Authors, presidents, outlaws, and dreamers: The stories behind famous Missourians are as diverse and interesting as the state itself.

The Missouri Division of Tourism website, VisitMO.com, is a great way to get familiar with the Show-Me State and to learn more about the people who have helped shape its history.

Among the notables you learn about on VisitMO.com are authors Mark Twain and Laura Ingalls Wilder, Presidents Harry S. Truman and Ulysses S. Grant, outlaw Jesse James, animator Walt Disney, and agronomist George Washington Carver.

Mark Twain, perhaps Missouri's most-famous son, was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the tiny hamlet of Florida in Northeast Missouri. He grew up not far away in Hannibal - the city that provided the inspiration for works such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Today, Twain's presence looms large over Hannibal, where the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum is just one of many attractions where the author's legacy lives. Another is the famous Mark Twain Cave, which was detailed in five of his books.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, another well-known author, is immortalized at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum near Mansfield in the Ozark hills of Southwest Missouri. Wilder published the first of her well-known "Little House" books during the 1870s-1890s; all nine manuscripts for the famous works were written on-site, at Rocky Ridge Farm. The books focused on the lives of pioneer families, and in the mid 1970s, were adapted into a much-loved television show that ran on American television for eight years.

Harry S Truman also has ties to a small town in Southwest Missouri, but he's more commonly associated with one of the state's largest cities. Truman was born in Lamar, where the Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site commemorates his early life. But he's most-often associated with Independence, which is located just east of Missouri's largest city, Kansas City. In Independence, you find the Harry S Truman Library and Museum, which honors his life and service as our nation's 33rd president, and the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, which was Truman's home from 1919-1972. South of Independence, in Grandview, is another Harry S. Truman National Historic Site; Truman lived here, on his grandmother's farm, from the ages of 22 to 33.

Across Missouri, in the state's second-largest city, St. Louis, the 18th president of the United States is remembered at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Grant served as a Union general and became a hero of the American Civil War before being elected president. The focal point of the historic site is White Haven, the home Grant shared with his wife, Julia. While you're in St. Louis, stroll through the famous Soulard Farmers Market, one of the oldest and largest farmers markets west of the Mississippi River, and the site where Ulysses S. Grant once worked as a vendor. And don't miss the iconic Gateway Arch, which stands 630-feet above the Mississippi River and is the tallest national monument in the U.S.

Back across the state in Northwest Missouri are sites reserved for one of the most controversial figures in American history, outlaw Jesse James. Some saw him as a hero, some a cold-blooded killer. Decide for yourself after visiting attractions such as the Jesse James Farm and Museum in Kearney, where Jesse was born in 1847, and the Jesse James Home in St. Joseph, where the outlaw was gunned down by a member of his own gang in 1882. Another site in Northwest Missouri with a connection to James is the Jesse James Bank Museum in Liberty - James and his gang were said to have committed the nation's first successful daylight, peacetime robbery here in 1866.

While James is one of Missouri's most notorious former residents, Walt Disney is one of its most beloved. Disney moved to Marceline as a young boy, and it was during his formative years on the farm that a young Walt began drawing and dreaming up creations that translated to his success. Marceline retains its ties to the animation pioneer through the Walt Disney Dreaming Tree and Barn, located on the old family farm, and the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, which contains personal
Disney family items, as well as a ride taken from Disneyland and donated to the city of Marceline.

The contributions of another Missouri dreamer are honored in Southwest Missouri, near Diamond, at the George Washington Carver National Monument. Carver, a noted agronomist and educator, was born and grew up on the Moses and Susan Carver farm, which now serves as the site of the national monument. Spanning 240 acres - the entirety of which is actually considered the monument to Carver - the site contains the mile-long Carver Trail, the Carver Family Cemetery and the 1881 Carver House. The Carver National Monument also has a visitor center and museum.

These are just a few of the sites around Missouri dedicated to people whose contributions have stood the test of time. To learn more about these famous Missourians, and others, please log on to VisitMO.com, the official website of the Missouri Division of Tourism. Here, you find attractions, places to stay and a myriad of activities happening all around Missouri.