Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821. Here is its history in one place: 67 historic sites you can visit (30 free), 36 National Historic Landmarks, 41 historic tours and trails, 31 history events and a 61-event timeline, each checked against an official page.
Header photo: The Gateway Arch, completed on October 28, 1965, rises over downtown St. Louis on the city’s original site. Credit: National Park Service (NPGallery), via Wikimedia Commons.
- 182124th state (Aug 10, 1821)
- 67historic sites to visit
- 36National Historic Landmarks
- 41tours and trails
- Missouri history by era
- Historic sites by region
- Tours and trails
- History events
- Markers, archives, America 250
Missouri was the Gateway to the West, where Lewis and Clark set out from St. Charles in 1804 and seven National Historic Trails cross, with French colonial roots at Ste. Genevieve, the westernmost battle of the Revolution at St. Louis in 1780, and the Dred Scott freedom suit that began at the St. Louis Old Courthouse.
Missouri history by era
The short version, era by era. Every date is on the full 61-event timeline with its source.
- over 10,000 years ago: Clovis-culture hunters left a stone point among mastodon bones at the Kimmswick Bone Bed, the first eastern North American site to show people and mastodons coexisted.
- A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1400: Mississippian peoples built a fortified village and civic-ceremonial mound center at Towosahgy.
- by 1750: Ste. Genevieve, the first permanent European settlement in Missouri, was established by French Canadian settlers drawn to Le Grand Champ.
- February 15, 1764: Pierre Laclede Liguest, his stepson Auguste Chouteau and other fur traders founded St. Louis.
- May 26, 1780: Spanish soldiers and local militia defended St. Louis at Fort San Carlos against a British-led attack, the westernmost battle of the Revolutionary War.
- April 30, 1803: The Louisiana Purchase between France and the United States was signed, doubling the size of the country and including present-day Missouri.
- May 21, 1804: William Clark, Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery set out from St. Charles.
- March 6, 1820: The Missouri Compromise and Missouri’s Enabling Act were signed, letting Missouri enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
- August 10, 1821: President James Monroe proclaimed Missouri the 24th state; the capital sat in St. Charles until a permanent site was chosen.
- September 1821: William Becknell opened the Santa Fe Trail to wagon trade, making it a commercial highway.
- April 6, 1846: Dred and Harriet Scott, an enslaved couple, sued for their freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court.
- August 10, 1861: The Battle of Wilson’s Creek ended in a Union defeat that left southwestern Missouri in Confederate hands.
- October 29, 1862: At Island Mound, the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers fought pro-Confederate guerrillas, the first time Black soldiers saw combat in the Civil War.
- January 11, 1865: Missouri’s Constitutional Convention abolished slavery in the state, three weeks before Congress proposed the 13th Amendment.
- September 17, 1866: Lincoln Institute, founded by Black Civil War soldiers of the 62nd and 65th U.S. Colored Infantry, received its first students.
- April 1869: Big Mound, a Mississippian earthwork that gave St. Louis the nickname ‘Mound City,’ was destroyed for railroad development.
- July 4, 1874: The Eads Bridge opened across the Mississippi at St. Louis.
- September 18, 1899: The copyright for Scott Joplin’s ‘Maple Leaf Rag,’ published in Sedalia, was registered.
- April 30, 1904: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair) opened; the city also hosted the first Olympic Games held in the United States.
- 1920: Andrew ‘Rube’ Foster established the Negro National League at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City.
- November 11, 1926: President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Liberty Memorial before more than 150,000 people.
- December 12, 1938: In Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Lloyd Gaines should be admitted to the University of Missouri law school absent an equal school for Black students.
- April 12, 1945: Harry S Truman of Independence became President on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- May 3, 1948: In Shelley v. Kraemer, a St. Louis case, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 14th Amendment barred courts from enforcing racially restrictive housing covenants.
- October 28, 1965: The Gateway Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen, was completed on the original site of St. Louis.
- August 9, 2014: The death of Michael Brown, 18, shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, drew national protests.
- November 11, 2026: The Liberty Memorial marks 100 years since its dedication; the National WWI Museum and Memorial holds a Centennial Veterans Day Weekend on Nov. 6-9 and Nov. 11, 2026, with a free public ceremony on the grounds.
Historic sites to visit, by region
The highlights in each region. Hours, admission and every site are on historic sites in Missouri.
Historic tours and trails
41 ways to see Missouri history on foot, by car or with a ranger. All of them: historic tours in Missouri.
| Tour or trail | Where | Price | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (Missouri segment) | Missouri River corridor from St. Charles westward | Free | Year-round |
| Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area | 41 counties in western Missouri and eastern Kansas | Free | Year-round |
| U.S. Civil Rights Trail – Missouri sites | Kansas City, Independence, St. Louis | Varies by site | Year-round |
| Katy Trail State Park | Clinton to Machens (Missouri River valley) | Free | Year-round |
| Truman Home guided tour | Independence | Free (same-day ticket required) | Wed-Sun; tickets at 223 N. Main St. visitor center |
| Ste. Genevieve French colonial house tours | Ste. Genevieve | Free (same-day reservation at Welcome Center, 66 S. Main St.) | Daily; check Welcome Center |
| Gateway Arch Tram Ride to the Top | St. Louis | From $15 (tram), adults 16+; from $11 ages 3-15; prices vary by date | Daily; last tram one hour before closing |
| Missouri State Capitol guided tours | Jefferson City | Free | Year-round; see tour times |
History events coming up
Reenactments, living history and candlelight tours with dates the organizers have posted. All 31: history events in Missouri.
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Heritage Day | Ste. Genevieve | Oct 24, 2026 |
| Centennial Veterans Day Weekend (Liberty Memorial 100th anniversary) | Kansas City | Nov 6, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 |
| Fiber arts classes at Felix Vallé House (rug hooking, needle felting, crochet, knitting, embroidery) | Ste. Genevieve | Nov 8, 2026 to Mar 14, 2027 |
| Basket weaving class: Spice Cabinet Pullout | St. Charles | Nov 14, 2026 to Nov 15, 2026 |
| Victorian Christmas Crafts at Watkins Woolen Mill | Lawson | Nov 14, 2026 |
| Toddler Thursday: Indigenous Americans | Imperial | Nov 19, 2026 |
| Saint Charles Christmas Traditions | St. Charles | Nov 27, 2026 to Dec 24, 2026 |
| 1880 Visit with Saint Nicholas | Kansas City (Hodge Park) | Nov 28, 2026 |
Historical markers, archives and America 250
| Program | Run by | What it is | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri roadside historical markers (SHSMO marker program) | State Historical Society of Missouri | Ten-year program begun in 1951 to place two-sided markers in highway turnouts and roadside parks; every county and the City of St. Louis got at least one. Inscriptions reprinted in the SHSMO book ‘Marking Missouri History’. No official searchable online database found. (121 two-sided markers) | Official page |
| National Register of Historic Places in Missouri (listings by county and Map of Historic Resources) | Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (Missouri State Parks, DNR) | Downloadable National Register nominations for every county and St. Louis City, plus an ArcGIS Map of Historic Resources searchable by address (https://modnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e3a6d822d215486ba20aadb6badd7174). (More than 2,500 listings representing over 48,000 individual resources) | Official page |
| Missouri State Historic Sites (state park system) | Missouri State Parks, Missouri Department of Natural Resources | State system of parks and historic sites; admission is free (funded by the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax) with fees at some museums/tours. (57 state parks and 36 historic sites) | Official page |
| Missouri State Archives | Missouri Secretary of State | State government records and Missouri history resources, including the online six-part Timeline of Missouri History (1673-present) at https://sos.mo.gov/archives/history/timeline/1. | Official page |
| State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) | State Historical Society of Missouri | Research centers in Columbia (Center for Missouri Studies), Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis; reference library, manuscripts, art, maps. (Reference collection of more than 165,000 items) | Official page |
| Missouri Encyclopedia | State Historical Society of Missouri | Free online encyclopedia of Missouri history and culture (people, places, events, organizations). | Official page |
| America 250 Missouri Commission (Show Me 250) | America 250 Missouri Commission (chaired by the Governor or designee) | Plans and promotes Missouri’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; Educate/Engage/Celebrate initiatives; events by county. | Official page |
| America 250 Missouri events by county | America 250 Missouri Commission | County map event finder. | Official page |
| Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area | Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area | Congressionally designated heritage area on struggles for freedom along the Missouri-Kansas border. (41 counties (Missouri and Kansas)) | Official page |
| Missouri Digital Heritage | Missouri Secretary of State (State Archives and State Library) with partner institutions | Online access to digitized records of the State Archives, State Library and institutions statewide. (More than 9 million records) | Official page |
National Historic Landmarks
Missouri has 36 National Historic Landmarks on the National Park Service list. See every Missouri National Historic Landmark by region, with which ones you can visit.
Frequently asked questions
When did Missouri become a state?
Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821, when President James Monroe proclaimed its admission. St. Charles served as the first state capital until the government moved permanently to Jefferson City on October 1, 1826 (source: Missouri State Archives: Timeline of Missouri History, 1821-1860).
Are there free historic sites in Missouri?
Yes. Admission to all Missouri state parks and historic sites is free, paid for by the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax, though some charge for museum access or tours. All 36 state historic sites on our list are free to enter; where a tour or museum fee applies, it is $4 to $7 for adults (source: Missouri DNR news release, May 18, 2026).
What is the oldest town in Missouri?
Ste. Genevieve is the oldest. French Canadian settlers drawn to the rich farmland called le Grand Champ (the Big Field) established it by 1750, the first permanent European settlement in Missouri. After the flood of 1785 the town moved about three miles northwest to higher ground (source: NPS: Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park).
Was there a Revolutionary War battle in Missouri?
Yes. On May 26, 1780, residents and Spanish officials defended St. Louis against a British-led attack, centered on Fort San Carlos, a small stone tower near today’s Fourth and Walnut streets. The National Park Service calls it the westernmost battle of the Revolutionary War (source: NPS: The Battle of St. Louis).
Where did Lewis and Clark start in Missouri?
William Clark, Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery set out from St. Charles on May 21, 1804. St. Charles had begun as a trading post established by Louis Blanchette in 1769, five years after St. Louis was founded (source: Missouri State Archives: Timeline of Missouri History, 1673-1820).
Where was the Dred Scott case tried?
At the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, two blocks west of the Gateway Arch. The first two trials of the Dred Scott case were held there in 1847 and 1850. Construction began in 1839, and the building reopened after extensive renovations on May 3, 2025 (source: NPS: Gateway Arch National Park – History & Culture).
Last checked October 20, 2026 by the It’s Missouri editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.
Sources
- Missouri State Archives: Timeline of Missouri History, 1821-1860
- National Park Service: places in Missouri
- National Park Service: National Historic Landmarks program
- Missouri State Parks – Mastodon State Historic Site history
- Missouri State Parks – Graham Cave State Park
- Missouri State Parks – Towosahgy State Historic Site
- Missouri State Parks – Iliniwek Village State Historic Site
- Missouri State Archives – Timeline of Missouri History: 1673-1820
- Missouri roadside historical markers (SHSMO marker program)
- National Register of Historic Places in Missouri (listings by county and Map of Historic Resources)
- Missouri State Historic Sites (state park system)
- Missouri State Archives
- State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO)
- Missouri Encyclopedia
- America 250 Missouri Commission (Show Me 250)
- America 250 Missouri events by county
- Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area
- Missouri Digital Heritage
Cite this page: It's Missouri, “Missouri History: Historic Sites, Landmarks, Tours and Timeline”, itsmissouri.com/history/ (updated ). By the It's Missouri editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.