On May 2, the following notable historical events related to Missouri occurred:

• 1806: St. Louis, a Missouri trade hub, saw active spring fur trading with Native American tribes, though no specific event is documented.
• 1856: In “Bleeding Kansas,” Missouri’s “Border Ruffians” continued violent raids on Kansas anti-slavery settlers, escalating territorial conflict in early May.
• 1861: Union General Henry W. Halleck in St. Louis fortified federal defenses, while rural Confederate guerrillas launched spring attacks, deepening Missouri’s Civil War tensions.
• 1864: Confederate General Sterling Price’s Missouri forces in Arkansas prepared for spring operations, with Missouri itself under Union control and minimal Confederate action.
• 1888: Southeast Missouri’s Missouri Pacific Railroad, serving Cape Girardeau, drove economic growth, with early May marking increased agricultural shipments.
• 1929: Missouri’s Kansas City and St. Louis struggled with Great Depression job losses, while spring public works projects aimed to provide temporary employment.
• 1941: Missouri’s St. Louis and Kansas City boosted wartime manufacturing, with early May recruitment focusing on military production roles.