Missouri is named after the Indian tribe, meaning “town of the large canoes.” in 1803, Missouri was turned over to the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase from France. It became the 24th state to join the Union on August 10, 1812.
Missouri is the nation’s top producer of lead, accounting for 90% of the supply. Galena, the source of lead ore, is Missouris’ official mineral.
Missouri’s land area is 68,886 square miles and comprises 114 counties and 1 independent city, St. Louis. Jefferson City is the state capital.
The 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. He served from 1945 to 1953.
Missouri’s official dinosaur is the Hypsibema missouriense, a duck-billed herbivore whose fossils were discovered in Bollinger County in 1942.
