"Before the nineteenth century few Americans or Europeans ventured into the land which came to be Missouri. Ordinarily it had been explorers, miners, and trappers who penetrated the wilderness. These adventurous men usually followed the waterways...

"Missouri became a state in 1821, the 24th state to be admitted to the Union and the second state formed from the land acquired in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. By 1861 the state had authorized formation of 114 counties to complete Missouri's present...

"The State of Missouri and the rest of the nation have experienced an economic downturn which virtually culminated in a collapse of the conventional housing industry du ring 1979 and 1980. At the local level, the shock was felt in the form...