What's So Great About Missouri?

January 24, 2011

When most people want to talk about a state that’s exciting or memorable, odds are, it’s on the coast.  I’ve lost track how many times my friends in other countries have asked me where exactly Missouri is. I’ve even had people in other states ask me to remind them which side of the state Kansas City is on!  By and large, Missouri might not seem like a remarkable state when you compare it to places like Virginia, Florida, New York, or California.  But, I’ve done some digging into Missouri’s past, and I think I know why people try to forget about Missouri.  They’re secretly very, very jealous.  Here are a few reasons why:

• New York may have stolen the title to our beloved Kansas City Strip Steak, but who can blame them.  When here in good ole KC, we boast of more miles of boulevards than Paris, and only Rome can claim more fountains!
• The Californians may get the headliners when it comes to earthquakes today, but the most powerful earthquake to strike the United States occurred here in Missouri in 1811.  It shook the area of a million square miles and was powerful enough to crack sidewalks in Washington D.C. and ring church bells in Boston.
• The very first Olympic Games held on US soil were held in St. Louis in 1904.  
• The city of Branson is located within a day’s drive from fifty percent of the entire population of the country. 
• In 1865, Missouri became the first slave state to free their slaves.
• The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in the United States.
• Dr. Pepper was introduced to the world at the World’s Fair in 1904 in St. Louis.

Emily E.
Red Bridge Branch