Visitors Guide to East Prairie
Mississippi County, Missouri
Founded in 1883 by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, East Prairie is a small community, with a rich and varied history. In 1883, the newly platted town was named Hibbard after one of the directors of the Southwestern Development Company. Nearby there was a small community Dr. Sam P. Martin had a general store north of the area in a community known as Millar. Dr. Martin had a post office in his store and was postmaster as well as the community’s doctor. The post office was named "East Prairie" due to its geographical location at the far eastern edge of the prairie. Around 1890, a small depot was constructed in Hibbard and Dr. Martin moved his store and post office to the new town. Now, there was a town called Hibbard with a post office named East Prairie. The settlers decided it was easier to change the name of the town than to get the federal government to change the name of the post office. And thus, the town of Hibbard became East Prairie.
East Prairie is home to the annual Sweet Corn Festival. This celebration commemorates the local sweet corn harvest. Downtown East Prairie comes alive with family filled activities such as; a parade, games, various musical entertainment, bar-b-que, and fireworks. Another added event to this festival is the Tour de Corn that in recent years has become quite the attraction for hundreds of cyclists traveling from miles around. East Prairie also is home to three museums, the Historical Museum of Mississippi County, the Cotton Belt Caboose Museum, and the East Prairie Alumni Museum.
