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Since the migration and settlement of Missouri followed the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the eastern border and the northern and central areas have many points of historic interest. When the first French explorers came down the Mississippi in the late 17th century, Missouri was included in the vast territory claimed for the French king and named Louisiana in his honor. The transfer to Spanish dominion in 1770 made little lasting impression; French names and traditions have remained throughout the state, especially south of St. Louis along the Mississippi. When the United States purchased all of Louisiana in 1803, Missouri, with its strategic waterways and the already-thriving town of St. Louis, became a gateway to the West and remained one throughout the entire westward expansion period. The Pony Express began in St. Joseph in the northwestern corner of the state. The extreme northeast, along the Mississippi, is ...

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