Whether you’re traveling by road, by printed page, or by imagination; whether you are a lifelong native or visiting for a week, we invite you to explore 100 Missouri landmarks that illuminate the one-of-a-kind story of the Show Me State.
Bootheel… “wind engines”… the Mother Road… chess… “Shoe Street
USA”… show caves… Flight Cage… “America’s Haven of Health”… mi-
metic architecture... meatpacking… the CCC... Honey War… Meskers…
the golden age of motoring... iron horses… concretes… Negro League
baseball… viticulture… “Iron Curtain”… Pony Express… Bintz pools…
ham houses… “Mound City”… World’s Fairs… keeling… “Little Giant
of the Ozark”… round barns... atmospheric theaters... barbecue… This
book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.
The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn
the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that
make Missouri uniquely Missouri. How did Route 66 get its name?
Solved. What was the first building the State of Missouri ever spent
money to preserve? A mystery no more. What caused so many Ger-
mans to come to the Missouri Rhineland? Identified. Where was the
first railroad bridge across the Missouri River? Revealed.
It is a story only Missouri can call its own. A story told in 100 landmarks. Almost all the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, fire up the GPS and see the story of the Show Me State standing in plain sight on Missouri streets!