Missouri

MISSOURI

Access to the Mississippi River and Missouri's central location helped that state's early economic development. The state's fertile land, abundance of lead, and assortment of wild game beckoned thousands of settlers eager to make Missouri the hub of activity in the west. The first inhabitants of what is now known as Missouri were Native American tribes. French fur trader Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette, a missionary, paddled down the Mississippi River, Missouri's eastern boundary.

The first settlers found the land was rich with deer, beaver, otter, and buffalo; their skins could be traded for other necessary goods. In the 1720s more French people immigrated to the area and established a community near St. Louis, eventually they built the first trading post in 1764. Lead was discovered in the area and a mine was opened near Fredericktown. The French settlers were self-sufficient and grew their own crops, built their own log cabins, and made their own cloth.

In 1762 France ceded its North American land, including Missouri, to Spain during the French and Indian War (1754–1763). When the English were expelled from the Ohio valley area south of Canada as a result of the Revolutionary War, Spain and the United States became neighbors on either side of the Mississippi River. In the 1790s Spain offered free land to Americans who settled in Missouri. People began migrating from eastern states; many brought their slaves with them.

After French leader Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to return the Louisiana Territory to France in 1800, the French threatened to exclude the Americans from traveling on the Mississippi River to trade their goods. The issue was pressing and President Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809), who had been one of France's strongest supporters in the United States, now prepared to go to war with France. The right to ship goods on the Mississippi was crucial, in Jefferson's eyes. The Napoleonic wars in Europe, plus a slave rebellion in Haiti, took Napoleon's attention away from the United States, however, and Jefferson offered to purchase the Louisiana territory from the French leader as a way to resolve the crisis. The deal was consummated and Missouri formed part of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory for $15 million. The expanse of land purchased was so large that it was eventually carved up to become Missouri and 14 other states.

Once in 1811, and twice in 1812, earthquakes rocked southeast Missouri. Growth slowed in that area; however, the rest of Missouri flourished. In 1812 a section of the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory. That same year William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was elected governor. More people continued to migrate to the fertile and rolling hills of Missouri to establish farms that produced a wide range of crops including corn, wheat, cotton, hay, tobacco, rice, and grapes. As these settlers took over more of the land, Native Americans were eventually pushed out.

Missouri was granted statehood in 1821. During the first half of the 1800s, the development of major transportation routes opened up the west. In 1819 the first steamboat traveled up the Mississippi River carrying flour, whiskey, and sugar. In 1821 the Santa Fe Trail, 800 miles in length, led from Independence, Missouri all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Goods such as wool, tools and mirrors were traded for silver, mules, furs, and horses. In 1841, travelers could follow the Oregon Trail for 2,000 miles from Independence to Oregon. As the transportation system grew, small frontier towns developed along the river and trade routes.

In the mid-1840s, Irish immigrants came to Missouri after suffering failing potato crops in Ireland. These Irish settlers worked the railroads and labored in the towns. A few years later a large number of Germans immigrated to Missouri to make homes in the St. Louis area.

Between 1852 and 1870 the railroad system in Missouri was expanded to meet the demands of the towns. The railroads received grants of federal land along the tracks. It was a profitable acquisition: the railroads sold the land to farmers and the farmers paid to have their goods shipped to markets via the railways. Missouri's railroads opened up new markets in the east for the state's wheat, corn, and other products and also offered easy transportation for easterners who were moving west. By 1860 more than one million people lived in Missouri. The state's economy flourished.

After the American Civil War (1861–1865) more railroads were laid in Missouri. The railroads transported more settlers to Missouri and continued to open new markets for Missouri's commercial products: crops, iron, and beer.

In the 1870s the fur trade and steamboat traffic declined due to competition from the railroads. The state's economy shifted to industry. Factories drew people from rural areas to the cities. By 1900 St. Louis was the country's fourth-largest city and was called the "Belle of the New World." Urbanization continued— between 1880 and 1970, Missouri's rural population declined from three-fourths to less than one-third of the state's population.

In 1904 about 20 million people attended the world's fair in St. Louis, a celebration to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. Fair attendees could feast on the world's first ice-cream cones and the world's first hot dogs. They also had the chance to see the first motion picture, wireless telegraphs, and automatic dishwashers. The Olympic Games also took place in St. Louis that year.

In 1929, The Great Depression (1929–1939) hit the United States. Many farmers and workers lost their jobs. But the start of World War II (1939–1945) helped end the Depression as Missouri produced bombers, landing craft, and explosives. Missouri contributed more than $4 billion worth of supplies to the war effort by the time it was over.

Between 1950 and 1990 the population of St. Louis dropped by more than half. In the 1970s the population of Kansas City also dropped. People and businesses were moving to the suburbs. Those who stayed in the cities were poor. The cities undertook major renewal projects that tackled problems like air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime. In the 1980s millions of government funds were used to renovate apartments and houses.

In 1989 industry was booming as St. Louis was home to many major companies. McDonnell Douglas Corporation made military aircraft, commercial jets, and electronic equipment. Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewery, had its headquarters in St. Louis. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors all had assembly plants in or near St. Louis and Kansas City. Missouri was second only to Detroit in automobile production. Other major manufacturers were Monsanto, Hallmark, and Ralston Purina. Each year, more than 60 new companies opened in Missouri and created thousands of jobs.

Missouri produced more than 85 percent of the nation's supply of lead and was a leading producer of lime, barite, zinc, cement, and copper. Missouri's mines added about $1 billion to the state's economy each year. Forestry, another natural resource, was the source for nearly 2,000 industries which produced items such as charcoal, lumber, and barrels.

In 1993 devastating floods required that over half the state be declared a disaster area. Damage to the state was estimated at $3 billion.

In 1998 Missouri's sources of income included manufacturing, farming, trade, tourism, services, government, and mining. While automobiles and aerospace manufacturing were the state's leading industries, soybeans, meat and dairy products were the most important agricultural goods.

In 1995 an estimated 9.4 percent of the state's residents lived below the federal poverty level. Personal income per capita was $22,864 by 1996.

See also: Missouri Compromise, Missouri River

FURTHER READING

Nagel, Paul C. Missouri: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1977.

——. Missouri, A History. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1988.

Thompson, Kathleen. "Missouri." In Portrait of America. Austin, TX: Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1996.

Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998, s.v. "Missouri."