On May 1, the following notable historical events related to Missouri occurred:

• 1806: St. Louis traders launched peak spring fur trade expeditions with Native American tribes like the Osage, driving Missouri’s early economy, though no specific event is noted.
• 1856: Missouri’s pro-slavery “Border Ruffians” escalated raids into Kansas during “Bleeding Kansas,” clashing with anti-slavery settlers to shape the territory’s slavery future.
• 1861: Union General Henry W. Halleck, based in St. Louis, reinforced federal control, while Confederate guerrillas in rural Missouri intensified spring raids, fueling Civil War divides.
• 1864: Confederate General Sterling Price’s Missouri units in Arkansas planned spring campaigns, with Missouri under Union control and minimal Confederate activity.
• 1888: The Missouri Pacific Railroad’s southeast Missouri network, linking Cape Girardeau to markets, boosted commerce, with May freight traffic surging.
• 1929: The Great Depression deepened Missouri’s economic crisis, with Kansas City and St. Louis facing unemployment, while spring relief programs focused on job creation.
• 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.