A Missouri Love Story: Ulysses and Julia Grant at White Haven

When a young officer newly graduated from West Point met the oldest daughter of a gruff Missouri slaveowner, farmer and land speculator, it was love at first sight. Ulysses Grant and Julia Dent courted at her family farm, White Haven, until he was called away to the Mexican War. Secretly engaged, Ulysses wrote tender letters to Julia between daring exploits in battle. On his return, they were married. Ulysses’ military career stagnated and after a miserable period of separation while he was stationed on the West Coast, Ulysses resigned to join Julia at White Haven. Jim Erwin tells the story of their early life, their courtship, and their life in Missouri before the Civil War. Ulysses and Julia shared a civilian life marked by ambiguities-some successes, some failures, an uneasy relationship with her father and his enslaved persons, and with the enslaved persons Ulysses himself hired and owned.

Movies Made In Missouri

While it’s not Hollywood, there have been nearly one hundred movies made in Missouri from the earliest times in the industry to the present day. Jim Erwin tells the stories of the films and their stars-from Tom Mix’s and Walt Disney’s first movies to latter day films featuring Henry Fonda, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, and Kevin Costner. Using film clips, movie stills, publicity posters, behind-the-scenes shots, and present-day photos of filming locations, Jim tells the stories of the hits, the flops, the famous and the obscure productions made in the Show Me State.