Missouri

Geography of Missouri

Missouri is located in the mid-western United States and it shares borders with eight different states. This is unique because no other U.S. state borders more than eight states.

The topography of Missouri is varied. The northern parts have low rolling hills that are remnants of the last glaciation, while there are many river bluffs along the major rivers of the state - the Mississippi, Missouri and Meramec Rivers. Southern Missouri is mostly mountainous due to the Ozark Plateau, while the south-eastern part of the state is low and flat because it is part of the Mississippi River's alluvial plain. The highest point in Missouri is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,772 feet (540 m), while the lowest is the St. Francis River at 230 feet (70 m).

 

Missouri Rivers Shown on the Map:   Big Piney River, Black River, Blackwater River, Bourbeuse River, Charriton River, Cuivre River, Current River, Eleven Point River, Gasconade River, Grand River, James River, Lamine River, Locust Creek, Marais des Cygnes River, Meramec River, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Mussel Fork, Niangua River, North Fabius River, North Fork Salt River, Osage River, Platte River, Sac River, Salt River, South Grand River, St. Francis River and Thompson River.

Missouri Lakes Shown on the Map:   Bull Shoals Lake, Harry S. Truman Reservoir, Lake of the Ozarks, Mark Twain Lake, Stockton Lake, Table Rock Lake and Thomas Hill Reservoir.

 This is Taum Sauk Mountain in Missouri.

Find more information about geography of missouri here: http://www.mo.gov/#instant-search

You can see many photos of the Missouri mountains here: https://www.google.com.ua/search?hl=en&client=firefox&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla%3Aru%3Aofficial&biw=1280&bih=807&noj=1&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=missouri+mountains&oq=missouri+mountains&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l3.670289.670289.0.673498.1.1.0.0.0.0.380.380.3-1.1.0...0.0...1c.mv1cb_XmBFE

 Climate 

Missouri has a continental climate, but with considerable local and regional variation.
The average annual temperature is 50°F (10°C) in the northwest, but about 60°F (16°C) in the southeast. St. Louis has an annual mean of 56°F (13°C) with 29°F (–2°C) in January and 80°F (27°C) in July.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Missouri was –40°F (–40°C), set at Warsaw on 13 February 1905; the hottest, 118°F (48°C), at Warsaw and Union on 14 July 1954. A 1980 heat wave caused 311 heat-related deaths in Missouri, the highest toll in the country; most were elderly residents of St. Louis and Kansas City. Fifty-one more heat-related deaths occurred in St. Louis during a 1983 heat wave.
 The coldest month is January when the average temperature overnight is 18.2°F. In July, the warmest month, the average day time temperature rises to 88.6°F.

Due to this information you could choose the most available season for visiting Missouri:

Month	Low	High
Jan	18.2°F	37.4°F
Feb	23.4°F	43.9°F
Mar	33.0°F	55.1°F
Apr	42.9°F	65.9°F
May	52.8°F	74.6°F
Jun	61.8°F	83.6°F
Jul	66.3°F	88.6°F
Aug	64.0°F	87.3°F
Sept	55.4°F	79.1°F
Oct	44.1°F	68.0°F
Nov	33.0°F	53.4°F
Dec	22.5°F	41.5°F

I add the link where you have a possibility to read more information about climate: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/general-climate-missouri-56372.html

Read more about climate of Springfield here: http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Missouri/Springfield/

Jefferson CityJefferson City, Missouri, the state´s capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Jefferson´s vision for the expansion of US territories led to the Louisiana Purchase. Missouri was part of that purchase. Jefferson City is located on the Missouri River near the geographic center of the state, and is dominated by a beautiful domed Capitol, rising from a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark passed beneath that bluff on their historic expedition. From the Capitol Complex the city extends eastward, southward, and westward over ridges and valleys paralleling the south bank of the river.The airport is located on the north side of the river.

Here is some information abot the places which are worth visiting in Jefferson city:

Missouri State Museum, Tours are given for free every hour from 9AM to 4PM The Missouri State Museum is on the first floor of the Missouri State Capitol Building and managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.Today, the museum continues to showcase Missouri’s diverse history and resources. The museum houses both temporary and long-term exhibits, such as exhibits for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Missouri State Capitol Building  Recently the capitol building was rated as being the fifth most beautiful on the outside and first most beautiful on the inside of all 50 United States capitals by USAToday. Completed in 1917, the Capitol covers three acres in downtown Jefferson City. The Capitol tour will provide you with an excellent education on the State of Missouri and the structure that represents its home.

Binder Park. Binder Park adjoins Joseph C. Miller Park. The main feature of the park is a 150-acre lake which offers excellent fishing for bass, catfish, bluegill and other species. Binder Park is also home to Jefferson City’s only disc golf course. The 18 hole course runs through the woods with some open fairways. Binder Park also has a mountain bike trail on its terrain. As the Binder Lake trail system winds across the landscape, it provides something for all users.

Oktoberfest The last weekend in September the Old Munichberg Associations puts on the Oktoberfest. Located at Jefferson Street and Dunklin Street in historic Old Munichburg, Oktoberfest is a celebration of Jefferson City's strong German heritage. It includes authentic homemade German food, music and dancing. A parade, car show, craft vendors and demonstrating artisans offer a day full of family activities. Some of the highlights include the Dachsund Derby and the Children's Train. A beer garden with live music serves as entertainment for the adults.

For more information go to: http://www.oldmunichburg.com./

Read more about Missouri's State Capitol here: http://www.sos.mo.gov/symbols/symbols.asp?symbol=capitol

History of Missouri

Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who descended the Mississippi from the north in 1673, supplied the first written accounts of exploration in Missouri. The early Indians in Missouri were the Osages, Sacs, Foxes, Otos, Iowas, Missouris, Miamis, Kickapoos, Delawares, Shawnees and Kansas. Although named for an Indian tribe, today there are no organized tribes left in Missouri. As part of the Louisiana Purchase territory, Missouri has belonged to three nations: France, Spain and the United States. First claimed for France by LaSalle in 1682, Missouri was ceded to Spain in 1762. Although Spain held the country for 40 years, its influence was slight.

The early development of Missouri was closely associated with lead mining. Galena, a lead ore, was first discovered in 1701 near Potosi and began to be mined in earnest in 1720 upon the discovery of significant deposits at Mine La Motte. Mining, the earliest commercial activity in Missouri, lured early French settlers and continues to be a major enterprise today.

It was the French who were responsible for the first permanent settlement of Ste. Genevieve in the mid 1730s. This settlement survived alone in the huge Upper Louisiana Territory until the establishment of St. Louis as a fur trading post in 1764. Because of its excellent location where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi, St. Louis became the largest settlement in the state and today is one of the nation's larger cities.

By secret treaty in 1802, Spain ceded the Louisiana Territory back to France. Napoleon Bonaparte, anxious to rid himself of the vast and troublesome frontier, sold it to the United States in 1803 for a total of $15,000,000. About this time President Jefferson organized the Lewis and Clark Expedition which was the first extensive exploration of the northwestern part of the new territory. The expedition left St. Louis in 1804.

Missouri was organized as a territory in 1812 and was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. Missouri was the second state (after Louisiana) of the Louisiana Purchase to be admitted to the Union.

In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed whereby Missouri was to be admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state. Although admitted as a slave state, Missouri nevertheless remained with the Union throughout the Civil War. At the beginning of the Civil War, most Missourians wanted only to preserve the peace. However, the state governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, was strongly pro southern and attempted to align Missouri with the Confederacy. He and most of the legislature were forced to flee to southern Missouri where they actually passed an ordinance of secession. However, this government was no longer recognized by most Missourians.

 The most important and bloodiest battle fought in Missouri was the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield. Other important battles in Missouri were fought at Carthage, Lexington, Westport and Boonville - the first engagement within the state. Missouri contributed 109,000 men to the northern cause while sending at least 30,000 men into the Confederate ranks.

During World War I, Missouri provided 140,257 soldiers, one third being volunteers. Missouri contributed such notable leaders as Gen. John J. Pershing of Laclede, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, and Provost Marshall Enoch H. Crowder of Grundy County who drew up the Selective Service Act.

During World War II, Missouri contributed a total of over 450,000 men and women to the various armed forces. Eighty nine top officers were from Missouri including Gen. Omar N. Bradley of Clark and Moberly and Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle of St. Louis.

The nation's leader during the last year of the war was Lamar born Harry S. Truman, first Missourian to become President of the United States. After assuming office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, President Truman was re elected to a full four year term. His was the fateful decision to use the atom bomb and hasten the Japanese surrender consummated on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Missourians later served in the Korean and Vietnam wars and Dr. Thomas A. Dooley and Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor emerged as noted figures. Like the rest of the country, Missouri has moved toward the 21st century with modernized technology, nuclear energy, transportation, education; progress in civil rights and women's rights; and shifts in the economy and business outlook. 

Read more about the 

Battle of Wilson's Creek  here: http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/CivilWar/pages/A16.htm

Find more interesting facts about the history of Missouri here: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/missouri-state-united-states-history.html

Reed this too:http://www.sikeston.k12.mo.us/SKELSO/Social%20Studies/Missouri%20History/Missouri%20History.htm