The bootheel of Missouri is a different kind of place. If you walk out into a field at a certain time of year you would be standing in tall cotton.
New Madrid was named after the Capital of Spain but if you pronounce it as such, you will raise the ire of the locals.
New MADrid was the epicenter of the largest earthquakes ever recorded east of the Rockies. On December 16, 1811, and for the next few months, a series of “intraplate earthquakes,” decimated the area. It is estimated that over 1,000 quakes ravaged the region ranging from 6.8-8.6 on the Richter Scale.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to understand the Richter Scale. Why couldn't they just give us a 1-10 on how bad it was? Well, the three big ones in the bootheel back then, were all 10s on my scale.
Missouri was part of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase Territory and sparsely populated, says Jeff Grunwald, head administrator and chief bottle washer at the New Madrid Historical Museum.
At 2:15 a.m. on the morning of December 16, 1811, the first quake hit, the effects of the initial earthquake and the two major aftershocks to follow, rang church bells in Boston! The shaking woke up President Madison and his wife Dolly in the White House, 900 miles away.
The earthquake was a once in a century plus occurrence that created some very odd happenings and coincidences.
The Mississippi ran backwards
After the February 7, 1812, aftershock, boatmen on the river reported the Mississippi folded back on itself and ran backwards for several hours. The uplift of land was so great the water reversed, flowing down the uplift. Try being in a boat on the river that day!
After collecting huge amounts of water, the river would find a new path bank over the uplift creating several waterfalls. Swamp lands and lakes were formed from the backflow that still exist today.
Because of the shaking of the ground, the soil liquified creating great holes and boils sucking in water, houses, boats, trees and any other pieces of debris that caved into the water.
The fault crisscrossed the Mississippi River in three different places creating those dams and waterfalls at each crossing.
There were several eyewitnesses that survived the quake and described those harrowing months in journals. Towns and native villages were destroyed including New Madrid. It is estimated 1,000 people were lost. “The earth would shake like never before for 20 seconds and then stop.” “You didn’t know when the next shock would come.” “Tame animals became wild and wild animals tame.”
Think of one's reaction; confusion, terror, then panic. You would instinctively enter survival mode. The scale of destruction was incomprehensible; people thought the world was coming to an end.
Maiden voyage of the Steamboat New Orleans
Steamship Lines wanted people to realize that the way to travel safely to the frontier was by river. The New Orleans became the first steamship to try and venture from Pittsburgh, PA, to New Orleans by the country’s river system. The ship left Pittsburgh on October 20, 1811, heading straight towards the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake in American history.
In between shock waves, native Americans seeing a steamship for the first time thought the “great canoe” was the cause of the destruction and attacked the vessel. Escaping and eventually making it to New Orleans, the trip set back the promise of safe travel on the Mississippi for years.
Tecumseh/Napoleon’s Comet
Just to add another bit of oddity to the equation, a comet appeared previous to the earthquake but was visible for seventeen months. The fireball was at its brightest, you guessed it, during the earthquake period.
In North America the comet was named after the great leader of the Shawnee people, orator and warrior Tecumseh whose name means “Shooting Star,” no kidding, in Europe, Napoleon got the honor.
Tecumseh was a visionary who fought the takeover of millions of acres of land by the white man. He organized a confederation of tribes to combat the invasion, joining the British and fighting against the United States in the War of 1812. Killed in battle, he is well thought of throughout the Indian nations and considered a national hero in Canada.
The New Madrid earthquake was felt throughout the eastern United States with church bells also ringing in Charleston, NC, and ice cracking on lakes while people were skating in Maryland.
There are many more strange happenings and mysterious flukes from the quake to be heard. A trip to the bootheel for any earthquake buff is a must, and Jeff will be glad to fill you in...if he’s in the mood.
After a museum visit, be sure to take a stroll through the quaint streets of New Madrid. You surely will find some friendly souls, but good luck, because in that pursuit, I’m 0-3.
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You can hear more of Bob’s work including his podcast, Bob Ford’s history, mystery and lore at his website bobfordshistory.com. It can also be heard on most streaming services. Bob can be reached at robertmford@aol.com
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