The Missouri Trifectas: 5 Players Who Lived the “Show Me State” Dream
As we begin another Major League Baseball season, it’s the perfect time to look back at a rare feat in Missouri sports history. While the I-70 series usually divides the state into Red and Blue, a select group of athletes has managed to bridge that gap. We will this select group of players the Missouri…
Payne Stewart’s 1987 Masterclass at Bay Hill
The Golfer from Springfield Set A Record That Stands Nearly 40 Year Later The 1987 Arnold Palmer Invitational (then known as the Hertz Bay Hill Classic) was a historic year for the event, primarily because of a dominant, record-breaking performance by Missourian Payne Stewart. Yes, Bay Hill is full of history. But the tournament that…
How a Missourian Became America’s Largest Landowner: Inside His 2.7 Million-Acre Empire
For the Second Time in History, A Missourian is the Largest Landowner in the U.S. In 2026, Stan Kroenke officially became the largest private landowner in the United States. That’s pretty amazing a man from the small town of Mora. After graduation from Cole Camp High School, Kroenke went to Mizzou where he earned a…
Missouri’s Famous NASCAR Drivers
4 Legendary Drivers and 3 Iconic Tracks Missouri has produced some of the most legendary names in NASCAR history, ranging from technical masters to “big event” specialists. Here is a breakdown of the biggest racers from the Show-Me State. 1. Rusty Wallace (Fenton/ Fox High) Rusty Wallace is the undisputed king of Missouri racing. Born…
The Slave-Owning Missourian Who Helped End Slavery
“…a slave-owning Missouri senator from a slave state was the co-author and co-sponsor of the bill that prohibited slavery in the United States.” Here is a story that changed the course of United States history, yet few people know how vital a Missourian was in making it happen. We largely recognize President Abraham Lincoln as…
Missouri’s Richest 2025: Billionaires with Local Connections
Several of the richest Americans call Missouri their home.
Missourians in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Yes, there are a lot of Missourians in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors in Cleveland in 1986, the first class consisted of the stars who music historians considered the “best of the best.” In that class was St. Louis native Chuck Berry.…
Missouri’s President for a Day: David Rice Atchison
Senator David Rice Atchison may have been the United States President for 24-hours. The official US records beg to differ. (Atchison) “…was on Sunday, by virtue of his office, President of the United States—for one day!” Alexandria Gazette, 1849 Long before Harry S Truman became President, Missouri did have another man that could lay claim…
The Missouri Governor Who Committed Suicide
A mental health breakdown led to the death of the young Missouri Governor Missouri Governor Thomas Reynolds was a rising star in the world of politics in the mid-1800s. He already had a distinguished career in law and politics before he became governor. But struggles with mental health took their toll as he committed suicide…
Why is “Uncle Sam” Buried in Missouri?
He came to Missouri several times and died here in 1932 “Probably no globe trotter in history has ever achieved such celebrity as Frank S. Colburn.” -T.F. Matthews, Dayton Sunday Journal, 1917 Frank Coburn was perhaps the most famous face in America during World War I, yet few people know the name. He portrayed “Uncle…
Missouri’s Famous Inventions
Thousands of patents have come from Missourians, but these are some of the most famous It’s amazing how many things have been invented in Missouri. We are a relatively small state in the middle of the country with a population that also lies in about the middle. But the number of inventions that have come…
Missouri’s Most Interesting Man: Henry Smith Pritchett
April 16, 1857: One of the nation’s “smartest and most interesting people” was born on a farm near Fayette. Henry Smith Pritchett is one of the most interesting people ever to come from Missouri. Pritchett was a brilliant world traveler and a true Renaissance man. He spent his lifetime on a quest for knowledge and…
The Missourian Who Was The Largest Landowner in America in 1900
Missourian John Sliker Bilby was the Land King John Sliker Bilby, Missouri’s Land Baron John Sliker Bilby was the real-life version of the John Dutton from the show Yellowstone – only bigger. Bilby was reportedly the largest landowner in America around 1900 with an estimated 1,000,000 acres spread across 15 states in the late 1800s…
Missouri’s Most Famous Doctors
The Intriguing Reasons Why Missouri Is A Leader in Medicine In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the state became an unlikely cradle of medical innovation. The state produced pioneers whose ideas, practices, and discoveries helped shape American healthcare. Many of them worked out of Missouri’s frontier conditions—where necessity, experimentation, and a blend of scientific…
Driving the “Genius Highway”
The Amazing History of Highway 36 in Northern Missouri It’s called the “Genius Highway” — and for good reason. Highway 36 across the northern part of Missouri is one of many great road trips across the state of Missouri to see our legendary people and places. The highway goes from Hannibal on the east to…
Vouziers Estate: A Glimpse into Missouri’s Gilded Age
Missouri Mansions Series Slideshow images are courtesy of The Charles Trefts Collection at The State Historical Society of Missouri. The Desloge Dynasty The story of the Desloge family is one of extraordinary wealth, industrial power, political intrigue, and high society. And it is all set in Missouri. The business aspect of their story includes lead…
The First Female Mayor in Missouri
1921: The citizens of St. James elect the first female mayor in the state. Two years after women in Missouri were finally allowed to vote, the first female mayor in Missouri history was elected in St. James. Mayme Ousley was born in nearby Edgar Springs and went to high school in Rolla where she graduated…