It seems like Almost Yesterday that the circus came to De Soto, Missouri. In the days before television, color movies, and modern entertainment options, a high light for every community was when “the circus” came to town. Colorful costumes, trapeze artists, beautiful ladies, wild animals, and entertaining clowns — provided an escape from the hard work and isolation of rural and small town America. The Al G. Barnes wild animal shows regularly stopped in De Soto, Missouri and moved up St. Louis

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a new musical sound came up the Mississippi from the south. It moved north with the orchestras of the river excursion boats. Thus, Cape Girardeau was among the first communities in the nation to receive this new music. Almost all large cities on the inland waterways had excursion boats that remained in the community from Memorial Day in May to Labor Day in September. During the day the boats would take special excursions or picnic tours, followed by night time

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the movie, “The Gangs of New York” shocked American audiences with its graphic portrayal of New York City in the middle of the nineteenth century. Martin Scorsese’s 2002 production is a shockingly violent account of the gangland struggle for the territorial control of lower Manhattan. The film grossed over two hundred million dollars and won a number of significant awards for direction, acting and music. Ticket sales were helped by the publicity surrounding

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the territory Americans know as Texas began – from its origins in Southeast Missouri. In 1796 a young man from Connecticut left his home and moved west in response to stories of vast quantities of lead in the Missouri country. With a large land grant from the Spanish government, Moses Austin initiated the Missouri lead industry and established a number of mining communities with essential roads, bridges, stores, mills, and labor. The geographic center of this

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Roberts, Johnson and Rand Shoe Company of St. Louis opened a manufacturing plant in Cape Girardeau . The date was September 9, 1907 and this proved to be a significant development in the economic growth of the city. In 1900 Cape Girardeau was a small community of fewer than 5000 residents. But it was eager to grow. In 1904 a railroad connected Cape to St. Louis, enabling residents to visit the World’s Fair and bringing frequent visitors from St. Louis.

It seems like almost yesterday that “the Father of American Physical culture” was born. He was the predecessor of Charles Atlas and a number of individuals who emphasized body building and nutrition as the keys to long and healthy life. Bernarr Macfadden was born on August 16, 1868 in the small community of Mill Spring, in Wayne County, Missouri. A weak and sickly child, he was orphaned at age eleven and sent to live with another Wayne County farm family where he found that hard work and good

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the mechanical hobby horse came into existence. U. S. patent number 1,863,012 was filed on February 21, 1931 by J. Otto Hahs of Sikeston , Missouri. The mechanical horse was designed to serve as entertainment for children. The attractively designed pony was operated by electricity and set in motion with the insertion of a coin in a slot on the horse’s neck. There were four drive wheels in the base on which the horse stood, each providing a different speed for

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Andrew Conway Ivy was one of the most well-known and celebrated physicians in the world. Born and raised in Farmington, Missouri, Dr. Ivy graduated from Southeast Missouri State Normal School in 1913, where his father, Henry Ivy, was a member of the science faculty. An excellent student, Andrew Ivy went on to the University of Chicago and in 1918 received his medical degree. From 1926 to 1945 Dr. Ivy served as Chairman of the Division of Physiology and

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Warren Eastman Hearnes became governor of Missouri. Born in Moline, Illinois, on July 24, 1923, Hearnes grew up in Charleston, Missouri, the county seat of Mississippi County, a place he called home for the remainder of his life. While in high school he determined that he wanted to attend West Point in pursuit of a military career. The desired appointment was received and he graduated from the academy in the class of 1946. In 1947, Hearnes married his high

It seems like Almost Yesterday when the community of Greenville, Missouri experienced a disastrous flood. The event was the most extensive flood in the history of the small town on the St. Francis River, and caused such destruction that it permanently altered the region. The flood was precipitated by a persistent rain that fell for nearly one week, followed by a heavy downpour on the night of August 19. By Friday morning, August 20, the St. Francis was rising at the rate of twelve inches per