March 12th This Day in Missouri

On March 12, the following notable historical events related to Missouri occurred:

• 1806: St. Louis, a hub for Missouri’s early trade, saw spring preparations for fur trading with Native American tribes, though no specific event is recorded.
• 1856: In “Bleeding Kansas,” Missouri’s “Border Ruffians” continued violent raids on Kansas anti-slavery settlers, driving territorial conflict as spring progressed.
• 1861: In St. Louis, Union General Henry W. Halleck strengthened federal defenses, while Confederate guerrillas in rural Missouri geared up for spring attacks, fueling divisions.
• 1864: Confederate General Sterling Price’s Missouri forces in Arkansas prepared for spring operations, with Missouri itself seeing little Confederate activity under Union control.
• 1888: Southeast Missouri’s Missouri Pacific Railroad lines, serving Cape Girardeau, supported economic growth, with mid-March marking increased agricultural shipments.
• 1929: Missouri’s Kansas City and St. Louis struggled with Great Depression unemployment, while spring public works projects aimed to create jobs.
• 1941: Post-Pearl Harbor, Missouri’s industrial cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, boosted wartime manufacturing, with mid-March recruitment targeting defense workers.