The Wild West

The Wild West. . The Missouri Wall of Fame mural features nearly 50 individuals who were born in Missouri or achieved fame while living in the state. The mural spans 3.5 blocks to your right, covering 1,600 square feet of floodwall. The concrete wall is designed to hold back a flood of 54 feet. , Calamity Jane , 1852-1903 BORN IN PRINCETON, MO , Born Martha Jane Canary, this frontierswoman and professional scout was known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok and her involvement in several campaigns in the long-running military conflicts with American Indians. Exhibiting daring horsemanship and skill with a rifle, Jane was also known for wearing men's attire. In 1893, Calamity Jane began appearing in Buffalo Bill's show Wild West as a storyteller. , Jesse and Frank James , BORN NEAR KEARNEY, MO , JESSIE 1847-1882 FRANK 1843-1915 , Raised in western Missouri as sons of a Baptist minister, these brothers robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches across the midwest in the 1870s and 1880s, gaining fame and often popular sympathy despite their crimes. They joined pro-Confederate "bushwhackers" during the Civil War. James was killed at age 34 by a member of his gang. Frank later surrendered to authorities. , Missouri Mule , ADOPTED AS STATE ANIMAL IN 1995 , Generally considered smarter, hardier and more sure-footed than a horse, mules are the offspring of male donkeys and female horses. Superior at endurance, mules were often tasked with pulling wagons and plowing clay soil. The animal's underlying determination to plow forward led to the expression "stubborn as a mule." For many years, Missouri was the mule-producing center of the U.S., providing 80 percent of the mules used in World War I.