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The New International Encyclopædia/Missouri (State)

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​MISSOURI, mĭz-zo͞o′rĭ, local pron. mĭz-zo͞o′rŭ. A central State of the American Union, situated about midway between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, and midway between the Dominion of Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. It lies west of the Mississippi River, which separates it from Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Iowa, separated by the parallel of latitude 40° 30′ N., is on the north, and Arkansas, separated by the parallel of latitude 36° 30′ N., except for a small projection of Missouri between the Mississippi and Saint Francis rivers, which extends 34 miles south between Tennessee and Arkansas, is on the south. On the west, Missouri is separated from Indian Territory and Kansas by the line of longitude 114° 43′ W., as far north as the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers, from which points the Missouri River completes the western boundary, separating Missouri from Kansas and Nebraska. The distance between the northern and southern boundaries is 285 miles, and the greatest extension from east to west is slightly more. It contains a total area of 69,415 square miles, of which water comprises 680 square miles and hind 68,735 square miles. It ranks fifteenth in size among the United States.

Topography. The northern portion of the State was covered by the glacial ice sheet, the southern limit of which was bounded by the line of the Missouri River. It is a wide expanse of gently rolling plains, generally of treeless prairie, belts of timber occurring only along the streams. South of the Missouri the land rises gradually to the broad flat dome-like elevation of the Ozark Mountains. This range extends in a southwesterly direction and rises to a height of 1700 feet in the west, and in the east to 1800 feet in the peaks of Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain. The uplands are marked by a series of escarpments of harder strata standing out in precipitous bluffs from 200 to 300 feet high, but sloping off gently on the opposite sides in the direction of the dip of the strata. The lower ground between represents the softer strata which have worn down to the lower level since the post-Cretaceous uplift. West and north of the broken and rugged Ozark Plateau extends prairie country, and prairie areas are also found scattered through the eastern part. The southeastern portion is bottom land, marshy in character. Here the levees along the Mississippi are required to protect the low-lying land from inundation.


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AREA AND POPULATION OF MISSOURI BY COUNTIES.

County Map
 Index.  		 County Seat.   Area in 
square
miles. 		Population.
1890. 1900.
 
Adair D 1  Kirksville 561 17,417 21,728
Andrew B 2  Savannah 420 16,000 17,332
Atchison A 1  Rockport 582 15,533 16,501
Audrain E 2  Mexico 680 22,074 21,160
Barry C 5  Casaville 790 22,943 25,532
 
Barton B 4  Lamar 590 18,504 18,253
Bates B 3  Butler 874 32,223 30,141
Benton C 3  Warsaw 820 14,973 16,556
Bollinger F 4  Marblehill 610 13,121 14,650
Boone D 2  Columbia 680 26,043 28,642
 
Buchanan B 2  St. Joseph 417 70,100 121,838 
Butler F 5  Poplarbluff 702 10,164 16,769
Caldwell B 2  Kingston 426 15,152 16,656
Callaway D 3  Fulton 830 25,131 25,984
Camden D 3  Linncreek 702 10,040 13,113
 
Cape Girardeau  G 4  Jackson 570 22,060 24,315
Carroll C 2  Carrollton 686 25,742 25,455
Carter E 5  Vanburen 506  4,659  6,706
Cass B 3  Harrisonville 712 23,301 23,636
Cedar B 4  Stockton 491 15,620 16,923
 
Chariton C 2  Heytesville 740 26,254 26,826
Christian C 5  Ozark 551 14,017 16,939
Clark E 1  Kahoka 504 15,126 15,383
Clay B 2  Liberty 407 19,856 18,903
Clinton B 2  Plattsburg 417 17,138 17,363
 
Cole D 3  Jefferson City 390 17,281 20,578
Cooper D 3  Boonville 562 22,707 22,532
Crawford E 4  Steelville 747 11,961 12,959
Dade B 4  Greenfield 493 17,526 18,125
Dallas C 4  Buffalo 530 12,647 13,903
 
Daviess B 2  Gallatin 531 20,456 21,325
Dekalb B 2  Maysville 420 14,539 14,418
Dent E 4  Salem 768 12,149 12,986
Douglas D 5  Ava 809 14,111 16,802
Dunklin F 5  Kennett 531 15,085 21,706
 
Franklin E 3  Union 880 28,056 30,581
Gasconade E 3  Hermann 518 11,706 12,298
Gentry B 1  Albany 492 19,018 20,544
Greene C 4  Springfield 668 48,616 52,713
Grundy C 1  Trenton 432 17,876 17,832
 
Harrison B 1  Bethany 730 21,033 24,398
Henry C 3  Clinton 740 28,235 28,054
Hickory C 4  Hermitage 408  9,458  9,985
Holt A 1  Oregon 460 15,469 17,083
Howard D 2  Fayette 450 17,371 18,337
 
Howell D 5  Westplains 907 18,618 21,834
Iron F 4  Ironton 555  9,119  8,716
Jackson B 3  Independence  607  160,510    195,193  
Jasper B 4  Carthage 632 50,500 84,018
Jefferson F 3  Hillsboro 687 22,484 25,712
 
Johnson C 3  Warrensburg 835 28,132 27,843
Knox D 1  Edina 501 13,501 13,479
Laclede D 4  Lebanon 729 14,701 16,523
Lafayette B 2  Lexington 604 30,184 31,679
Lawrence B 4  Mount Vernon  612 26,228 31,662
 
Lewis E 1  Monticello 500 15,935 16,724
Lincoln E 2  Troy 613 18,346 18,352
Linn C 2  Linneus 620 24,121 25,503
Livingston C 2  Chillicothe 532 20,668 22,302
​

|- |align="left"|McDonald |B 5 |align="left"| Pinevielle |523 |11,283 |13,574 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Macon |D 2 |align="left"| Macon |828 |30,575 |33,018 |- |align="left"|Madison |F 4 |align="left"| Fredricktown |495 | 9,268 | 9,975 |- |align="left"|Maries |D 3 |align="left"| Vienna |530 | 8,600 | 9,616 |- |align="left"|Marion |E 2 |align="left"| Palmyra |432 |26,233 |26,331 |- |align="left"|Mercer |C 1 |align="left"| Princeton |451 |14,581 |14,706 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Miller |D 3 |align="left"| Tuscubmia |597 |14,162 |15,187 |- |align="left"|Mississippi |G 5 |align="left"| Charleston |417 |10,134 |11,837 |- |align="left"|Moniteau |D 3 |align="left"| California |410 |15,630 |15,931 |- |align="left"|Monroe |D 2 |align="left"| Paris |666 |20,790 |19,716 |- |align="left"|Montgomery |E 2 |align="left"| Danville |514 |16,850 |16,571 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Morgan |C 3 |align="left"| Versailles |612 |12,311 |12,175 |- |align="left"|New Madrid |G 5 |align="left"| New Madrid |654 | 9,317 |11,280 |- |align="left"|Newton |B 5 |align="left"| Neosho |629 |22,108 |27,001 |- |align="left"|Nodaway |A 1 |align="left"| Maryville |804 |30,914 |32,938 |- |align="left"|Oregon |E 5 |align="left"| Alton |787 |10,467 |13,906 |- |align="left"|Osage |D 3 |align="left"| Linn |605 |13,080 |14,096 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Ozark |D 5 |align="left"| Gainesville |747 | 9,795 |12,145 |- |align="left"|Pemiscot |G 5 |align="left"| Caruthersville  |509 | 5,975 |12,115 |- |align="left"|Perry |G 4 |align="left"| Perryville |468 |13,237 |15,134 |- |align="left"|Pettis |C 3 |align="left"| Sedalia |685 |31,151 |32,438 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Phelps |E 4 |align="left"| Rolla |677 |12,636 |14,194 |- |align="left"|Pike |E 2 |align="left"| Bowling Green  |620 |26,321 |25,744 |- |align="left"|Platte |B 2 |align="left"| Platte City |410 |16,248 |16,193 |- |align="left"|Polk |C 4 |align="left"| Bolivar |633 |20,339 |23,255 |- |align="left"|Pulaski |D 4 |align="left"| Waynesville |532 | 9,387 |10,394 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Putnam |C 1 |align="left"| Unionville |518 |15,365 |16,688 |- |align="left"|Ralls |E 2 |align="left"| New London |480 |12,294 |12,287 |- |align="left"|Randolph |D 2 |align="left"| Huntsville |489 |24,893 |24,442 |- |align="left"|Ray |B 2 |align="left"| Richmond |561 |24,215 |24,805 |- |align="left"|Reynolds |F 4 |align="left"| Centerville |830 | 6,803 | 8,161 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Ripley |F 5 |align="left"| Doniphan |623 | 8,512 |13,186 |- |align="left"|St. Charles |F 3 |align="left"| St. Charles |456 |22,977 |24,474 |- |align="left"|St. Clair |B 3 |align="left"| Osceola |705 |16,747 |17,907 |- |align="left"|Ste. Genevieve  |F 4 |align="left"| Ste. Genevieve  |493 | 9,883 |10,359 |- |align="left"|St. Francois |F 4 |align="left"| Farmington |460 |17,347 |24,051 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|St. Louis |F 3 |align="left"| Clayton |483 |36,307 |50,040 |- |align="left"|St. Louis City |F 3 |align="left"| St. Louis | 61 | 451,770   | 575,238   |- |align="left"|Saline |C 2 |align="left"| Marshall |820 |33,762 |33,703 |- |align="left"|Schuyler |D 1 |align="left"| Lancaster |302 |11,249 |10,840 |- |align="left"|Scotland |D 1 |align="left"| Memphis |453 |12,674 |13,232 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Scott |C 4 |align="left"| Benton |416 |11,228 |13,092 |- |align="left"|Shannon |E 4 |align="left"| Eminence |993 | 8,898 |11,247 |- |align="left"|Shelby |D 2 |align="left"| Shelbyville |509 |15,612 |16,167 |- |align="left"|Stoddard |F 5 |align="left"| Bloomville |833 |17,327 |24,669 |- |align="left"|Stone |C 5 |align="left"| Galena |509 | 7,090 | 9,892 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Sullivan |C 1 |align="left"| Milan |648 |19,000 |20,282 |- |align="left"|Taney |C 5 |align="left"| Forsyth |648 | 7,973 |10,127 |- |align="left"|Texas |D 4 |align="left"| Houston |1,157   |19,406 |22,192 |- |align="left"|Vernon |B 4 |align="left"| Nevada |839 |31,505 |31,619 |- |align="left"|Warren |E 3 |align="left"| Warrenton |410 | 9,913 | 9,919 |- |  | | | | | |- |align="left"|Washington |F 4 |align="left"| Potosi |744 |13,153 |14,263 |- |align="left"|Wayne |F 4 |align="left"| Greenville |770 |11,927 |15,309 |- |align="left"|Webster |C 4 |align="left"| Marshfield |579 |15,177 |16,640 |- |align="left"|Worth |B 1 |align="left"| Grant City |264 | 8,738 | 9,832 |- |align="left"|Wright |D 1 |align="left"| Hartville |673 |14,484 |17,519 |- |  | | | | | |-

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​Hydrography. The whole State is drained into the Mississippi, either directly or through its tributary, the Missouri, which traverses the State from west to east. Through the extreme southern portion Hows the White River, which enters the Mississippi in the State of Arkansas; the southwestern corner drains westward into the Arkansas River. The importance of the large rivers, with regard to navigation, however, is not commensurate with their size. The river beds of the Ozark region were worn to base-level during Cretaceous time. At the close of that period the region was uplifted, and the meandering rivers lowered their gradients in situ, so that they now cross and recross the ridges regardless of structure. The Osage River is a classical instance of entrenched meanders.

Climate. Missouri lies in the milder half of the warm temperate zone. Being far inland, the State is subject to the extremes of a continental climate, which are all the more accentuated by the fact that it is in the path of frequent cyclonic storms. The average January temperature ranges from 35° F. in the southeastern to 20° in the northwestern corner. For July the average temperature is 80° in the extreme south and 75° in the extreme north. The southwestern winds from the arid plains in sununer sometimes send the mercury up to 105°, while the anticyclones of winter carry a minimum of 10° below zero to the southern border, and 20° below to Saint Louis, thus giving that city an annual range of 125°. The southeastern extremity of the State has not a day in the year with the average temperature below freezing, but the record rises rapidly northward, there being 30 such days at Springfield, 60 at Jefferson City, and 90 at Rockport. The summers are pleasantly tempered in the Ozark Plateau. The rainfall ranges from 35 inches per year in the north to 60 inches at the Arkansas line. While this is well distributed through the year, there is a marked minimum in the winter season, and maximum in the summer season. Droughts lasting thirty days sometimes occur. Snow falls on the average to the depth of 20 inches in the latitude of Saint Louis, and less than 10 inches at the Arkansas line, though it rapidly disappears and seldom covers the ground many days. The average relative humidity for the year is less than 70 per cent. over the whole State. The prevailing winds are west and northwest in January, and south in July. There are on the average 30 thunder storms in the year, with a maximum frequency in June. The northern part of the State is in the area of maximum tornado frequency, and very severe and destructive tornadoes occasionally occur.

Geology. The geological history of Missouri covers a lapse of time from Algonquian into late Carboniferous, giving surface outcrops of Algonkian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Subcarboniferous, and Carboniferous, with a subsequent absence of deposits until Pleistocene time. The old land, which now outcrops in the southeastern onarter of the State, in Saint Francis, Iron, Madison, Wayne, and Reynolds counties, is made up of porphyritic eruptives, but with lavas often bedded; the elastics are sometimes porphyry conglomerates, the materials of which have evidently been derived from the underlying porphyry flows. At Pilot Knob the iron ores are associated with the conglomerates. These old lands show analogies with the Upper

​Huronian of the Lake Superior region, though they may represent an erosion period between Upper Huronian and Keweenawan (Van Hise). Around this old island the Cambrian seas made their deposits, and in wider circles the later Ordovician and Silurian beds were laid down, until the Devonian shore line lay roughly from Saint Louis along the Missouri River to Jefferson and on to Sedalia, and thence south into Arkansas. There are scant deposits of the Devonian age, and the Carboniferous seas and later marshes had about the same margin, leaving the area to the north and west of the line described as an outcrop of the coal measures. From a period late in the Carboniferous time, the whole State seems to have remained above the sea continuously to the present time.

Soil. Over all of the glaciated area and for some miles south of the Missouri River, the surface is covered with loess, which caps the bluffs and the country adjacent with a coating many feet in thickness, furnishing a soil of great fertility. The soils of the State outside of the glaciated area are largely residual, their quality determined by the character of the country rock and its slopes. The hard ridges have a thin soil, unsuitable for agriculture; but the inner low lands, on the softer limestone, and the flood plains of the rivers, have a soil of great fertility.

Forests. The State north of the Missouri River is essentially a rolling prairie with timber lands mostly restricted to the river valleys. The woodland of the State, including stump land, in 1899 occupied 41,000 square miles, or 60 per cent. of the entire area. The State south of the Missouri River is normally a forest area, thinning out westward, being occupied most largely by mixed hard woods, cypress dominating in the Mississippi bottom lands at the southeast.

For Fauna, see paragraph under United States.

Mineral Resources and Mining. The principal mineral deposits of Missouri are zinc and lead. These minerals, usually occurring together, are confined to the area south of the Missouri River and the zinc is confined to the Galena-Joplin District, covering about a dozen counties in the southwestern corner of the State, and extending westward into Kansas. Lead is also found in a large area about Jefferson City, and in another about the old lands of the Pilot Knob region. The lead ores are galena and lead carbonate; the zinc ores are calamine and smithsonite. They all occur in the joints of limestone rocks, chiefly of the Cambrian system, and in cavities where the limestone has been dissolved out. The origin of the metals is in doubt, with some evidence, however, suggesting a deep-seated source in volcanic rocks.

The output of zinc rose from 2500 short tons in 1882 to 19,533 short tons in 1898, but it fell to 13,083 in 1901. Missouri is the third zinc-producing State, being exceeded by Kansas and Illinois. The zinc is largely smelted in the gas belt of Kansas, and from there transported to the Gulf ports. The output of lead ore in 1901 was over 20,000 short tons, and the total value of the zinc and lead output of the State for that year was nearly $7,000,000. Missouri is believed to have considerable coal deposits, but its output is kept within narrow limits by the competition of neighboring coal fields. The coal output shows an increase from 784,000 short tons in 1873 to 3,802,088 in 1901. The product is used principally for local consumption. The output of iron, gold, and manganese is insignificant, but during the third quarter of the nineteenth century the deposits of Iron Mountain (q.v.) were famous for their large output of hematitic ore, which has up to the present amounted to 5,000,000 tons. Limestone was obtained in 1901 to the value of $1,362,272, and the products of clay (chiefly brick and tiles) in the same year were worth $4,474,553.

Agriculture. Agriculture is the leading industry. In 1900, 33,997,873 acres, or 77.3 per cent. of the total area, was included in farms. In every decade from 1850 to 1900 there was a decided gain in the farm acreage, the increase since 1860 being wholly in the acreage of improved land, which in 1900 amounted to 67.4 per cent. of the total farm area. The average size of farms decreased from 215.4 acres in 1860 to 119.3 in 1900. In the latter year 31.1 per cent. of the farm acreage was included in farms ranging in size from 100 to 174 acres. The per cent. of farms rented was slightly greater in 1900 than in the preceding census years, the farms leased on the share system being 19.5 per cent. of all farms, and those rented for cash 11 per cent. The crop production is characterized by the great attention given to corn, which constitutes over 71 per cent. of the total cereal crop, and places Missouri among the leading corn States. The area devoted to corn increased continuously from 1870, the increase in the acreage during the decade 1890-1900 being 22.3 per cent. Wheat is the next most important of the cereals. Its production had increased steadily until about 1880, but since then the acreage has remained almost stationary. The acreage of oats continued to gain until 1890, but in the following decade it decreased 45.4 per cent. The production of rye decreased over one-half between 1880 and 1900, while barley and buckwheat have become quite unimportant. A largely increasing acreage is devoted to hay and forage, which together rank next to corn in area. A great deal of flax is raised near the western border of the State south of the Missouri River, and the acreage devoted to this crop increased 78.9 per cent. between 1890 and 1900. In the lowlands in the southeast corner of the State cotton is the leading crop. Potatoes and sorghum cane are grown throughout Missouri. The State ranks third in the production of watermelons, and is prominent also in the production of tomatoes, cabbages, and other vegetables. The tobacco crop has decreased every decade since 1860, and between 1890 and 1900 it decreased 61.6 per cent. Broom corn and castor beans receive some attention. Both small fruits and orchard fruits are grown in abundance. In 1900, 7494 acres were devoted to strawberries alone. In the same year there were over 20,000,000 apple trees, these constituting 75.2 per cent. of the total number of fruit trees and exceeding the number in every other State. Between 1890 and 1900 the number of apple trees increased 145.0 per cent., peach trees 127.9 per cent., and most other varieties a still greater per cent. The gain in apple and peach culture was greatest in the southwestern corner of the State. The following table of acreages is self-explanatory:

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CROPS 1900 1890
Corn  7,423,683   6,072,121
Wheat 2,056,219  1,946,785
Oats 916,178  1,676,706
Rye 21,233  24,283
Flax 100,952  56,421
Hay and forage  3,481,506  2,870,562
Cotton 45,596  57,260
Potatoes 93,915  96,356
Sorghum cane 30,997  36,280

Stock-Raising. The number of horses and mules has increased in every decade since 1850. The number of dairy cows had gained steadily until 1890, but decreased in the following decade. The number of other cattle was greater in 1900 than in any other census year. Missouri is one (if the largest swine-raising States, but the number of swine fell off somewhat between 1890 and 1900. The number of sheep has decreased over one-half since 1880. The milk, butter, and cheese product in 1899 was valued at $15,042,360, of which amount 34.9 per cent. was received from sales. Probably no State exceeds Missouri in the extent of its poultry industry. The value of the eggs produced in 1899 was estimated at $8,305,371. The following table shows the number of domestic animals on the farms:

 DOMESTIC ANIMALS  1900 1890
Dairy cows 765,386 851,076
Other neat cattle  2,213,203   2,118,640  
Horses 967,037 946,401
Mules and asses 292,296 251,714
Sheep 663,703 950,562
Swine  4,524,664     4,987,432   

Manufactures. Missouri is the leading manufacturing State west of the Mississippi. The development in this direction has been favored by the variety and extent of its resources—agricultural, mineral, and forest—and by its location on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The industry, however, has been of a fluctuating character. In 1850 2.3 per cent. of the population engaged in manufactures. At the end of each subsequent decade the per cent. of population engaged was respectively 1.7, 3.8, 3, 4.6, and (1900) 4.3. In the decade 1880-90 the actual number increased 94.1 per cent.; in the following decade the gain was only 8.7 per cent. The value of all products, including custom work and repairing, in 1900 was $385,492,000. Of this, 52.8 per cent. was included in the fourteen leading industries, as shown in the table appended. The manufactures dependent on agricultural produce stand out prominently in relative importance. Slaughtering and meat-packing products attained the greatest value, and represented the highest per cent. of increase (134.9) between 1890 and 1900. The industry is centred principally in Saint Joseph and Saint Louis. The growing of tobacco in the State gives rise to extensive manufactures of this product, especially chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff. The industry is almost wholly confined to Saint Louis, and is also in a flourishing condition. The other two leading industries—the manufacture of flour and grist-mill products, and of liquor—though important, are declining in value. The decrease in the case of the latter is due to the depreciation of price. The increase of flour-milling in the Southwest has notably reduced the patronage of Saint Louis by that section. The forest resources of the State are being more heavily drawn upon than ever before, and the abundance of supply constitutes an important source of wealth. In the swampy region in the southeast cypress prevails, but elsewhere hard woods are predominant. There is a larger cut of white oak than of any other one species. There was between 1890 and 1900 an increase of 33.7 per cent. in the value of the lumber and timber products.

The influence of the coal resources of the State is reflected in the establishment of foundries and machine shops. The railroad interests have developed a rapidly increasing industry of car construction, etc. The manufactures of clothing and boots and shoes are also prominent, the latter being a comparatively new industry, but already raising the State to the eighth rank among the boot and shoe manufacturing States. The printing and publishing industry is also prominent. The three largest manufacturing centres are Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Saint Joseph, the former on the Mississippi and the two last on the Missouri. The manufactured products of Saint Louis in 1900 amounted in value to 60.6 per cent. of the total for the State, but the increase during the last decade was only 2.0 per cent. Saint Joseph, on the contrary, made an increase of 161.9 per cent. The increase in the manufactures of Kansas City was largest on the Kansas side of the line, and is therefore credited to that State.

The table on the following pagebelow shows the relative importance of the fourteen leading branches of manufacturing.

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INDUSTRIES  Year  Number of
 establishments  		Average
number
 wage-earners  		Value of products,
including custom
 work and repairing 
 
  Total for selected industries for State
1900 5,139  59,057  $203,494,824 
1890 3,667  50,674  155,920,549 
Increase 1890 to 1900 ...... 1,472  8,383  $47,574,275 
Per cent. of increase ...... 40.1  16.5  30.5 
 
Per cent. of total of all industries in State
1900 27.4  43.8  52.8
1890 26.1  40.8  48.0
 
Slaughtering: Total
1900 37  3,102  $43,040,885 
1890 68  1,264  18,320,193 
Tobacco: Total
1900 602  5,231  27,847,432 
1890 430  4,411  17,583,646 
Flouring and grist-mill products
1900 1,145  1,654  26,393,928 
1890 710  3,011  34,486,795 
Liquors, malt
1900 49  3,150  13,776,905 
1890 30  2,834  16,954,137 
Lumber and timber products
1900 1,197  6,043  11,177,529 
1890 830  6,703  8,359,925 
Carriages and wagons
1900 377  2,583  5,583,364 
1890 425  3,026  5,233,324 
Foundry and machine shop products
1900 261  7,084  15,073,005 
1890 186  6,754  13,680,773 
Cars and general shop construction and
 repairs by steam railroad companies
1900 43  5,581  6,524,121 
1890 27  2,859  2,890,542 
Cars, steam railroad, not including
 operations of railroad companies
1900 4  2,772  7,722,768 
1890 5  1,854  3,974,173 
Clothing, men's, factory product
1900 148  6,129  8,925,088 
1890 59  6,113  8,113,852 
Boots and shoes, factory product
1900 50  5,915  11,253,202 
1890 29  2,716  4,841,004 
Printing and publishing: Total
1900 1,100  7,256  15,355,949 
1890 778  7,423  13,004,440 
Coffee and spices, roasting and grinding
1900 27  499  5,266,264 
1890 15  252  3,892,792 
Confectionery
1900 99  2,058  5,554,384 
1890 75  1,454  3,584,953 

​ Transportation and Commerce. A network of railroads covers the northern half of the State, in contrast with the southern half, where the mileage is small and a number of counties have no rail communication. The northern half has the advantage in that it lies in the course of some of the great transcontinental lines, and furthermore is less broken than the southern part of the State. A large number of lines cross the Mississippi at Saint Louis, while Kansas City and Saint Joseph on the western border are also large railroad centres. In 1860 there were 817 miles of railroad in the State; in 1880, 3965 miles; in 1890, 6142 miles; and in 1900, 6887 miles. Some of the leading lines in Missouri are: The Missouri Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Saint Louis and San Francisco, Saint Louis Southwestern, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Chicago and Alton, the Wabash, the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern. In recent years there has been a marked development in the railways connecting the State with the Southwest and the Gulf. The State has a board of railroad commissioners, who hear and determine complaints against the railroads; but their decision is subject to revision by the courts. The water traffic between Saint Louis, the terminal for the larger river steamers, and the Gulf is large. Before the building of railroads the Missouri River was important as a means of transportation; but in recent years the trans-State traffic, which is extensive, is almost wholly by rail. The grain and animal produce of the West reaches its market in great part by way of Missouri.

Banks. The Bank of Saint Louis, chartered in 1813 and opened in 1816, was the first in the State. It went into liquidation in 1819. Next came the Bank of Missouri, which opened in Saint Louis in 1817 and failed in 1822. This left the State without any chartered banks until

​1829, when the United States Bank opened a branch in Saint Louis. The branch was discontinued in 1833. The Bank of the State of Missouri, chartered in 1837, was a large institution with five branches in the State, and was both a bank of issue and discount. For twenty years it had almost a monopoly of the banking business, but its circulation was insufficient and in 1857 seven more banks of issue were chartered. Many more followed. All were forced to conform to the law which allowed the issue of only three dollars for every dollar of specie. The law of 1857 provided also for a bank commissioner, who should visit and examine the various institutions. This office was soon abolished, and there sprang up a number of small speculative banks, all of which collapsed in the panic of 1873. The system of national banking extended very slowly, but the largest institutions sooner or later became national banks. In 1868 the Saint Louis Clearing House Association was organized with 35 members. Trust companies were first formed in 1889, and became very popular. There always have been many banks bearing the word ‘savings’ in their titles, but none of them conformed to the general plan of a savings bank. This is explained by the fact that all the banks usually pay interest on deposits.

The condition of banks in the State in 1902 is shown in the following table:

 National 
Banks 		 State 
 Banks  		 Trust 
 Co.'s  		 Private 
Banks
Number of banks  77 589 16 46
In thousands of dollars
Capital  $21,543   $18,332   $19,150  $864 
Surplus 10,267  6,436  14,715  266 
Cash, etc. 24,154  7,566  933  799 
Loans 146,913  88,099  67,450  16,633 
Deposits 92,028  104,070  64,501  7,647 

Government. The present Constitution was adopted in 1875. A proposed amendment becomes a part of the Constitution if approved by a majority of the members elected to each House, and in turn by a majority of the qualified voters of the State. The General Assembly may at any time authorize by law a popular vote upon the question, “Shall a Constitutional Convention be held to revise and amend the Constitution?” If a majority of the popular vote approves, the convention will be held. Voters must have resided in the State one year, and in the county, city, or town sixty days. General elections are held biennially on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even years. The State is represented in the National House of Representatives by 16 members. The capital is Jefferson City.

Legislative. Members of the Senate (34) are elected for four years, and Representatives for two years. The Legislature meets on the first Wednesday after the first day of January of odd years. Compensation of members includes mileage, and not exceeding $5 per day for the first seventy days of the session, and $1 per day for the remainder of the session. A two-thirds vote of all the members elected to each House overrides the Oovernor's veto. The power of impeachment rests with the House, and the trial of impeachment with the Senate.

Executive. A Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary, Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney-General, and Superintendent of Public Schools are elected for terms of four years each. The Governor and Treasurer cannot succeed themselves in office. The Lieutenant-Governor, president of the Senate, and Speaker of the House are in the line of succession to the Governorship in case of vacancy.

​Judicial. The Supreme Court, consisting of seven judges, elected for ten years, is divided into two divisions, which sit separately. Kansas City and Saint Louis each have appellate courts, consisting of three judges, who are elected for terms of twelve years. Judges of the Circuit Courts are elected for six years. Criminal courts may be established in counties having a population exceeding 50,000. Each county has a probate and a county court. Justices of the peace are elected in the smaller civil divisions.

Local Government. A county-seat may be removed with the consent of two-thirds of the qualified voters. No new county can be created with less than 410 square miles. The transference of a portion of one county to an adjoining county must first have the approval of a majority of the electors in the counties affected. The General Assembly provides for the organization and classification of cities and towns, but the Constitution places a maximum limit of four to the number of classes that may be created. Sheriffs and coroners are elected for terms of two years, and are not eligible for more than four years in any period of six years. Under certain conditions cities having over 100,000 inhabitants may frame charters for their own government.

Finances. The first public debt was created for the sake of acquiring stock in the banks of the State. In 1835 it amounted to $1,397,000, against which the State held $1,250,000 of bank stock. Missouri was more fortunate than many other States, its banking enterprises not involving it in any financial difficulties. Up to 1850 Missouri remained free from the general tendency toward expensive public improvement, but when the era of speculative railroad construction came, was no exception to the rule. Within eight years many railroads were chartered and received from the State loans in the shape of guaranteed bonds amounting to about $24,000,000. The roads were expected to pay the interest, but almost all failed to do so, and the State became bound for the entire debt, which in 1862 was $27,370,090. Until 1880 it remained above twenty millions, but since then was reduced by skillful management to $12,213,000 in 1890, and to $6,280,839 in 1900. Most of the bonds have been acquired by the school fund and other funds.

The payment of interest on the large debt and into the sinking funds was a heavy burden on the budget, and constituted a large part of the expenditure between 1870 and 1900. The revenue of the State is derived partly from a tax on property, and partly from special taxes on railroads, various public franchises, and corporations. For the two years ending December 31, 1900, the total receipts were $4,640,751 for the State revenue fund, $2,622,692 for the State interest fund, and various sums for the numerous funds. The balance in the treasury in 1901 was $1,078,931.

Militia. In 1900 the men of militia age numbered 662,928. The militia in 1901 numbered 2677.

Population. The population by decades has been as follows: 1810, 20,845; 1820, 60,586; 1830, 140,455; 1840, 383,702; 1850, 682,044; 1860, 1,182,012; 1870, 1,721,295; 1880, 2,168,380; 1890, 2,679,184; 1900, 3,106,665. The rank of the State rose rapidly until 1870, when it reached fifth, at which point it has since stood. The increase between 1890 and 1900 was a little less than for either of the four preceding decades, and amounted to 16 per cent., as compared with 20.7 for the United States. The negro population, which is largely confined to the Missouri River counties, amounted, in 1900, to 161,234. The foreign-born population numbered 216,379—the largest for any of the States which are usually classed as Southern. Saint Louis was an early centre of German immigration, and the Germans still constitute over one-half of the total foreign born. In 1900 there was an average of 45.2 people to the square mile—a greater density than is shown in any other State west of the Mississippi. Missouri contains the largest centre of population located on the Mississippi River, and the percentage of urban population is therefore high. In 1900 the 35 places having more than 4000 inhabitants each contained collectively 34.9 per cent. of the total population.

Cities. In 1900 the six largest cities were: Saint Louis, 575,238; Kansas City, 163,752; Saint Joseph, 102,979; Joplin, 26,023; Springfield, 23,267; Sedalia, 15,231.

Religion. The two leading denominations, the Methodists and the Baptists, are of almost equal strength. The Catholics also have a strong representation. Probably the most rapidly developing denomination is that of the Disciples of Christ. It ranks third among Protestant denominations. The largest of the remaining denominations are, in the order named, the Presbyterians, Lutherans, Protestant Episcopalians, and Congregationalists.

Education. In 1900 6.4 per cent. of the population ten years of age and over were illiterate. The percentage of illiteracy for the negroes alone was 28.0 per cent., which was a decided decrease from 1890, when the corresponding per cent. was 41.7. Although the Constitution of 1820 provided for a public school system, it was not until 1833 that a school was organized which could legally enforce support. The office of State Superintendent of Common Schools was created in 1839. The State Board of Education consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney-General and Superintendent of Education. As is common in States which have a large rural population, the country schools are often in a very backward condition, in marked contrast with the town schools, which are generally very efficient. In many districts there has been a decrease in the rural population, resulting in an increasing number of very small schools. The wealth of many districts is too small to support a long term school. Short terms, inefficient teaching, irregularity of attendance, and lack of gradation and superintendence, therefore, characterize many country districts. However, the average length of the school term for the State—144 days in 1900—compares favorably with the corresponding term in the neighboring States. In 1900 the number of children between the ages of five and eighteen was 966,400, the number enrolled in the public schools, 719,817, and the average attendance for the school year, 460,012. The State has no compulsory attendance law. The attempt to articulate the high schools with the university has necessitated the appointment of an inspector to examine the work of the high schools. In 1900 about 70 of these schools were upon the approved list of the universities, but there are in all about 500 schools doing from two

​to four years of high school work. In 1900 there were 16,201 teachers, of whom 10,104 were females. The State maintains normal schools at Kirksville, Warrensburg, Cape Girardeau, and at Lincoln's Institute in Jefferson City. The public school fund was begun with the Congressional donation to the State of saline funds in 1812. The original sum has been increased by additions from various sources until, in 1900, the total school fund amounted to $12,548,963. The total receipts for school purposes in 1900 were $9,554,384, over two-thirds of which was from railroad district, back taxes, and tuition fees. The amount paid for teachers' wages for that year was $4,684,250. the incidental expenses amounted to $1,294,784, and the money used for building purposes $1,837,014. The average State levy upon $100 valuation for school purposes was 51 cents. Higher education is afforded by the State at the University of Missouri, located at Columbia. This institution includes among other departments those of law, medicine, agriculture, and mechanic arts, and mines and metallurgy. There are within the State also a very large number of private and denominational institutions which bear the name of college or university, but the enrollment at most of these is very small. Washington University, at Saint Louis (non-sectarian), has the benefit of a large endowment, and the Saint Louis University (Roman Catholic) also has a large endowment. Lincoln Institute is a well-equipped manual training school for the colored.

Charitable and Penal Institutions. The state maintains insane hospitals, located respectively at Farmington, Saint Joseph, Fulton, and Nevada. There is also a colony for feeble-minded at Marshall. A State Federal soldiers' home is located at Saint James, and a State Confederate home at Higginsville. The State school for deaf and dumb is at Fulton, and the school for the blind at Saint Louis. A boys' reform school is located at Boonville, a girls' reform school at Chillicothe, and the State prison, for both men and women, at Jefferson City. A large number of prisoners are employed under the contract system, but their work is confined within the prison walls. In some of the counties male prisoners within the county jails are worked on the public roads or at quarrying stone.

History. Missouri was part of the vast area of Louisiana claimed by the French on the ground of the discoveries of La Salle, who descended the Mississippi to its mouth in 1681-82. A few years before La Salle, in 1673, Marquette and Joliet had sailed down the river as far as the mouth of the Arkansas. The territory included within the present State was traversed before 1720 by parties of French explorers in search of mines of lead and silver, and in 1723 a certain Lieutenant Renaud received the grant of a large tract of land in that region. The foundation of Sainte Genevieve is sometimes placed in the year 1735. The second settlement within the State was Saint Louis, established as a trading-post in 1764, a year after the cession of Louisiana to Spain by the Peace of Paris. Many French residents removed from the villages east of the Mississippi to Saint Louis, which became under the French and the Spanish, a prosperous little capital. The colonization of the region was greatly accelerated by the ordinance of 1787, which, in excluding slavery from the Northwest Territory, diverted the stream of southern immigration to Missouri. The Spaniards also encouraged immigration by the offer of liberal bounties to settlers. In 1800 Louisiana was retroceded to France, which, however, retained it only three years. After the acquisition of Louisiana by the United States, in 1803, the entire territory was divided into two by the line of the 33d parallel of latitude, the northern part being known as the District and Territory of Louisiana till 1812, and subsequently as the Territory of Missouri. At that time the population was over 20,000, and the chief occupations of the inhabitants were agriculture, fur-trading, and mining. The mass of the people were sturdy and unrefined; the rough backwoodsman and the fighting Mississippi boatman were picturesque types of the society of the period. After 1815 the volume of immigration increased markedly. In 1820 there were 66,000 inhabitants within the present limits of the State, of whom about 10,000 were slaves. The Indian titles to the land were extinguished rapidly. Between 1800 and 1824 the Osages and Sacs and Foxes ceded almost all their lands, though it was not till 1837 that the area of the State was rounded out by the so-called Platte Purchase.

In 1817 the Territorial Legislature applied to Congress for permission to prepare a State Constitution. (For the struggle in Congress concerning Missouri, see United States and Missouri Compromise.) In June, 1820, a convention framed a Constitution which sanctioned slavery and forbade any free negro or mulatto to take up his residence in the State; but Missouri was admitted (August 10, 1821) only after the Legislature had taken a pledge that the anti-freedmen clause should never be enforced. The period after 1820 was one of rapid, if not entirely sound, development. An era of wild speculation in lands set in, accompanied by the usual inflation of the currency (the Bank of Saint Louis had been established in 1816), and the inception of an elaborate system of internal improvements. Within twenty years after 1835 the State pledged its credit for $28,000,000 to various railroad companies, and found itself saddled with a debt of over twenty millions. The system of public education was quite inefficient before the Civil War, though Saint Louis University had been incorporated in 1832, and the State University at Columbia eight years later. Respect for the law was often sadly wanting in the western part of the State, as was shown in the history of the Mormons. They had settled at Independence in Jackson County, and had made the beginning of a prosperous community, when they were driven out by mob violence, for which it is probable they were less responsible than their enemies. They established themselves anew in Caldwell County; but there, too, they came into conflict with the authorities and the inhabitants, who forced them to depart once more in a destitute condition, leaving valuable farms and other property behind them. See Mormons.

In the first half of the nineteenth century Missouri, though a slave State, was not an ardent defender of slavery, and a very large proportion of its citizens were interested in movements looking toward the gradual emancipation of the slaves. With the rise of the abolitionists, however, Missouri became decidedly a pro-slavery

​State. It favored the annexation of Texas in 1845, and took a very prominent share in the Mexican War. General Kearny's army of invasion consisting largely of Missourians. In 1849 the Legislature adopted the so-called Jackson Resolutions, in which the right of Congress to regulate slavery in the Territories was trenchantly denied, and the principle of squatter sovereignty was asserted. The Jackson Resolutions, however, did not represent the unanimous feeling in the State, when they covertly threatened secession. In the election of 1860 the vote in the State for Douglas and for Bell was nearly equal, while Breckenridge and Lincoln received a far smaller vote than the others. The Legislature thereupon issued a call for a convention to consider the relation of the State to the Union. In the elections for the convention, the secessionist delegates were defeated by a popular majority of 80,000, and when the convention met—February to April, 1861—it declared that it could find no cause to dissolve the connection between the State and the Federal Union, and expressed the hope that some compromise might be effected between the North and the South. In reply to President Lincoln's call for troops. Governor Jackson, who, with the rest of the State Government, was in favor of secession, refused to participate in the ‘unholy crusade,’ and summoned the State militia to arms. Between the State militia and the Federal troops, under Colonel Lyon, aided by the volunteer bands which the loyalists of Saint Louis had organized, civil war ensued. The Governor, together with a majority of the Legislature, fled to the southern part of the State, and the supreme power was assumed by the convention, which declared all the offices vacant and proceeded to install a provisional government. The fugitive Legislature responded by declaring Missouri a member of the Southern Confederacy. (For military operations in Missouri, see Civil War.) In 1863 the convention passed an ordinance of emancipation of doubtful legality, which was to go into effect in 1870. With the fall of the Confederate power in Missouri the regular State Government was reorganized (1864), and in January, 1865, a constitutional convention controlled by the radical union party assembled in Saint Louis. The new Constitution provided for the immediate emancipation of the slaves and imposed severe political disabilities on all who had participated in the rebellion; all teachers, physicians, lawyers, and ministers were required to take a searching oath of loyalty. The qualifications for the franchise deprived a vast proportion of the citizens of the right to vote and continued in force till 1871, when a more liberal registration law was adopted. A third constitution went into effect in 1875. Since the war the prosperity of the State has been greatly increased by the development of its mineral industries and the growth of railroads. The improvement of the navigation of the Mississippi and the Missouri was carried on actively for many years. In the matter of public education there has been exceedingly rapid progress, the school fund of the State being one of the largest in the Union. Preparations are now (1903) nearly completed for an exposition to be held at Saint Louis to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the acquisition of Louisiana. See Saint Louis World's Fair.

From 1824 to the Civil War Missouri was always Democratic, but the Whig minority was very strong. From 1864 to 1872 the Republicans were in power, but the defection of a large body of Liberal Republicans who were opposed to the vindictive policy pursued against those who had participated in the Rebellion led to the reëstablishment of Democratic supremacy, which has remained unbroken since, save for the election of 1894, when the Republicans secured a majority in the Legislature and the Congressional delegation. The following is a list of the Governors of the State with their party affiliations:

Alexander McNair Democrat 1820-24
Frederick Bates “ 1824-25
Abraham J. Williams (acting) “ 1825
John Miller “ 1825-32
Daniel Dunklin “ 1832-36
Lilburn W. Boggs “ 1836-40
Thomas Reynolds “ 1840-44
M. M. Marmaduke (acting) “ 1844
John C. Edwards “ 1844-48
Austin A. King “ 1848-52
Sterling Price “ 1852-56
Trusten Polk “ 1856-57
Hancock Jackson “ 1857
Bobert M. Stewart “ 1857-61
Claiborne F. Jackson “ 1861
Hamilton R. Gamble (Provisional) 1861-64
Willard P. Hall (acting)   1864-65
Thomas C. Fletcher Republican 1865-69
Joseph V. McClurg “ 1869-71
B. Gratz Brown Liberal Republican and Democrat  1871-73
Silas Woodson “ 1873-75
Charles H. Hardin Democrat 1875-77
John S. Phelps “ 1877-81
Thomas T. Crittenden “ 1881-85
John S. Marmaduke “ 1885-87
A. P. Morehouse “ 1887-89
David R. Francis “ 1889-93
William J. Stone “ 1893-97
Lou V. Stephens “ 1897-1901
Alexander M. Dockery “ 1901 —

Bibliography. Missouri Geological Survey Annual Reports (Jefferson City, 1853 et seq.); Waterhouse, The Resources of Missouri (Saint Louis, 1867); Switzler, Early History of Missouri (Columbia, Mo., 1872); Davis and Durrie, History of Missouri from 1541 to 1876 (Saint Louis, 1876); Carr, Missouri a Bone of Contention (Boston, 1888); Coues, History of the Expedition Under the Command of Lewis and Clark to the Source of the Missouri River (New York, 1893); Missouri Historical Society Publications (Saint Louis); Snead, The Fight for Missouri (New York, 1886).

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