Empire City

Empire City

Empire City, Kansas A Forgotten Wild West Boomtown In the late 19th century, the American frontier was still untamed, and mining booms fueled the rapid rise of towns that seemed to appear overnight. One such place was Empire City, Kansas, a Wild West boomtown that...
Edmund Jennings

Edmund Jennings

The First Explorer in Southwest Missouri Edmund Jennings’ Journey into the Ozarks In the early 1800s, the Ozark region remained an untouched wilderness, a land of dense forests, rolling hills, and crystal-clear springs. It was during this time that Edmund...
Illuminating the Night

Illuminating the Night

Illuminating the Night Cole Circus’s Historic Debut of Electric Lights in Joplin In the late 19th century, a remarkable spectacle rolled into Joplin, Missouri—not with the usual parade of elephants and daring acrobats, but with a technological marvel that would...
Charles Schifferdecker

Charles Schifferdecker

Charles Schifferdecker Joplin’s Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Visionary Charles Schifferdecker, often remembered as Joplin’s “Boss Beer Man,” was more than just a businessman. He was an immigrant, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a civic leader...
Wilbur Underhill Jr 

Wilbur Underhill Jr 

Wilbur Underhill Jr. The Tri-State Terror of the Great Depression Wilbur Underhill Jr. was one of the most feared criminals of the early 20th century, earning the nickname “The Tri-State Terror” for his violent crime spree across Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. A...