the State Historical Society of Missouri
![<em>Missouri Indian, Oto Indian, Chief of the Puncas</em>, portraits made by Karl Bodmer during an exploration of the Missouri River and its environs led by Prince Maximilian of Wied in 1833–1834. The Missouria man portrayed is Mahinkacha (Maker of Knives). [State Historical Society of Missouri Art Collection, <a href=https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/art/id/477/> 1958.0007c1</a>]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2024-03/1.-missouria.jpg?itok=Qzyu2w6o "<em>Missouri Indian, Oto Indian, Chief of the Puncas</em>, portraits made by Karl Bodmer during an exploration of the Missouri River and its environs led by Prince Maximilian of Wied in 1833–1834. The Missouria man portrayed is Mahinkacha (Maker of Knives). [State Historical Society of Missouri Art Collection, <a href=https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/art/id/477/ >1958.0007c1</a>]")
When French explorer Robert La Salle passed by the mouth of the Missouri River in 1682, he wrote that on its banks…
![Louis Monsees seated on one of his Missouri mules. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Melvin Bradley Papers, C3026]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Louis_Monsees.jpg?h=36a221a1&itok=wqrk3W1a "Louis Monsees seated on one of his Missouri mules. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Melvin Bradley Papers, C3026]")
Louis M. Monsees, a livestock breeder, is recognized for his contributions to the breeding…
![Walthall Moore Sr. [Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1929–1930]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2023-10/1.-walthall-moore-sr.jpg?h=50d821bc&itok=bmMSf1Gl "Walthall Moore Sr. [Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1929–1930]")
Walthall Moore Sr. was born on May 1, 1886, in Marion, Alabama, the son of John and Sarah…
![Morrow’s Station. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Morrow and Skaggs Families Papers, R1520]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2025-01/1.-morrows-station.jpg?h=f58e211d&itok=EHHoTkhZ "Morrow’s Station. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Morrow and Skaggs Families Papers, R1520]")
In 1932, George B. Morrow, a merchant and farmer from Iberia, Missouri, purchased three and a half acres of land at…
![Luella St. Clair Moss. [The College Widow, Christian College, 1918]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-Luella-St.-Clair-Moss.jpg?h=c9bfe508&itok=3dlVYFIq "Luella St. Clair Moss. [The College Widow, Christian College, 1918]")
Luella St. Clair Moss, an educator and community activist, was born in Virden, Illinois, to…
![Friedrich Muench. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Warren County Photograph Collection (P1141), 014066]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-Friedrich-Muench.jpg?h=edea59cd&itok=6vvFtQ7G "Friedrich Muench. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Warren County Photograph Collection (P1141), 014066]")
Friedrich Muench was born on June 25, 1799, the son of a Lutheran pastor in Niedergemuenden in the German…
![John Mullanphy. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3 (1899)]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-John_Mullanphy.jpg?h=5986835a&itok=Fo6mCsCS "John Mullanphy. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3 (1899)]")
John Mullanphy, a merchant and philanthropist, was born in 1758 in northern Ireland near…
![Carry Nation. [Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-05640]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-Carry-Nation.jpg?h=1ca7a6de&itok=1hVmh7KW "Carry Nation. [Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-05640]")
Carry Amelia Moore Nation, an internationally known temperance crusader, was born on…
![William Rockhill Nelson. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Missouri Press Portraits Collection, P1196-014545]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-William-Rockhill-Nelson.jpg?h=8a606310&itok=rezhFlPS "William Rockhill Nelson. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Missouri Press Portraits Collection, P1196-014545]")
Of British, Quaker, and Huguenot heritage, William Rockhill Nelson was born five miles west…
![The Nelson Hotel, formerly known as Nelson Tavern, in Lebanon, Missouri. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-02/1.-nelsons-dream-village.jpg?itok=bNCVuc4O "The Nelson Hotel, formerly known as Nelson Tavern, in Lebanon, Missouri. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]")
At the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 5 in Lebanon, Nelson’s Dream Village was one of the finest…
![Howard Nemerov. [Washington University Libraries, Special Collections, Howard Nemerov Papers]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Howard_Nemerov.jpg?h=17b87167&itok=5aRtdbee "Howard Nemerov. [Washington University Libraries, Special Collections, Howard Nemerov Papers]")
Howard Nemerov was born on February 29, 1920, in New York City, and died on July 5, 1991,…
During the early hours of December 16, 1811, a series of violent shakes roused inhabitants of the mid-Mississippi…
![This map shows the layout of the small village of Newtonia as it existed during the Civil War. [Courtesy of Larry Wood]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-First-Battle-of-Newtonia.jpg?h=98386c46&itok=8rip4ZYY "This map shows the layout of the small village of Newtonia as it existed during the Civil War. [Courtesy of Larry Wood]")
During the early months of the Civil War, the Missouri State Guard and the Confederate Army combined to win…
![A map of the battlefield at Newtonia on October 28, 1864. [State Historical Society of Missouri Map Collection, 850 P9311]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2024-05/1.-second-battle-of-newtonia.jpg?h=b8936874&itok=blJfH5Ye "A map of the battlefield at Newtonia on October 28, 1864. [State Historical Society of Missouri Map Collection, 850 P9311]")
From the time Confederate forces were driven out of Missouri in early 1862, General …
![Frank O’Hare as a young man. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-09/1.%20Francis%20Peter%20OHare.jpg?h=4f4df08b&itok=VCeFjcgi "Frank O’Hare as a young man. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]")
Francis Peter “Frank” O’Hare was born in New Hampton, Iowa, on April 23, 1877, to Peter…
![Jack Oakie. [University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, JWS25751]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-06/1.%20Jack%20Oakie_0.jpg?h=f008bb98&itok=7RltpLAI "Jack Oakie. [University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, JWS25751]")
Jack Oakie was long considered one of the screen’s most notorious scene-stealers. He had a…
![Oasis Night Club. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Newspaper Collection, Joplin News Herald, November 29, 1937]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-06/1.-oasis_joplin_news_herald_1937_11_29_11.jpg?itok=hQ5jL3oG "Oasis Night Club. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Newspaper Collection, Joplin News Herald, November 29, 1937]")
The Oasis Night Club in Central City, Missouri, was one of the last businesses westbound travelers on Route…
![Mo-Hon-Go (Sacred Sun), an Osage woman, and her child. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Image Collection, 021180]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Osage-woman-and-child.jpg?h=238c05a8&itok=9oO6EF7v "Mo-Hon-Go (Sacred Sun), an Osage woman, and her child. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Image Collection, 021180]")
![Henry Clemens Overstolz. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis (New York: Southern History Co., 1899)]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Henry-Clemens-Overstolz.jpg?h=e0a3fa4b&itok=G14kmhh1 "Henry Clemens Overstolz. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis (New York: Southern History Co., 1899)]")
Henry Clemens Overstolz was a St. Louis businessman and politician. He was born on July 7,…
![Jim Owen promoting the Branson Silver Cornet Band, one of his many enterprises. [Courtesy of Trenton Thompson/Findagrave.com]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-03/1-James-Owen.jpg?h=e01d5501&itok=gFy5vygh "Jim Owen promoting the Branson Silver Cornet Band, one of his many enterprises. [Courtesy of Trenton Thompson/Findagrave.com]")
James M. Owen, a young advertising and insurance professional in Jefferson City, left mid-…
![Luella Agnes Owen, circa 1880s. Colorized photograph by Uhlman Photographers, St. Joseph. [Courtesy of the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., object no. P2013.003.00020]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2025-05/1.-luella-owen.jpg?h=e69abb05&itok=3VIUiavE "Luella Agnes Owen, circa 1880s. Colorized photograph by Uhlman Photographers, St. Joseph. [Courtesy of the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., object no. P2013.003.00020]")
Luella Agnes Owen was a female pioneer in the fields of speleology, geography, and geology. She viewed these…
![Benjamin O’Fallon. [Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.81.33]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/OFallon_Benjamin.jpg?h=096e177c&itok=8fFddcEx "Benjamin O’Fallon. [Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.81.33]")
Prominent in Missouri as an Indian agent and advocate of the American fur-trade interests…
![John O’Fallon. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/OFallon_John.jpg?h=4b482cab&itok=yHEjO0-m "John O’Fallon. [William Hyde and Howard L. Conard, eds., Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis, vol. 3]")
John O’Fallon, a St. Louis merchant, banker, and philanthropist, was widely praised after…
![The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri. [Courtesy of Dorene Stiles and Noel Centennial, 1887–1987]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-01/1.-ojoe-club.jpg?itok=-TEcfm4d "The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri. [Courtesy of Dorene Stiles and Noel Centennial, 1887–1987]")
The O’Joe Club in Noel, Missouri, was one of the first commercial resorts in the Ozarks. Although it was not…
![Geraldine Page and Rip Torn on stage in Strange Interlude. [New York Public Library Digital Collections, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Friedman-Abeles Photograph Collection, #5026079]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2020-07/Geraldine-Page-and-Rip-Torn.jpg?h=58818689&itok=x7bZnVuc "Geraldine Page and Rip Torn on stage in Strange Interlude. [New York Public Library Digital Collections, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Friedman-Abeles Photograph Collection, #5026079]")
Geraldine Page was born in Kirksville, Missouri, on November 22, 1924, to Leon Elwin Page,…