Missouri
Missouri names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Missouri a State in the South Central Division of the United States
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the South Central Division of the United States, bounded by Iowa, Illinois ois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; admitted to the Union, Aug. 10, 1821; counties, 115; area, 68,735 square miles; pop. (1900) 3,- 108,665; (1910) 3,293,335; (1920) 3,404,- 055; capital, Jefferson City. Topography. Though the surface of the State presents no considerable elevations, it is greatly diversified. In the S. W. part are the Ozark Mountains, a series of isolated knobs, peaks, and cliffs of sandstone, some reaching an altitude of 1,500 feet. The Mississippi river, forming the E. boundary line, is bordered by highlands in the shape of limestone bluffs, in some cases reaching a height of 350 feet. W. of these highlands the State is high and broken, becoming more and more level till the Osage river is reached. The principal rivers are the Mississippi, having a course of 470 miles along the E. boundary, the Missouri, which forms 200 miles of the W. boundary, and turning E. crosses the State, and flows 250 miles to the Mississippi. The Osage, St. Francis, Black, White, Gasconade, Current, Grand, and Charlton are all navigable for small boats at high water. Among unnavigable streams of importance are the Platte, Sac, Piney, Častor, Salt, South Grand, Nodaway, Fabrus, Meramec, Cuivre, and Niaugua rivers. Geology. The geological formations of Missouri are principally of Carboniferous origin, especially in the N. and W. Devonian rocks occur in the N. E. and S. W., extending in a S. direction toward St. Louis. The S. of the State is principally of Silurian formation, and the rocks include shale, limestone, conglomerate, and sandstone. Granite, greenstone, porphyry, and other Eozoic and Archean rocks occur in the S. and S. W. Mineral Products. The chief mineral products of the State are zinc and lead, in the the production of which it ranks first among the States. The total value of the lead and zinc concentrates produced in 1918 was $37,763,394; the production of lead concentrates was 287,983 short tons, valued at $21,988,567. The quantity of zinc blende concentrate sold from the Missouri mines was 95,555 tons, valued at $4,899,347. The chief production is from the central and southeastern part of the State. Copper is also produced in the State. The production in :. 1918 was 577,665 pounds, valued at $142,- 683. The silver production was 46,939 fine ounces, valued at $46,939. The State produces a considerable amount of coal. The production in 1918 was 5,605,000 tons. There were employed in the coal mines of the State about 8,000 persons. Gold is found in small quantities. Other important mineral products are sulphuret of nickel, manganese, wolfram, gypsum, asbestos, bitumen, fire clay, kaolin, hydraulic lime, saltpeter, and mica. Soil. The soil is generally fertile, excepting on the hills, where it is mixed with such a proportion of iron oxides as to make it unproductive. The alluvial deposits of the Mississippi and Missouri are exceedingly fertile, and the swamps, when drained, yield enormous crops. The prairies produce tobacco and wheat of the best quality. Only about one-third of the State is cultivated, the remainder being to a large extent densely timbered. The principal forest trees are the elm, ash, oak, sugar maple, hackberry, dogwood, sassafras, sweet gum, black gum, calapa, tupelo, pawpaw, and pecan. Yellow pine grows abundantly around the head waters of the Black, White, and Current rivers, and extensive pine forests extend also along the Arkansas border. Agriculture. Missouri ranks among the first of the States in its importance in agricultural products. The production and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: Corn, 155,412,000 bushels, valued at $214,459,000; oats, 38,- 259,000 bushels, valued at $27,164,000; wheat, 57,868,000 bushels, valued at $120,982,000; hay, 3,794,000 tons, valued at $73,983,000; potatoes, 8,250,000 bushels, valued at $15,180,000; cotton, 60,- 000 bales, valued at $10,200,000. Other important crops are pear, clover, flax, hemp, garden fruits, and barley. Agricultural and creamery products, such as butter, cheese, barley, sorghum, beeswax, wine, and maple syrup, and moall developed to lasses, are a high standard. Much of the territory N. of te the Missouri river is covered with blue grass and is finely adapted to stockraising. Manufactures. - The industrial establishments are centered chiefly in the larger cities, St. Louis and Kansas City. There were, in 1914, 8,386 manufacturing establishments with an average number of 152,182 wage earners. The capital invested amounted to $522,548,000. The amount paid in wages was $89,197,000. The value of materials used was $388,- 715,000, and the value of the products $637,552,000. Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 137 National banks in operation, with $45,995,000 in capital, $7,669,- 136 in outstanding circulation, and $22,- 311,850 in United States bonds. There were also 1,325 State banks, with $41,- 323,000 capital and 24,464,000 surplus; 6 private banks, with $65,000 capital and $168,000 surplus; and 82 trust and loan companies, with $22,423,000 capital and a surplus of $19,477,000. The exchanges for the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, at the United States clearing house at St. Louis and Kansas City amounted to $19,101,774,000. Education. There were, in 1919, 721,- 752 children enrolled in the public schools. Of these 528,455 were an average daily attendance. The number of teachers was 20,208, with an average monthly salary of $69.19. The total amount expended for schools was $17,- 780,426. Compulsory education was provided by the legis legislature in 1909. Agriculture is taught in the high schools. Enrolled in the high schools are about 50,000 pupils. There are five normal schools. Among the institutions for higher learning are Washington University at St. Louis, University of Missouri at Columbia, St. Louis University at St. Louis, Missouri Wesleyan College at Cameron, Christian University at Canton, Central College at Fayette. There are several colleges for women. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Regular Baptist, South; Disciples of Christ, Methodist Episcopal, South; Meth- Synod; Cumberland Presbyterian; Lutist, Colored; Presbyterian, North; African Methodist; Presbyterian, South. Finance. The receipts for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 1919, amounted to $25,062,337 and the disbursements to $23,233,925. The balance on hand at the end of the year was $5,791,823. The State debt amounted to about $6,500,000. Railways. The railway mileage in 1919 was 9,382. The longest roads with in the State were the St. Louis and San Francisco, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Charities and Corrections. - The State Board of Charities and Corrections has supervision of the charitable and correctional institutions, which include hospitals at Fulton, St. Joseph, Nevada, and Farmington. There is an industrial school for boys at Booneville and schools for the deaf, blind, and epileptic. State Government. -The governor is elected for a term of four years. Legislative sessions are held biennially beginning on Wednesday after the first Monday of January, and are unlimited as to length of session. The legislature has 34 members in the Senate and 142 in the House. There are 16 representatives in Congress. The State government in 1920 was Democratic. History. Missouri was first visited by. the whites, under De Soto in 1541, and. under Marquette in 1673. Early in the 18th century a brisk trade in furs between the French and the Indians led to French settlement. St. Louis, St. Genevieve, and other towns were founded about the middle of the century, but in 1762, after the conquest of New France by the English, this country was transferred to Spain. It was restored to France in 1800, and purchased by the United States in 1803, as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1812, a portion of Louisiana was set aside as the Territory of Missouri, and in 1821 it was admitted into the Union as a State. The question of its admission gave rise to a long and bitter political controversy in the halls of Congress, the South wishing to make of it a slave State and the North vigorously resisting. The dispute was at length settled by a compromise offered by Henry Clay, to the effect that slavery should be permitted in Missouri, but forever excluded from all other parts of the Louisiana Purchase N. of lat. 36° 30'. In 1836 Missouri was reduced from its Territorial to its present State limits. On the outbreak of the Civil War the people of Missouri were divided in sentiment, and both sides took up arms odist Episcopal; al; German Evangelical Evangelical Many conflicts took place in the State, but the activity of the Union party saved theran, Synod, Conference; Regular Bap- it from secession. After the war bitter feeling died away, improvements began, and the State entered upon a career of prosperity which has since continued.
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
Missouri a river of the United States
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a river of the United States; formed in the Rocky Mountains, in , Montana winds circuitously along the base of the mountains, then E. till it reaches the W. boundary of North Dakota and receives the Yellowstone. Here it begins to flow S. E. through North and South Dakota, then forms the E. boundary of Nebraska, separating it from Iowa and Missouri; separates for a short distance Kansas from Missouri, then strikes E. across the latter State, and joins the Mississippi after a course of 2,908 miles. It is navigable 2,500 miles from the Mississippi.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's 1921 count of 3,404,055 people has since risen to about 6.15 million at the 2020 census, and the state's demographic centre has shifted from St. Louis to the Kansas City side: St. Louis city peaked near 857,000 in 1950 and now holds roughly 300,000. The Census Bureau no longer files Missouri under the "South Central Division" at all, grouping it with the Midwest. The rivers Collier's listed as "navigable for small boats at high water" have been reshaped by dams "e2"80"94 Bagnell Dam closed the Osage in 1931 to create the Lake of the Ozarks, now a major recreation region "e2"80"94 while soybeans, unmentioned in 1921, became one of the state's leading crops. Missouri does remain a leading American lead producer, though the coal mining that employed some 8,000 men in 1918 has all but vanished, and the Ozark "knobs" top out at Taum Sauk Mountain, 1,772 feet.
Written for this edition, 2026.