“Recommended …

American history lovers will appreciate this well-illustrated, well-ordered guide to historical sites.”— Booklist, April 1, 2013

“The two authors of The Big Divide have confronted the complex border state legacy and rendered it reader-friendly.” — Kansas City Star, April 21, 2013

Your next great road trip begins here.

For the past 16 years, Diane Eickhoff and Aaron Barnhart have been driving back and forth across one of the least visible and most contentious borders in American history: the Missouri-Kansas state line.

This boundary — this line in the dirt — once produced the fierce border wars that gave the world John Brown, Jesse James, William Clarke Quantrill and Ride With the Devil. But it also produced Harry Truman, Amelia Earhart, George Washington Carver, and three world-famous painters whose works could not have happened anywhere else.

The Civil War was fought here in the West before it was won in the East. The battles at Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge were crucial to keeping Missouri in the Union. History was made right here, by African American regiments who were seeing combat for the first time in the Civil War (long before the 54th Massachusetts of Glory renown).

Now it’s your turn to discover this remarkable landscape. The Big Divide will take you to the most compelling and unique sites where history happened along this turbulent border. Diane and Aaron — she’s a historian, he’s a journalist — can tell you why these sites mattered and make it easy for you to put together a themed driving tour to your tastes. If you’ve got kids, they’ve got you covered, too.

Take a ride on The Big Divide.

“Brilliantly organized, vividly written, this wonderful guide

lets you discover vital and dramatic history for yourself, in the matchless company of Diane Eickhoff and Aaron Barnhart. Get ready for a fascinating journey.”

— David Von Drehle, author of Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year

"An enticing addition to any travel and American history collection."
— Midwest Book Review