Almost Yesterday

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Richard Henry Jesse, President of the University of Missouri, strongly urged Cape Girardeau to develop a public high school. On February 14, 1902, President Jesse wrote his good friend Robert B. Oliver that he found it painful to be reminded that Cape Girardeau, “the beautiful city” of southeast Missouri did not have a public high school. He urged Mr. Oliver to help move the city to the development of that essential goal. Cape Girardeau, Saint Charles, and

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 Ken Sisler of Dexter, Mo., received our nation’s highest award for valor: the Congressional Medal of Honor. Lieutenant Sisler was born in Dexter Sept. 19, 1937, graduated from Dexter High School in 1955, attended Arkansas State University, spent five years in the Air Force, and then returned to Arkansas State where he graduated in 1964. In 1963, he won the National Collegiate Skydiving Championship while competing with his leg in a cast. In 1965, Sisler

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 community of Bunker celebrated its centennial history. Founded by Sylvanus J. Bunker in 1907, the small community paid tribute to its founders and its history with a weekend commemoration in June of 2007. Under the slogan, “Come Home to Bunker,” there was the traditional opening ceremony, a parade, beauty pageant, band concert, and a book signing for a new history of the town and region. The book, written by Dean Burns, who was born and raised in Bunker,

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the last of the unplanned and unscheduled steamboat races occurred on the Mississippi. On the evening of September 5, 1923, the steam boat, The Capitol, went out of Cape on a moonlight excursion. The Bald Eagle, one of the oldest river boats, was preparing for a late night departure for St. Louis. At approximately 10:00 P.M., the Bald Eagle pulled out of Cape and headed north. About a mile up river the two ships passed – passengers shouting, and the captains

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 Ronald Reagan came to Sikeston , Missouri to serve as the speaker at the annual banquet of the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce. The year was 1965 and Reagan had only recently emerged as a national political figure following the 1964 Republican National Convention. Reagan brought his emerging appeal to Southeast Missouri where Republicans were beginning to show strength. Here he argued that high taxes, social programs, and governmental regulations were strangling