the State Historical Society of Missouri
![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…
![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-…
![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…
![Pippin Place. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2025-08/1.-pippin-place.jpg?h=e4d128fe&itok=_doFS-wE "Pippin Place. [State Historical Society of Missouri, John F. Bradbury Jr. Postcard Collection, R1551]")
Pippin Place was a legendary Gasconade River resort in the Missouri Ozarks. With the spread of railroads…
![Bernard Pratte. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N46666]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Bernard-Pratte.jpg?h=e60c9bd5&itok=y0XzssIr "Bernard Pratte. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N46666]")
Bernard Pratte’s father, Jean Baptiste, settled first on the east bank of the Mississippi.…
![Red’s Giant Hamburg sometime after it closed in December 1984. [State Historical Society of Missouri, David Eslick Photograph Collection, SP0088, 1976-2001]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2024-03/1.-reds-giant-hamburg.jpg?h=cb1fa88b&itok=MzxABlva "Red’s Giant Hamburg sometime after it closed in December 1984. [State Historical Society of Missouri, David Eslick Photograph Collection, SP0088, 1976-2001]")
The original Red’s Giant Hamburg on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, was a legendary roadside spot for…
![Joseph Robidoux. [State Historical Society of Missouri Image Collections]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2021-09/1-Joseph_Robidoux.jpg?h=8367ab58&itok=FkZ-VAhs "Joseph Robidoux. [State Historical Society of Missouri Image Collections]")
Joseph Robidoux III, the eldest son of a large family, was born in St. Louis on August 10,…
![John S. Sappington. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Thomas Easterly Daguerrotypes Collection, Photographs and Prints Collection, N17356]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2022-06/1.%20John%20Sappington.jpg?h=ef00ba2b&itok=ARTN3m13 "John S. Sappington. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Thomas Easterly Daguerrotypes Collection, Photographs and Prints Collection, N17356]")
![Mathias Splitlog (Dyut-Ru-Tu-Re), Washington, DC, 1896. [Smithsonian Institution, NAA.PhotoLot.176, Item BAE GN 00976A, photo by William Dinwiddie]](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/2026-04/1.%20Mathias%20Splitlog.jpg?h=ab7009da&itok=bgQTiSF4 "Mathias Splitlog (Dyut-Ru-Tu-Re), Washington, DC, 1896. [Smithsonian Institution, NAA.PhotoLot.176, Item BAE GN 00976A, photo by William Dinwiddie]")
The life of Mathias Splitlog is a classic story of a man who went from rags to riches. The son of a French…