Missouri

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

mis-oo'ri, a state of the American Union. It is situated near the geographical center. It lies on the west bank of the Mississippi between Louisiana and Arkansas. The Missouri River , entering from the west, divides the state into a north and a south section. The general shape of the state is that of an oblique quadrilateral. A small extension at the southeast angle follows the Mississippi for a distance of thirty-four miles. The northern boundary is chiefly the parallel of 40 deg 30'; the southern that of 36 deg30' north latitude. The area is 69,415 square miles. TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE. Northern Missouri is chiefly an undulating or rolling prairie country, not differing essentially from southern Iowa. The bluffs of the various rivers are bold and are well timbered. Southeastern Missouri is a wooded region. Central Missouri is prairie. The table land of the Ozark Mountains rises in the southwest to a point 1,600 feet above the sea. The lowest point in the state, the extreme southeastern corner, lies 275 feet above the sea. The extreme temperatures are 104 deg and--20 deg. The mean summer temperature ranges from 75 deg to 79 deg according to locality. The mean winter temperature ranges from 28 deg to 40 deg. The Missouri River is usually closed with ice during the winter season. The Mississippi not infrequently remains open as far north as St. Louis. MINERALS. The state is rich in mineral wealth. The earth and rocks of the state vary from the latest glacial drift and alluvial bottoms to those of primitive origin. There are excellent clays for making brick, as well as marble, limestone, sandstone, and granite for building. Coal measures, already extensively worked, are thought to underlie about 2,000 square miles of territory. The lead mines are the most extensive known. The state also leads in the production of zinc. Iron ore of excellent quality is mined in southern Missouri. Iron Mountain is one of the largest known masses of iron in the world. It is almost a solid mountain of iron. Pilot Knob is celebrated for iron ore. A good half of the state of Missouri lies in the region of the famous black soil for which the Mississippi Valley is noted. In the southern part of the state the soil varies from the alluvium found in river bottoms to the heavy clays of the uplands. Much of the clay is tinged with red from the iron veins. FORESTS AND GAME. Like other states, Missouri has been prodigal of its timber. In the southeast, however, there are still heavy forests of oak, maple, ash, hickory, elm, pecan, and chestnut. While no longer laying claim to be a sportsman's paradise, the state still affords shelter to many wild animals. Prairie chickens are found in the prairie region of the west. Quail are abundant along the bluffs and in the hilly region of the Ozark. Gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and rabbits are numerous. Wild turkeys and the Virginia deer are still found by the persistent hunter. AGRICULTURE. Agriculture is the chief industry. Missouri is noted for winter wheat. Named in order of volume the chief field crops are wheat, oats, corn, rye, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and buckwheat. Tobacco, hemp, and flax are raised extensively. Missouri is a great apple, peach, and berry state. The leading apple is the Ben Davis. Pears, cherries, plums, and grapes do well. Twenty million dollars a year is a very conservative estimate of the value of the annual fruit crop. The station of Sarcoxie alone, ships from 200 to 400 cars of strawberries a year. A strong impulse to horticulture has been given by the work of the Missouri Botanical Garden at St. Louis. Tomatoes, peas, cabbage, and potatoes are grown extensively for the city markets. The fruits and vegetables of the state reach the large distributing centers after shipments from the Gulf States have begun to fail. In addition to the local crop, large quantities of corn are imported from Kansas. Sheep raising is carried on in the southern counties. The state leads the Union in the production of mules and swine. HISTORICAL. The eastern shore of Missouri was explored by Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle. It was taken possession of by the latter in the name of the French king April 9, 1682. The first settlement was made by the French at St. Genevieve at an uncertain date, not later than 1763. St. Louis was settled by the French in 1764. The territory passed into the hands of the general government with the purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon in 1803. Missouri was organized as a territory in 1812, and was admitted to the Union in 1821. In 1826 the capital was established at Jefferson City. The great bulk of the early settlers came from North Carolina , Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. In later days there was a heavy influx of Germans and people from the Northern States of the Union. At the outbreak of the Civil War there was a strong sentiment in favor of secession, but it was prevented from becoming effective by the prompt action of the Unionists due largely to German settlers who were opposed to slavery. EDUCATION. A system of public schools was established in 1839. The state took an early stand in favor of public high schools. Four normal schools are maintained by the state. The state university, a vigorous, promising institution, with the usual colleges, including law and medicine, is located at Columbia. Both men and women are admitted. Washington University, at St. Louis, is heavily endowed. St. Louis University is under Jesuit control. The leading churches are the Roman Catholic, the Methodist, the Baptist, the Presbyterian, and the Episcopalian. POPULATION, ETC. The population in 1900 was reported at 3,106,655, an average of forty-five per square mile. There were but 161,324 persons of negro descent. Named in order of size, the chief cities are St. Louis, Kansas City , St. Joseph, Joplin, Springfield and Sedalia. Three-fourths of the manufactures of the state are centered at St. Louis. Boots and shoes , wagons, cars, clothing, flour, grist, beer, meat, and tobacco are the chief articles. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 68,735 Population 3,363,153 St. Louis 686,369 Kansas City 191,685 St. Joseph 125,504 Joplin 44,995 Springfield 24,119 Sedalia 15,927 Hannibal 12,780 Jefferson 11,416 Number counties 115 Members of state senate 34 Representatives 142 Salary of governor $5,000 U. S. representatives 16 Presidential electors 18 State revenue $5,500,000 Assessed valuation of property $1,390,000,000 Bonded indebtedness (1907) $4,398,839 Acres improved 23,000,000 Agricultural Products-- Corn, bushels 203,000,000 Wheat, bushels 22,000,000 Oats, bushels 13,500,000 Potatoes, bushels 8,000,000 Clover seed, bushels 60,000 Flax, bushels 182,000 Tobacco, pounds 3,000,000 Butter, pounds 47,000,000 Eggs, dozens 85,000,000 Honey, pounds 3,000,000 Wool, pounds 2,636,000 Cotton, pounds 17,000,000 Value of cotton crop $2,000,000 Value of cotton seed $241,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 957,000 Mules 283,000 Milk cows 965,000 Other cattle 2,349,000 Sheep 1,017,000 Swine 3,593,000 Goats 25,000 Capital invested in manufacturing $379,000,000 Operatives 156,000 Output of manufactured goods $439,000,000 Output of boots and shoes $24,000,000 Meat products $60,000,000 Brewing output $24,000,000 Lumber products $16,000,000 Tons of coal mined 4,000,000 Tons of iron ore 111,000 Output of lead, pounds 245,000,000 Pounds of zinc 283,648,000 Clay products $7,000,000 Miles of railway 8,066 Teachers in public schools 17,847 Pupils enrolled 741,000 Percentage of male teachers 28.3 Average monthly salary of men teachers $57.00 Average monthly salary of women teachers $44.80 Average annual expenditure per pupil $17.19 See St. Louis; Kansas City ; Lyons ; Missouri Compromise ; Santa Fe ; Shaw Gardens; Lead 2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about race that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: BR 2026-07-22)