The point where three states meet was established in 1857 by an 800 member expedition that started at the southwest corner of Missouri and worked north. The party included soldiers, teamsters, cooks, astronomers, and surveyors. The expedition took nearly six months, hampered by rough terrain, heavy timber, and high water. A stone marker was built there by the National Youth Administration in 1938, and the original plaques read Missouri 1821 on the east, Oklahoma 1907 on the south, Kansas 1861 on the north, and on the west side a description of why and how the point was established.