Sumner

History

The area along the Grand River in the northwest corner of present-day Chariton County was first explored by two sons of Daniel Boone and Thomas Stanley prior to Missouri statehood in 1821. Stanley established a trading post some time later, near what would eventually become Sumner. Other than the trading post, not much existed in the area for several years, partly due to marshlands and flooding on the Grand River. The area around Sumner was originally known as Crossland, and about one mile away was the much larger village of Cunningham. The coming of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to the community, combined with the Wabash Railroad's decision to move their depot from Cunningham to Sumner, gave the latter the upper hand in growth. Sumner was laid out by Joel H. Wilkerson in June, 1882. Sumner began to hold a yearly Goose Festival in 1955, which is still held each October, with a variety of activities including live music, a queen contest, food and a parade. Sumner residents commissioned a Kansas City sculptor in 1976 to create a large statue to honor the community's status and reputation for waterfowl hunting. What resulted was the "World's Largest Goose". Named "Maxie", the fiberglass and metal structure stands over forty feet tall with a wingspan of sixty-five feet and a weight of over 5,000 pounds.

Geography

Sumner is located at (39.656342, -93.243426). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,327
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,244
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,153
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,128
• Red-headed Woodpecker

  Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,028
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  920
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  889
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  877

Most recent

• M 2.53 — 2025-07-15
  3 km W of Hale, Missouri
• M 2.59 — 2022-12-05
  4 km SW of Madison, Missouri