In 1850 the means of transportation in Missouri were dirt roads and river travel. River traffic was slow and dangerous at this time and dirt roads were often muddy and unusable. So the idea of plank roads seemed like a solution for better commerce and trade. At one point there were 49 plank road companies chartered in Missouri. Eventually the railroads dominated, and the use of plank roads declined. The roads warped and twisted in bad weather, got washed away in floods, and became traffic worn. Article mentions the Glasgow to St. Louis project and the last one built in Missouri being the Columbia-Providence plank road. Includes an illustration of the plank road.
