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State of Missouri
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General Information
Constituents often request information about Missouri or require help at a state or local level.
Below is some general information about the State of Missouri.
To find out more about the State of Missouri, visit the Missouri Tourist Bureau:
State Capitol
The first state capitol building in Jefferson City was built in the period of 1823-26 and was destroyed by fire in 1837. A new capitol building had been approved at the time and was completed in 1840. The second capitol was destroyed by fire on Feb. 5, 1911, when a bolt of lightning struck the dome. The present capitol was built in the period of 1913-1917 and stands upon the same spot as its predecessor, high atop a bluff overlooking the Missouri River.
 The structure, covering nearly three acres, is a symmetrical building of the Roman renaissance style, surmounted by a dome of unusual beauty. It stands upon 285 concrete piers which extend to solid rock at depths from 20 to 50 feet. It is 437 feet long by 200 feet wide through the wings. The exterior is of Carthage (Missouri) limestone marble, as are the floors of all the corridors, the rotundas and the treads of the stairways. There are 134 columns in the building – one fourth of the stone used in the entire structure.
The grand stairway is one of the capitol's outstanding features. It is 30 feet wide and extends from the front portico to the third floor. It is more than 65 feet from the wall on one side of the stairway to the wall on the other side. At the entrance is a mammoth bronze front door, 13 feet by 18 feet.
Atop the lantern of the capitol dome, 260 feet above the ground, is a classic bronze figure of Ceres, goddess of grain, chosen to symbolize the state's great agricultural heritage.
Inside the building, the view of the dome from the first floor rotunda is magnificent. A huge bronze chandelier, weighing 9,000 pounds, hangs from the dome's eye, 171 feet above. The paintings of Frank Brangwyn on the eye, panels and pendentive of the dome are clearly visible from the ground floor. Artwork throughout the building dramatically depicts scenes of Missouri's history, countryside and people. Especially famous are murals by artist Thomas Hart Benton in the House Lounge. The Missouri State Museum on the ground floor is another popular feature.
Free guided tours are given seven days a week during normal working hours, except Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Easter and Thanksgiving.
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State Flower
 The 52nd General Assembly of Missouri approved on March 16, 1923, the blossom of the hawthorn "crataegus" as the official floral emblem of the State of Missouri. The law reads: "The hawthorn, the blossom of the tree commonly called the "red haw" or "wild haw" and scientifically designated as "crataegus," is hereby declared to be the official floral emblem of Missouri, and it shall be the duty of the state boards of agriculture and horticulture to recognize it as such and encourage the cultivation of said tree on account of the beauty of the flower, fruit and foliage." The hawthorn is a member of the great rose family, closely resembling the apple group. Its clusters of white blossoms, with much of the appearance of apple blossoms, burst forth in profusion in April and May.
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State Bird
| The bluebird is a native of Missouri and was made the official bird of the state by the 54th General Assembly by an act approved March 30, 1927. The law is as follows: "An official bird is hereby selected for the State of Missouri, the same to be the native bluebird (sialia sialis) and that said bluebird shall hereafter be known as the official state bird of the State of Missouri." |
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State Motto
Missouri's motto, "Salus populi suprema lex esto," translated from the Latin, becomes "let the good (or welfare) of the people be the supreme law." It is derived from Cicero's "De Legibus."
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State Tree
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The Sixty-eighth General Assembly made the flowering dogwood Missouri's official state tree in 1955. The dogwood, in full flower in rocky open woods, bluffs and thickets, draws many travelers to the Ozarks in the spring of each year. The approximate blooming date for dogwood is May 1. |
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State Fossil
| The crinoid became the state's official fossil in 1989. It is a mineralization of an animal which, because of its plant-like appearance, was called the "sea lily." Related to the starfish, the ocean dwelling crinoid lived in the waters which covered Missouri more than 250 million years ago. |
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State Insect
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The "honey bee," scientifically designated as apis mellifera, was chosen as the official state insect by the 83rd General Assembly in 1985. The production of honey and beeswax is a growing part of Missouri's agricultural economy. Honey bees also are valued for their vital role in pollinating many of the state's agricultural crops. |
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State Song
By an act of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly, approved on June 30, 1949, the "Missouri Waltz," arranged by Frederick Logan from a melody by John Valentine Eppel with lyrics by J.R. Shannon, became the official state song of Missouri.
Click to hear a MIDI file of the
MIssouri Waltz |
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State Nickname
Missouri has had many nicknames through the years, but the one most widely known is the "Show Me State." No one knows exactly when or where the expression originated. Much of the credit for popularizing the term, however, goes to Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver of Cape Girardeau County.
Vandiver – a scholar, writer and lecturer who served as a U.S. Representative from 1897 to 1905 – used the expression during an 1899 speech in Philadelphia. Vandiver bore a strong facial resemblance to another famous Missourian, Mark Twain, and was noted as a colorful orator. Speaking to Philadelphia's Five O'Clock Club, he questioned the accuracy of an earlier speaker's remarks, concluding with the phrase, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me." The expression soon caught the public fancy, portraying Missourians as tough-minded demanders of proof.
Some have suggested other origins for the phrase. About 1897, one version goes, hundreds of free railroad passes were issued to people connected with the Missouri legislature. The conductor, when told that passengers on the train had passes, would insist, "You've got to show me."
Another version dates to 1898, shortly after the start of the Spanish-American War. About 60,000 soldiers were stationed in Chickamauga Park in Tennessee. Gate guards were from St. Louis and soldiers were told that anyone claiming to have passes to town would be stopped at the gates, for the guards were from Missouri and had to be shown. The "Show Me" expression also appears in songs and poems published in the late 1890s.
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