I know that I'm awfully chatty but you asked real nice, Meatburner. People should certainly feel comfortable disagreeing with me on this, tho.
I am not a fan of Minnesota Midget, sorry Minnesota. And, I don't think that there in southwest Missouri, you should have to grow such an early maturing melon.
In this melon-challeged place, I'm a fan of New Hampshire! (Now, Minnesota really hates me!) But no, the U of New Hampshire has some nice melons that are early and can take some cold.
Minnesota Midget was tiny - softball size. Goddess is a reasonable sized melon, and tasty! I've grown it a couple of years. Passport has been in my garden for nearly 10 years -- it is a galia melon and not a cantaloupe, tho. There are quite a few U of NH varieties!
There in Missouri, seems like you could have a whole raft of wonderful melons - early, late, big, & small!
Steve