SECOND REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 31

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

5162L.03I

      Whereas, two of this country's greatest waterways, the Mississippi River on Missouri's eastern border and the Missouri River which winds across the state, helped Missouri become a supply center for many of the westward-bound settlers of the nation's early years; and

      Whereas, from the muddy Missouri to the swift and clear Jacks Fork, the hundreds of rivers and streams in Missouri snake across more than 50,000 miles of the state - more than twice the distance around the earth - providing endless recreational opportunities for Missourians, including boating, fishing, swimming, and bird watching along the bluffs bordering our many rivers and streams; and

            Whereas, shipping along the navigable rivers boosted Missouri's status as an agriculture supplier, barges and steamboats used the waterways to move goods, river towns boomed, and railroads continued to fuel the growth of Missouri as a large transportation center; and

            Whereas, the Missouri Territory, and later the State of Missouri, took the name of the Missouri River which was named for the Missouri Indians who lived along the banks. The name "Missouri" means "canoe haver"; and

            Whereas, the State of Missouri has many nicknames, with the most widely recognized being "The Show-Me State". Missouri is also called the "The Cave State", "The Lead State", "The Bullion State", "The Ozark State", "The Iron Mountain State", and the "Pennsylvania of the West"; and

            Whereas, roads along or near both banks of the Mississippi River along its entire length have been designated as "The Great River Road" and are marked with a special road sign which depicts a ship's wheel; and

            Whereas, the Great Rivers Greenway District was established in November 2000 in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County to eventually develop "The River Ring" as an interconnected system of greenways, parks, and trails in the St. Louis area which will enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors; and

            Whereas, from confluence of the Big Muddy and the Mighty Mississippi at the eastern portion of the state and looking north, south, or west, the State of Missouri includes the land that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark scanned as they began their journey up the Missouri River on their Voyage of Discovery in 1804, the land that is habitat for deer, turkey, bald eagles, and other wildlife, the land that is farmland abundant with agricultural crops, and the same land that held 260 billion gallons of water during the Great Flood of 1993; and

            Whereas, with much of Missouri's history tied to the mighty rivers that flow through it, Missouri should also be known as the "The Great Rivers State":

            Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby encourage the use of the slogan "The Great Rivers State" as a slogan for the State of Missouri and urge the Division of Tourism within the Department of Economic Development to recognize and incorporate the slogan in promoting Missouri tourism; and

            Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for John Robinson, the Director of the Division of Tourism.