Visitors Guide to Bootheel, Missouri
Higgerson School Historic Site
New Madrid, MO
The Missouri Bootheel is the southeastern most part of the state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30’ north latitude that forms the boundary between Missouri and the rest of Arkansas. The area gets its name because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. While much of southeastern Missouri lowlands extending as far north as Cape Girardeau considers itself to be in the Bootheel region, the county of Pemiscot and portions of Dunklin and New Madrid counties are the only counties that lie in the area that forms the Bootheel shape.
The inclusion of the Bootheel in Missouri has been credited to John Hardeman Walker, a landowner and influential citizen of southeast Missouri. Walker immigrated to the New Madrid area from Tennessee in 1810. After the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, many of the area's residents left, but Walker stayed and acquired more property for his cattle-raising enterprise. When Missouri applied for statehood in 1818 the original petitions fixed the boundary between Missouri and the Arkansas Territory at 36°30’ latitude which was an extension of the boundary between Kentucky and Tennessee. Walker and his associates realized this line would place their lands under the jurisdiction of the Arkansas territorial government. Walker, who preferred the area, and his holdings, to be under the protection of Missouri state laws, successfully lobbied in Missouri and Washington D.C. for inclusion of the Bootheel within the boundaries of Missouri. The Bootheel includes land east of the St. Francis River until it reaches the 36° latitude. The inclusion of the Bootheel adds approximately 980 square miles to the total area of Missouri.
The biggest single event and the one that the area is known for is the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. Two quakes struck the region on December 16, 1811, with a speculated magnitude of 8+ on the Richter scale. The effects of the shocks are said to have rung church bells as far away as Detroit, Washington D.C. and Charleston, South Carolina. On January 23 and February 7, 1812, two others major earthquakes of speculated magnitudes of 7+ followed. Eyewitness accounts of the initial two powerful quakes said that the land sank 50 feet in some areas, gases spewed from cracks in the earth, and the Mississippi River, damned by an uplift, flowed backward for two days. The earthquakes left permanent changes on the landscape. The effects of the earthquakes caused the Federal government to initiate its first disaster relief effort. The governor of the Louisiana Territory, William Clark of the Corps of Discovery fame, asked for federal relief for the "inhabitants of New Madrid County." The Federal government responded by issuing New Madrid Certificates, entitling displaced landowners to new acreage in Louisiana Purchase territory. All the settlers leaving was one of the major factors in John Walker’s rise to prominence. These great earthquakes are well documented in the New Madrid Historical Museum near the riverfront.
There are a number of Civil War sites in New Madrid
New Madrid has a rich history when it comes to the Civil War. In August of 1861 exiled Governor Claiborne F. Jackson issued a proclamation declaring Missouri a free republic and dissolved all ties with the Union. The biggest involvement during the Civil War for the community was the battles for New Madrid and Island No. 10 in the Mississippi River from February 28 to April 8, 1862. Island No. 10. was heavily fortified and blocked all river traffic. New Madrid was the last major Confederate stronghold in Missouri. In keeping with the strategy to gain control of the Mississippi River, Brigadier General John Pope, commander of the Union Army of the Mississippi, and Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote were ordered to attack Island No. 10 but first New Madrid had to be captured. Once Pope’s forces reached New Madrid the Confederate evacuated to Island No. 10 and Tiptonville, Tennessee. Union forces would dig a canal in just 19 days that enabled their gunboats to bypass Island No. 10. The Union then surrounded the Island and on April 8 Confederate Brigadier General William W. Mackall surrendered Island No. 10 to Foote. In addition to exhibits on the Civil War that can be found in the New Madrid Historical Museum, New Madrid and local historians have joined together to produce a brochure featuring a driving tour through the community pointing out the community’s Civil War-related sites.
The Bootheel of Missouri lies in the flood plain between the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers. Prior to the 20th century, it was mostly unsettled swampy forestland but because of the Mississippi River the area was covered with fertile silt deposits. Beginning at the end of the 19th century developers began cutting down the forests so that only 15% of the forestland remains. The cleared land was ideal for agriculture which is the predominant way the land is used for today. Visitors can still see what the area once was like by visiting the many conservation areas that dot the Bootheel.
The communities of the region offer a number of events throughout the year including musical events, several fairs including the annual Delta Fair which is the largest fair in the area, and art exhibits. greatriverroad.com invites visitors to explore this unique region of Missouri.
