New Madrid – Miss. River
New Madrid, Missouri lies just across the Mississippi River from the border line between Kentucky and Tennessee. It sits in the eastern corner of Missouri and is famous for one very important event – the over 1000 earthquakes that occurred from December or 1811 through February of 1812. Since earthquake monitoring equipment was not yet invented, it is estimated four of the quakes measured around 8.0. Newspaper articles of the time reported the earthquakes rang church bells in Pennsylvania.
Early trappers and farmers taking their products down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, bitterly complained about the river’s shifting route and many twists and turns. Yet New Madrid was settled on the western shore of a horseshoe shaped loop.
The Mississippi River is the largest river in the United States at 2,320 miles (3,730 km) long. It originates at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and ends at the Gulf of Mexico. Joined with the Missouri River and the Ohio river, the Mississippi is the fourth longest river in the world.
The Native American tribes had several different names for this body of water but the Ojibwe name “Misi-zibbi” is the one that stuck. Explorers died crossing it, the Native Americans depended on it for food and famous authors such as Mark Twain wrote about it.
The river borders ten states and sometimes floods, wiping out fertile farmland and hundreds of homes. She now has hundreds of miles of levees which usually, but not always, prevents such massive damage.
“When I was a boy there was but one permanent ambition among my comrades…that was to be a steamboatman.” – Mark Twain
Several states offer Riverboat tours or more modern cruises. Museums, parks, festivals, superior dining and comfortable lodging can be found in many of the nearby cities. Just choose a state and enjoy the ride.
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by Marti Talbott
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