Missouri’s history is really unique. St. Louis was founded by the French, and had good relations with the natives. It became part of America through the Louisiana purchase. Americans settled along the Mississippi. Osage war bands attacked the settlements leading to a war, the result was to push the Osage west. (They later joined the confederates). Germans came into the new territory to farm and founded dozens of towns in the Ozark mountains. It means cities like St Louis have large influences from the French, the English and Germans. When it joined the Union it couldn’t decide if it was in the north or south. A new piece of legislation was created to solve this. Missouri remained straddling the line and during the civil war brother really did fight brother in Missouri. Militias joined both sides. Even geographically the state is split in two. The north is flat farmlands, the south is mountainous, filled with rivers and streams. It’s one of the most bio diverse places in North America. It has giant salamanders, bears and wildcats, even a native freshwater jellyfish.