Portal:Missouri

The Missouri Portal The Show-Me State

Topics

Culture

Geography

Health

History

Mathematics

Nature

People

Philosophy

Religion

Society

Technology

---

• What are portals?
• List of portals
• Featured portals

William T. Anderson (1839 – October 26, 1864), better known as Bloody Bill, was a pro-Confederate guerrilla leader in the American Civil War. Anderson led a band that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas; he became notorious for the number of people he killed and the brutality of his behavior. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began supporting himself by stealing and reselling horses in 1862. After his father was killed by a Union-loyalist judge, Anderson fled Kansas for Missouri. There, he robbed travelers and killed several Union soldiers. In early 1863, Anderson joined Quantrill's Raiders, a pro-Confederate group of guerrillas that operated in Missouri. He proved to be skilled at guerrilla warfare, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. Anderson's acts as a guerrilla resulted in the imprisonment of his sisters; after one of them died in Union custody, Anderson devoted himself to revenge. He distinguished himself by taking a leading role in the Lawrence Massacre, and later participated in the Battle of Baxter Springs. In late 1863, while Quantrill's Raiders spent the winter in Texas, animosity developed between Anderson and Quantrill. Anderson, perhaps falsely, implicated Quantrill in a murder, leading to the latter's arrest by Confederate authorities. Anderson subsequently returned to Missouri as the leader of a group of raiders and became the most feared guerrilla in the state, killing and robbing dozens of Union soldiers and civilian sympathizers throughout central Missouri. Although Union supporters viewed him as incorrigibly evil, Confederate sympathizers in Missouri saw his actions as justified, possibly owing to their mistreatment by Union forces. In September 1864, he led his guerrillas on a raid of Centralia, Missouri. Unexpectedly, they were able to capture a passenger train, the first time Confederate guerrillas had done so in the war. His men killed two dozen Union soldiers who had been passengers on the train, and later that day, set an ambush in which guerrillas killed more than one hundred Union militiamen. The day's events became known as the Centralia Massacre; in terms of number of lives lost and brutality shown to captives, it was possibly the most decisive guerrilla victory in the war. A month later, Anderson was killed in a battle against Union militia, to the joy of Union loyalists in Missouri. Historians have been mixed in their appraisals of Anderson: some see him as a sadistic, psychopathic killer, but others argue that the conditions in which he found himself are at least partly to blame for his actions. ... that in 1899, Major League Baseball rookie Jimmy Williams (pictured) set a Pittsburgh Pirates team record with his 27-game hitting streak? ... that John Houghtaling created the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, which reached its peak of popularity in the 1960s, earning US$2 million in gross revenue each month, 25 cents at a time? ... that, in early 1941, Johnny Sturm broke into the New York Yankees lineup after two future Baseball Hall of Famers went into slumps? ... that Joseph McCoy, a 19th century cattle baron, is often cited as the inspiration for the phrase "The Real McCoy" because pledged to get Texas ranchers a good price for their Longhorn cattle if they drove them from Texas to Kansas on the Chisholm Trail? ... that entrepreneur Ralph D. Foster and his partner started Missouri radio station KGBX (now KSGF) in 1926 to advertise their Firestone Tires dealership? ... that in 1958, female professional wrestlers Kay Noble, Lorraine Johnson, Penny Banner, and Laura Martinez pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting a riot when they began fighting outside of the ring? Missouri Missouri (i/mᵻˈzʊəri/ or /mᵻˈzʊərə/) is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2009 estimated population of 5,987,580, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city. Missouri's capital is Jefferson City. The four largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia. Missouri was originally acquired from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase and became defined as the Missouri Territory. Part of the Missouri Territory was admitted into the union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. 100px Missouri mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the nation with a mix of urban and rural culture. It has long been considered a political bellwether state. With the exceptions of 1956 and 2008, Missouri's results in U.S. presidential elections have accurately predicted the next President of the United States in every election since 1904. It has both Midwestern and Southern cultural influences, reflecting its history as a border state. It is also a transition between the Eastern and Western United States, as St. Louis is often called the "western-most Eastern city" and Kansas City the "eastern-most Western city." Missouri's geography is highly varied. The northern part of the state lies in dissected till plains while the southern part lies in the Ozark Mountains (a dissected plateau), with the Missouri River dividing the two. The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is located near St. Louis. Read more ... The Missouri Fox Trotter is a horse breed from the state of Missouri in the United States. It was developed in the Ozark Mountains by settlers in the early 19th century, and quickly developed into a gaited breed appreciated for its stock horse abilities, stamina and smooth gaits. It performs an ambling gait known as the "fox trot", a four-beat broken diagonal gait in which the front foot of the diagonal pair lands before the hind, eliminating the moment of suspension and increasing smoothness. The main breed registry was begun in 1948 and as of 2012 registers almost 100,000 horses. A European registry was begun in 1992, and as of 2009 recognizes around 600 Fox Trotters living in Europe. In 2006, a smaller registry, focused on the preservation of the original, historic type, was begun in the United States. The Fox Trotter is a mid-sized, muscular breed, used mainly for trail riding and ranch work. Missouri Fox Trotters are used extensively by trail riders, who appreciate their gaits, stamina and weight-carrying abilities. They are also used in handicapped riding programs, and their smooth gait has proven useful for riders with minor physical disabilities. Crosses between Fox Trotter mares and donkey jacks are often made, creating mules with the fox trot gait that are used to carry hunters and trail riders, especially in the western United States. The US Forest Service also employs Fox Trotters for their speed, stamina and gait, and members of the breed were used to make the first horse-back descent of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. A panorama of St. Louis, Missouri, from East St. Louis, Illinois. Featured articles 2 Featured lists 2 Good articles 2 Featured pictures 2 United States Oklahoma  Kentucky  Illinois  Louisiana  Kansas