Missouri

Route 66 is the Main Street of America, heralded in song and popular culture. It took a maze of different routes through St. Louis before slashing diagonally across the Show-Me State through the beauty of the Ozarks. In between, there are classic motels, diners, tourist traps, and gas stations bathed in flashing and whirling neon lights. Natural wonders include crystal-clear streams, majestic bluffs, and wondrous caverns. Roadside marketers concocted legends about Jesse James, painted advertisements on barns, lived with deadly snakes, or offered curios such as pottery and handwoven baskets. That spirit is alive today at the Wagon Wheel and the Munger-Moss, the Mule, Meramec Caverns, and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, just to name a few. Their stories are included here.

For Route 66 to become the most famous highway in history, it had to pass through the "Gateway to the West." St. Louis is the largest city between Chicago and Los Angeles, and "St. Louee" comes first on the list of those that Nat King Cole and many other artists sang out on "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66." The highway took a maze of different routes, including crossing the greatest of rivers on a bridge with a bend right in the middle. The roadside was lined with flashing neon, classic diners and gas stations where attendants provided speedy service. Also, there were classic amusement parks, drive-in theaters, a man selling frozen custard from a building adorned with wooden icicles, and a motel with a racy but beloved reputation.
Joe Sonderman is a St. Louis area radio personality and traffic reporter who has been writing books on Route 66 for 15 years. Since that first work, he has been collecting Route 66 postcards and photographs, some never published before, along with new research on the paths Route 66 took through the area to come up with an entirely new look at Route 66 St. Louis Style .

Founded as a humble trading post along the Mississippi River 250 years ago, St. Louis has since grown into a thriving metropolis. It appears to be a calm city, but like the mighty Mississippi, it has powerful undercurrents. Known as the "Gateway to the West," St. Louis was a port city and home to many manufacturing businesses making everything from shoes to ships. St. Louis, though, is perhaps best known for its breweries and distilleries. St. Louis: Out and About in the Gateway City captures the energy of people bustling along the street, dining out and going to movies, hopping a trolley, swimming, picnicking, clip-clopping along in horse and carriage, ice skating, or driving an automobile. It also touches upon issues of the day that had to be overcome-suffrage, the Great Depression, and civil rights, to name a few-and shows the resilient spirit of the people of St. Louis.

A dazzling portrait of a Midwestern city whose relationships among socio-economics, religion, civil rights, and class are consistently complex. A part of Belt's City Anthology Series.

St. Louis is a fragmented place. It's physically dissected by rivers, highways, walls, and fences, but it's also a place where one's race, class, religion, and zip code may as well be cards in a rigged poker game, where the winners' prize is the ability to ignore the fact that the losers have drastically shorter life expectancies. But it can also be a city of warmth, love, and beauty―especially in its contrasts.

Edited by Ryan Schuessler (Sweeter Voices Still: An LGBTQ Anthology from Middle America), the collection features nearly 70 essays penned by St. Louis writers, journalists, clerics, poets, and activists including Aisha Sultan, Galen Gritts, Vivian Gibson, Maja Sadikovic, Nartana Premachandra, Sophia Benoit, Robert Langellier, Samuel Autman, Umar Lee, and more. Here you'll learn about:

- The rent strike of 1969

- Religious life in Pruitt-Igoe public housing

- Protest art in Ferguson

- Segregation in the Vandeventer neighborhood

- A church closing in Kinloch.

The St. Louis Anthology dares to confront the city's nostalgia and its traumas, celebrating those who have faced both who live complex lives in this city against a backdrop of its red brick, muddy rivers, and sticky summer nights when the symphony of cicadas and jazz is almost loud enough to drown out the gunshots.

A perfect introduction to St. Louis for people who want to learn more about it and a great resource for those people from St. Louis who want to hear stories told by their own neighbors.

At 1,293 acres, Forest Park exceeds the size of New York's Central Park by nearly 500 acres, and within are lakes, hills, wetlands, woodlands, and bountiful recreational opportunities. Within a few decades of its 1876 opening, Forest Park became the host for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, as well as the 1904 Summer Olympics. Known as the Heart of St. Louis, the park features amazing attractions, such as the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, The Muny, and the Saint Louis Science Center. Millions of Americans have come to Forest Park for world-class festivities and for celebrations of heroes, from Lewis and Clark to explorers of outer space. Today, the park continues to host remarkable events, including Fair St. Louis, Earth Day, Shakespeare in the Park, and LouFest.

In the late 19th century, St. Louis--America's fourth-largest city--was a hub of robust commerce and risqué entertainment. It provided an oasis for those who lived "in the shadows." Since 1764, the Gateway to the West's LGBT community has experienced countless struggles and successes, including protests, arrests, murders, celebrations, and parades. St. Louis had its own version of Stonewall in October 1969 and is the hometown of icons such as Tennessee Williams and Josephine Baker. A colorful array of activists, drag queens, leather men, artists, academics, business leaders, and everyday folks have contributed to the rich fabric of the lesbian and gay community in St. Louis.

Branson's wholesome brand of entertainment made it the nation's destination for family fun, but the vacation wonderland can't claim a spotless past. Murder and mischief dogged the town's efforts at respectability from the very beginning. The founder's own brother, Galba Branson, was a prominent member of the notorious vigilante gang the Bald Knobbers. He died in a picnic shootout that originated in a church prank. Branson's transformation into a showbiz mecca brought quarrel and scandal in its wake, from provoked orangutans to wire-tapped dressing rooms. Three comedians and authors—Ed and Karen Underwood and John Pinney—offer this backstage pass to the seamier side of Branson's history.

Hyde Park, located on Westport's outskirts south of early Kansas City, was the first stop on the long trek down the Santa Fe Trail. Good pasture and a natural cave spring were early attributes. During the real estate boom of the 1880s, the area was platted, but the crash of 1888 intervened, and only a few houses were built. By 1900, with the recovery of the economy and the development of Janssen Place as a private street, the area became the preferred community for Kansas City's wealthy. The architectural style is Queen Anne, Prairie School, Neo-Georgian, Colonial Revival, Kansas City Shirtwaist, and Shingle. These homes glitter with original brass fixtures, lead and stained-glass windows, and oak, mahogany, and walnut interiors. Some of Kansas City's most famous and notorious have lived in Hyde Park, from wealthy businessmen and entertainment stars to serial killers.

St. Louis has been a shining beacon on the shores of the Mississippi River for more than 250 years, and many iconic landmarks have come and gone. The city hosted the World's Fair in 1904, with beautiful acres of buildings, gardens and fountains, nearly all of which are lost to time. Famous Busch Stadium now sits on an area that was once a vibrant community for Chinese immigrants. St. Louis Jockey Club was an expansive and popular gathering spot in the late nineteenth century until the state outlawed gambling. The Lion Gas Building was home to a unique mural featuring more than seventy shades of gray in tribute to famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. Author Valerie Battle Kienzle details the fantastic forgotten landmarks of St. Louis.

After undergoing periods of dormancy, neglect, and occasional attempts at revitalization, Springfield's downtown area is currently experiencing a resurgence of change and growth. This appreciation of Springfield's historic architecture is evident in the restoration of once-neglected historic buildings that are now restaurants, businesses, and lofts. This renaissance extends from the public square to what was once North Springfield and beyond.

Columbia's culinary history is chock-full of restaurants that not only satisfied appetites but also provided gathering places to build community. Gentry's Tavern served wild game along the Boonslick Trail. Hungry and broke students could grab a meal on credit from Ralph Morris at the Ever Eat Café during the Depression. During and after World War II, Ambrose's Café required students to give up their seats to men in uniform. Segregation didn't stop Annie Fisher from making her fortune serving her famous beaten biscuits. These stories and more are as rich as the cinnamon rolls served at Breisch's. Join Columbia native Kerri Linder as she shares the stories and memories wrapped around the food of Columbia's iconic restaurants.

The Rooms Where History Happened

Before Jefferson City became the Capital, hotels shaped its story. As the town grew from frontier roots, places like the City Hotel served travelers, lawmakers, and locals for over 80 years.

During each legislative session, hotels and boarding houses—like the one run by the Lansdown sisters—were in high demand. Hotels like the Madison and Monroe House became landmarks of progress, constantly expanding and modernizing.

These spaces weren’t just for sleeping. They hosted teas, dances, civic meetings, and debates that shaped the future of Missouri.

From social events to political movements, hotels were at the center of it all.

Local historian Michelle Brooks checks in to tell the stories behind these historic stays.

Perfect for readers who love small-town history, Missouri heritage, and forgotten local landmarks.

On November 19, 1906, the School of the Ozarks was chartered by the State of Missouri.

The poverty-stricken Ozarks had limited educational opportunities, but when the first students enrolled, the school did not depend on tuition dollars. Instead, each student worked at the school in exchange for an education. Today, the College of the Ozarks is a liberal arts college where students still work for their degrees. The institution is recognized for its emphasis on academics, faith, patriotism, and vocation, and it continues its commitment to the mission “to provide the advantages of a Christian education for youth of both sexes, especially those found worthy, but who are without sufficient means to procure such training.” Located near Branson, Missouri, the campus hosts thousands of visitors each year who enjoy Williams Memorial Chapel; Edwards Mill; and the Keeter Center, modeled after a historic building on the Point Lookout campus. Visitors discover a unique college where generations of students have gained a life-changing education.

Gwen Simmons is the director of Lyons Memorial Library at the College of the Ozarks and an alumna of the institution. Most of the images featured in this book are a part of the college’s archival collections at the library, alumni center, and museum.

By 1833, settlers began arriving in what became Livingston County, Missouri. The first railroad to span the state cut through the county in 1859, and more followed, which led to the founding of new towns along the railways. Residents built successful farms, schools, churches, and businesses. They served their country in the military. Chillicothe was awarded the State Industrial Home for Girls in 1889. Allen Moore founded the Chillicothe Normal School in 1890, choosing Livingston County because of its "progressive spirit." Rosina Dome was the first Livingston County woman to cast a vote. Lulu May Ott was the only female poultry judge in Missouri in 1915. In 1928, in Frank Bench's bakery in Chillicothe, a loaf of bread was commercially sliced and sold for the first time. Life in Livingston County included races, circuses, theatres, train wrecks, sports, and the Great Flood of 1909. Residents still exemplify a forward-thinking spirit. The history of Livingston County is presented here via rich images uncovered by the authors, Kirsten Mouton and Brenda Anderson O'Halloran, from the collections of the Livingston County Library and the Grand River Historical Society Museum, as well as treasured photographs from the private collections of longtime local families. Many of these pictures have never been shared with the public.

George R. Smith borrowed money to buy 337 acres of treeless prairie in 1856, never dreaming the central Missouri town he founded would become the "Queen of the Prairie." He did not foresee his "Sedville," now Sedalia, attracting thousands of tourists through the annual Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival and the Missouri State Fair. Smith did envision another type of visitor--steam engines that streamed through town daily. Smith's passion for the railroad launched Sedalia, and two major railroad shops sustained the city for more than a century. They provided the base for the now flourishing seat of Pettis County. Since Sedalia's official beginning in 1860, countless people have furthered Smith's vision by leaving their distinctive mark on the community. This book celebrates their contributions and shares their stories through more than 225 photographs, many previously unpublished.