When Missouri 249 was constructed in 2000, the north end of the route was at Zora Street in Joplin. Four years later, the route was extended farther north along three supplemental roads. It now ends at Missouri 171 and Business Route 71 in Carterville.
Also note that this is a "pointy" style marker, often seen as an alternative to the regular marker. See a comparison of Missouri route markers for a more detailed explanation.
Photo courtesy of David Backlin (taken March 2004)