May 22nd This Day in Missouri

All day

On May 22, 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 recorded.
  • 1843: The first wagon train departed Independence, Missouri, for Oregon with 700–1,000 migrants, solidifying Missouri’s role as the “Gateway to the West.”
  • 1856: Missouri’s pro-slavery “Border Ruffians” raided Kansas anti-slavery settlers in “Bleeding Kansas,” driving violence as spring campaigns intensified.
  • 1861: Union General Henry W. Halleck in St. Louis fortified federal control, while Confederate guerrillas in rural Missouri launched spring attacks, fueling Civil War strife.
  • 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, linking Cape Girardeau to markets, drove economic growth, with late May freight operations surging.
  • 1939: Kansas City “Boss” Tom Pendergast was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for income tax evasion, marking a shift in Missouri’s political landscape.