon, reached the vicinity of Newtonia on September 29, and attacked Cooper's position on September 30. A Union probing force commanded by Colonel Edward Lynde was driven out of Newtonia by Cooper's forces on the morning of the 30th.

Both sides brought up further reinforcements, and seesaw fighting took place during much of the afternoon. Shortly before nightfall, Cooper's Confederates made an all-out attack against the Union line; this led Salomon to withdraw from the field. Militia commanded by Colonel George Hall covered the Union retreat, although Confederate artillery fire struck the retreating forces. This panicked some of Salomon's men, and the retreat turned into a disorderly rout. Union casualties are variously reported as either 245 or over 400, and Confederate casualties were 78. Blunt's full division began advancing towards Newtonia in early October, leading Cooper to abandon Missouri. A portion of the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as the First Battle of Newtonia Historic District. (Full article...)

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Among St. Louis' taller buildings are the Gateway Arch, One Metropolitan Square, 909 Chestnut Street, and the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse, the second-tallest courthouse in the world. The city also includes the Old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott case; and the Wainwright Building, designed by architect Louis Sullivan and one of the first skyscrapers built in the United States. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Missouri-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Price's Raid in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, 1864 (from Missouri)
Image 2Most Missourians traveled longer distances by water, and large cargo was transported by bateaux (shown above). (from History of Missouri)
Image 3Mel Carnahan served as Governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in a plane crash in 2000. (from History of Missouri)
Image 4The Mississippi River at Hannibal (from Missouri)
Image 5African American boy in a sharecropper shack, New Madrid County, 1938 (from Missouri)
Image 6Missouri State quarter featuring the Lewis and Clark Expedition (from Missouri)
Image 7The historic Gem Theatre, located in Kansas City's renowned 18th and Vine Jazz District (from Missouri)
Image 8Missouri State quarter featuring the Lewis and Clark Expedition (from Missouri)
Image 9A Rural Electrification Administration lineman at work in Hayti, Missouri in 1942. (from History of Missouri)
Image 10World War I General John J. Pershing was raised in Laclede, Missouri. (from Missouri)
Image 11Missouri population density map (from Missouri)
Image 12Union Station in St. Louis was the world's largest and busiest train station when it opened in 1894. (from Missouri)
Image 13The Bell Mountain Wilderness of southern Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest (from Missouri)
Image 14The population center for the United States has been in Missouri since 1980. As of 2020, it is near Interstate 44 in Missouri as it approaches Springfield. (from Missouri)
Image 15The George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri was the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to a non-President and the first for an African-American. (from History of Missouri)
Image 16Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal (from Missouri)
Image 17Christopher Bond became the youngest person elected Governor of Missouri in 1972 and was part of the rise of the Republican Party in the state. (from History of Missouri)
Image 18Child shoe workers in Kirksville, Missouri, 1910 (from Missouri)
Image 19The historic Gem Theatre, located in Kansas City's renowned 18th and Vine Jazz District (from Missouri)
Image 20World War I General John J. Pershing was raised in Laclede, Missouri. (from Missouri)
Image 21The Gateway Arch in St. Louis (from Missouri)
Image 22Price's Raid in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, 1864 (from Missouri)
Image 23Areas of Spanish Louisiana around 1803 overlayed over the current American states that it encompassed. (from Missouri)
Image 24Köppen climate types of Missouri (from Missouri)

Map of counties in Missouri by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

Black or African American

40–50%

(from Missouri)

Image 26Meramec Caverns (from Missouri)
Image 27A physiographic map of Missouri (from Missouri)
Image 28Map of early Missouri settlements and trading posts (from History of Missouri)
Image 29Ethnic origins in Missouri (from Missouri)
Image 30Fur Traders Descending the Missouri by Missouri painter George Caleb Bingham (from Missouri)
Image 31Child shoe workers in Kirksville, Missouri, 1910 (from Missouri)
Image 32Missouri is the only state to have two main Federal Reserve Banks (Kansas City bank pictured). (from Missouri)
Image 33The Mississippi River at Hannibal (from Missouri)
Image 34Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal (from Missouri)
Image 35American pioneers such as Daniel Boone with his sons Daniel Morgan Boone, Nathan Boone, and other family members, came to Spanish-controlled Missouri during the 1790s. (from History of Missouri)
Image 36The population center for the United States has been in Missouri since 1980. As of 2020, it is near Interstate 44 in Missouri as it approaches Springfield. (from Missouri)
Image 37Missouri is the only state to have two main Federal Reserve Banks (Kansas City bank pictured). (from Missouri)
Image 38Forrest Smith, elected Governor of Missouri in 1948, was the first governor chosen under the 1945 state Constitution. (from History of Missouri)
Image 39The states and territories of the United States as a result of Missouri's admission as a state on August 10, 1821. The remainder of the former Missouri Territory became unorganized territory. (from Missouri)
Image 40Areas of Spanish Louisiana around 1803 overlayed over the current American states that it encompassed. (from Missouri)
Image 41Missouri population density map (from Missouri)
Image 42Union Station in St. Louis was the world's largest and busiest train station when it opened in 1894. (from Missouri)
Image 43St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch pioneered the use of refrigerator cars to market beer nationally. (from History of Missouri)
Image 44The Gateway Arch in St. Louis (from Missouri)
Image 45Map of counties in Missouri by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Legend
- Non-Hispanic White
    50–60%
  
    60–70%
  
    70–80%
  
    80–90%
  
    90%+
  
  Black or African American
    40–50%
(from Missouri)
Image 46Köppen climate types of Missouri (from Missouri)
Image 47The Shelley House in St. Louis was the focus of a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court case that prohibited restrictive covenants in housing. (from History of Missouri)
Image 48The states and territories of the United States as a result of Missouri's admission as a state on August 10, 1821. The remainder of the former Missouri Territory became unorganized territory. (from Missouri)
Image 49A physiographic map of Missouri (from Missouri)
Image 50Ethnic origins in Missouri (from Missouri)
Image 512024 United States presidential election results by county
Democratic
Republican
(from Missouri)
Image 52The Bell Mountain Wilderness of southern Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest (from Missouri)
Image 53Fur Traders Descending the Missouri by Missouri painter George Caleb Bingham (from Missouri)
Image 54African American boy in a sharecropper shack, New Madrid County, 1938 (from Missouri)
Image 55Price's Raid in the Western Theater, 1864 (from History of Missouri)
Image 562024 United States presidential election results by county
Democratic
Republican
(from Missouri)
Image 57Meramec Caverns (from Missouri)

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... that when a developer tried to buy Kansas City's New York Life Building in the 1990s, it was unclear who owned it?
... that during the August 2023 Mid-South U.S. floods, 3.77 inches (96 mm) of rain fell in Columbia, Missouri, breaking a 113-year rainfall record?
... that supporters of a 2020 ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in Missouri did not use the words "Medicaid expansion" to describe their proposal in some campaign material?
... that a Missouri TV station blew up its call letters – literally?
... that Missouri's annual Snake Saturday parade originally began in a hotel parking lot with only four floats?
... that despite Missourians voting for Henry Clay, Missouri representative John Scott voted for John Quincy Adams?

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Charles W. Hedrick (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Zavier Zaggers (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-10-05, score: 20
Anne Spence (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by David Eppstein (talk · contribs · new pages (19)) started on 2025-10-05, score: 28

Adam Beaudry (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Das osmnezz (talk · contribs · new pages (15)) started on 2025-10-03, score: 20
2025 United States Chess Championship (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Abhishek.5678 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-10-03, score: 20
ACS Organic & Inorganic Au (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by C8rbon (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-10-03, score: 20
Alsana (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Crs5827 (talk · contribs · new pages (6)) started on 2025-10-01, score: 20

2025–26 Missouri State Bears basketball team (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Hoof Hearted (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-10-01, score: 26

2025 Jackson County Executive recall election (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by PA Uploader (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-09-30, score: 40
1971 Drake Bulldogs football team (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Patriarca12 (talk · contribs · new pages (7)) started on 2025-09-30, score: 30

Sara Weiss (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by SDGB1217 (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-09-28, score: 20

Amy Louise Daniels (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by DaffodilOcean (talk · contribs · new pages (9)) started on 2025-09-27, score: 26

Rafael Macias (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Moondragon21 (talk · contribs · new pages (179)) started on 2025-09-27, score: 40
2026 Missouri Amendment 4 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Yoblyblob (talk · contribs · new pages (27)) started on 2025-09-26, score: 40

John Farris (American football) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JTtheOG (talk · contribs · new pages (60)) started on 2025-09-26, score: 20

1933 Funsten Nut strike (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JJonahJackalope (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-09-25, score: 32
Murder of Angie Housman (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Kjansen86 (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-09-24, score: 20
2026 Missouri Amendment 3 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Nahida (talk · contribs · new pages (31)) started on 2025-09-24, score: 40

1973 West Texas State Buffaloes football team (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Patriarca12 (talk · contribs · new pages (7)) started on 2025-09-22, score: 32
1973 Drake Bulldogs football team (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Patriarca12 (talk · contribs · new pages (7)) started on 2025-09-22, score: 30

Jenny Price (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Miraclepine (talk · contribs · new pages (12)) started on 2025-09-22, score: 30
Jim Avery (politician) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Moondragon21 (talk · contribs · new pages (179)) started on 2025-09-22, score: 40

Molly McNearney (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Thriley (talk · contribs · new pages (86)) started on 2025-09-21, score: 30
Jacardia Wright (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by BeanieFan11 (talk · contribs · new pages (30)) started on 2025-09-20, score: 36

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