Celebrate Missouri’s Bicentennial at the Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social

Monroe Station was born only 36 short years later, after the birth of its home state, with mainly German immigrants settling in the area. In 1869, the name evolved into Monroe City after the Civil War. Robey’s Building Supply continues to be the oldest active business in the community, followed by Farmers Elevator and Exchange Company, both being in business over 100 years.

Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States, as memorialized by the Gateway Arch. The Pony Express, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail and California Trail all began in Missouri.  As a border state, Missouri’s role in the American Civil War was complex and there were many conflicts within. After the war, both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became centers of industrialization and business. Today the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis.

Well-known Missourians include Chuck Berry, Sheryl Crow, Walt Disney, Edwin Hubble, Nelly, Brad Pitt, Harry S. Truman and Mark Twain. Some of the largest companies based in the state include Cerner, Express Scripts, Monsanto, Emerson Electric, Edward Jones, H&R Block, Wells Fargo Advisors, Centene Corporation, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. Well-known universities in Missouri include the University of Missouri, Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Missouri’s State Capitol was St. Charles temporarily until 1826, when the capital shifted to its current centrally located capital, Jefferson City. In 1930, there was a diphtheria epidemic in the area around Springfield, which killed approximately 100 people. Serum was rushed to the area, and medical personnel stopped the epidemic.

The agriculture products of the state are beef, soybeans, pork, dairy products, hay, corn, poultry, sorghum, cotton, rice, and eggs. Missouri is ranked sixth in the nation for the production of hogs and seventh for cattle. Missouri is ranked in the top five states in the nation for production of soy beans, and it is ranked fourth in the nation for the production of rice. In 2001, there were 108,000 farms, the second-largest number in any state after Texas.