Missouri is nacho ordinary state when it comes to the cheese industry. From the existence of the massive Springfield underground warehouse serving as dairy storage for Kraft, to the use of Provel that makes St. Louis-style pizza a unique signature dish, there are many interesting facts about cheese in our state. Here’s another bit of trivia that dates back more
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Prior to September 1935, the wells and springs at Excelsior Springs in western Missouri were privately owned and operated. That changed when a nearly $1 million federal Public Works Administration loan and grant enabled the City of Excelsior Springs to purchase the natural resources. A year later, the city had begun construction for the Hall of Waters — an impressive
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Welcome to the unlikely story of how a mistake in the August 1929 issue of this magazine may have helped uncover a priceless piece of Native American artwork. Let’s begin by going back 100 years to St. Joseph. At the time, Harry L. George was one of the town’s prominent citizens. George was a successful textile broker who became well
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In the ’30s, portable film projection technology was still in its early years. This made for a fascinating article in our magazine archives about the technology’s use for safety education in Missouri mines.
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In keeping with this issue’s food theme, what caught my eye from our magazine archives was a story from October 1936. This article detailed the harvesting and processing of sorghum cane into what was nicknamed “long sweetening” — a sugary, amber-colored syrup. Though the author of the article also often referred to it as “molasses,” sorghum syrup is not like
Read moreIf asked to imagine it, you would probably claim you could live without internet for learning and recreation if you had to. At least you would still have books, right? Here’s the clincher: Imagine you had no library access either. That was daily life for the majority of Missourians in 1929, according to a March article in our magazine that
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It is the year 1931, and the Union Electric Co. has just completed the construction of the massive Bagnell Dam on the Osage River. “It stands as a monument to the courage and vision of men, an awe-inspiring engineering triumph, impressive and majestic through its 2543 feet of length,” the June 1931 issue of our magazine marveled. Union Electric, now
Read moreIn 1971, this magazine dedicated the June issue to highlighting economic development efforts happening across Missouri — including an innovative use of primitive computer power. At the time, economic development was already a very competitive field. “The businessman searching the nation for a new plant location or expansion site finds the welcome mat out and doors open everywhere he turns,”
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Earlier this year, the Missouri General Assembly passed a right-to-work bill that was signed into law by Gov. Eric Greitens. The whole process took less than five weeks — lightning speed in legislative terms. However, what seemed like a swift passage actually ended what was likely one of the longest advocacy campaigns in state history. As reported in the archives
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Many of Missouri’s small town centers are filled with old Victorian-style buildings with overhanging cornices and quaint cupola domes. Today, these historic buildings are treasured. But 80 years ago, Missourians regarded them differently — as eyesores. In the mid-1930s, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Better Housing Committee created a statewide campaign with a goal to “Lift the Face
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Missouri Business 