March 11th This Day in Missouri

On March 11, the following notable historical events related to Missouri occurred:

• 1806: St. Louis traders prepared for spring fur trade expeditions, a key Missouri economic driver, though no specific event is noted for this date.
• 1856: Missouri’s pro-slavery “Border Ruffians” intensified raids into Kansas during “Bleeding Kansas,” clashing with anti-slavery settlers to control the territory’s slavery future.
• 1861: Union General Henry W. Halleck, based in St. Louis, reinforced federal control, while rural Confederate guerrillas planned spring raids, escalating Missouri’s Civil War tensions.
• 1864: Confederate General Sterling Price’s Missouri units in Arkansas focused on spring campaign planning, with Missouri under Union control and minimal Confederate activity.
• 1888: The Missouri Pacific Railroad’s southeast Missouri network, linking Cape Girardeau to national markets, boosted trade, with mid-March freight operations thriving.
• 1929: The Great Depression deepened Missouri’s economic crisis, with Kansas City and St. Louis facing job losses, while spring relief efforts aimed to provide food and shelter.
• 1941: Missouri’s St. Louis and Kansas City, post-Pearl Harbor, ramped up World War II production, with factories expanding military output and enlistment drives growing.