Missouri (1): History

When Thomas Jefferson was president, in 1803, the United States made the Louisiana Purchase, buying a lot of land from Napoleon in France. Missouri was part of that purchase. It became a trading center, mainly for trading furs with Native Americans, and many people there became rich. Its location on the Mississippi was very important in that regard. It also became the "Gateway to the West", as many people started from there on expeditions to the West. In the 20th century, Missouri experienced rapid industrialization and then deindustrialization in the last decades.