Kennett author John Fisher spoke to the Stoddard County Historical Society at the Stars & Stripes Museum in Bloomfield on Monday, June 23. Fisher gave a presentation about Missouri symbols, the subject of his recent book, "Catfish, Fiddles, Mules and More." Several people purchased the book, including Historical Society treasurer, Francis Moore (right). Fisher writes a column for Missouri Life magazine. SEMO News Service photo by Madeline Dejournett [Click to enlarge]

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- What do mules, catfish, bluebirds, fiddles, and ice cream cones have in common? All of these seemingly unrelated items are, in fact, symbols unique to our Show-Me State.

John Fisher, Kennett farmer and author, regaled the Stoddard County Historical Society crowd at their monthly meeting on Monday, June 23, as they gathered in the Stars and Stripes Museum, itself full of Missouri memorabilia.

"State symbols have been a hot topic on the political scene lately," Fisher explained, as he showed his audience through a slide presentation. "There are four new symbols this year, proposed by Missouri fourth-graders, who are being encouraged to take an active role in learning about Missouri history. Symbols are a graphic way to tell the story of state history, culture and natural resources."

Fisher organized the symbols into four distinct groups, beginning with a fascinating look into the history of the Missouri State seal, which began as a rather pale version of what it would later become. A fire in the Capitol building destroyed the first seal, and the second seal was forced to leave the State, when the largely Confederate government went into exile in Texas. The governor of Texas only recently returned that seal to Missouri.

When asked about the presence of the two bears on Missouri's state seal, Fisher explained that the grizzly bear was first considered unique to the state, since it was the first instance of the bears west of the Mississippi.

"The first inhabitants of the state had no idea that the West was absolutely filled with grizzly bears," added Fisher.

Other interesting facts:

* Marie Elizabeth Oliver of Cape Girardeau designed the first Missouri State Flag, which contains 24 stars to represent Missouri's position as the 24th state to be added to the Union.

* Though Missouri became a state in 1821, it did not have a flag until 1913.

* In the natural resource category, Missouri's symbols are the hawthorn, the Dogwood, the walnut, and in 2003, the State grape was named as the Norton Cynthiana.

* Historical society members were much interested in and knowledgeable about the Missouri mule as a state symbol, taking note that the genuine "Missouri" mule was actually a big black mule, rather than the sorrel and white version now popular. The discussion prompted some local comments about a nearby mule barn which once existed in the Bloomfield area.

* Missouri even has a state fossil - a leggy crinoid known as Delocrinus missouriensis, which lived by the millions on the ocean floor in the Pennsylvanian Period of history.

* Though his book doesn't cover the Missouri dinosaur, Fisher acknowledged the hadrosaur fossils found near Marble Hill as having been declared the Missouri dinosaur.

* Other state symbols include mozarkite, the state rock, and galena, the state mineral, from which lead is mined, with silver being the by-product. Fisher had samples of these items on display.

* Fisher told his audience that, though the "Missouri Waltz" was declared the State song in 1949 during the administration of Harry Truman, the President from Missouri actually did not care for the song.

* The square dance is the State dance, along with the fiddle, which is the State musical instrument. Fisher discussed the use of the fiddle by the French traders and trappers in the Ste. Genevieve area, as well as German and Scotch-Irish influences in the State.

As a writer of a column about Missouri symbols, Fisher admitted that he would be "out of a job," if Missouri stopped adding new symbols each year. However, he indicated that it wasn't likely to happen, since educators and legislators wanted to keep the school children of the state involved with its history. The various fourth-grade classes in the state put a fair amount of research into finding out about possible new symbols for the state.

Fisher agreed to return for another talk at the historical society in the future. His books include "Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, and More" and "Pot Roast Politics and Ants in the Pantry," a history of cookbooks and what they tell about society.

In the business section of the meeting, the group agreed to meet on July 29 and then take off in the heat of August. They will meet again in September. The speaker in July is Rick Young, the president of the Stoddard County Genealogy Society. He will be talking about the new Stoddard County family history book that the Genealogy Society is putting together.

Meetings of the Stoddard County Historical Society are held in the Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month.