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64-417: The Missouri Bootheel is a salient (protrusion) located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri , extending south of 36°30′ north latitude , so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. Strictly speaking, it is composed of some or all of the counties of Dunklin , New Madrid , and Pemiscot . However, the term is locally used to refer to

128-569: A New Deal agency, responded by providing low-cost rental housing for 500 cropper families. It awarded $ 500,000 (equivalent to $ 9 million in 2023) in grants to 11,000 families in 1939. The protest fizzled out as Communist and Socialist elements battled for control. Available samples from the Bootheel and most of the southeastern Missouri counties demonstrate late Tertiary (more than 1.8 mya ) to Quaternary (1.8 mya to present) geology, much younger than neighboring highlands. The lowest point in

192-442: A peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on three sides. Instead, it has a land border on at least two sides and extends from the larger geographical body of the administrative unit. In American English , the term panhandle is often used to describe a relatively long and narrow salient, such as the westernmost extensions of Florida and Oklahoma , or the northernmost portion of Idaho . Another term

256-606: A cemetery in Hornersville. Caruthersville is the county seat of Pemiscot County. The small towns of Senath and Arbyrd are also located in Dunklin County. They are home to a locally celebrated ghost light , sometimes called the "Senath Light" or "Arbyrd light". It occurs between these two towns and closer to Hollywood near the Lulu Church and Cemetery. The Missouri Bootheel is the home of two members of

320-678: A lending library, a branch of the New Madrid County Library. The city of New Madrid is located in Missouri's 8th congressional district . Philip Raidt, who was born in Württemberg, Germany in 1825, helped to organize the first free school in New Madrid County. In April 1884, he was elected mayor of the city of New Madrid, but he did not serve. In the fall of 1884, he became a candidate for county judge and

384-508: A male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

448-561: A variety of fish and animals. Flooding is a major concern along the Mississippi River. With such a large river basin and the vast discharge of water, the river makes the towns along its banks highly susceptible to frequent flooding. The National Weather Service reported that from 1980 to 2002, nine floods in the United States had total losses exceeding one billion dollars. In terms of monetary loss and effects on society,

512-844: Is bootheel , used for the Missouri Bootheel and New Mexico Bootheel areas. The term salient is derived from military salients . The term "panhandle" derives from the analogous part of a cooking pan , and its use is generally confined to North America. The salient shape can be the result of arbitrarily drawn international or subnational boundaries, though the location of administrative borders can also take into account other considerations such as economic ties or topography . The following locations are salients in First-level administrative subdivisions of nations. New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid ( / ˈ m æ d r ɪ d / MAD -rid ; Spanish : Nueva Madrid )

576-605: Is a city in New Madrid County , Missouri , United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census . New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo, Illinois , and north of an exclave of Fulton County, Kentucky , across the Mississippi River . The town is on the north side of the Kentucky Bend in the Mississippi River, which

640-455: Is a major attraction and draws a huge crowd for a town of only about 550 people. Other prominent acts at Arbyrd include T. Graham Brown and The Bellamy Brothers . Also in the northern part of Dunklin County lies the town of Malden, the home of country/rockabilly singer Narvel Felts . Felts' music has played worldwide, as he continues to tour. Salient (geography) While similar to

704-499: Is also known as "New Madrid Bend" or "Madrid Bend." The river curves in an oxbow around an exclave of Fulton County, Kentucky. Scientists expect the river eventually to cut across the neck of the peninsula and make a more direct channel, leaving the Kentucky territory as an island. New Madrid was the epicenter of the very powerful 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes . The first more or less permanent settlement at present-day New Madrid

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768-512: Is changing our view of earthquake hazards in the Midwest . The city was hit by an earthquake on 28 February 2012 at 3:58 a.m. CST, measuring 4.0. However, the tremors created a media scare as the web made it easy for everyone to search the city's seismic history, and discover the 1811-1812 earthquakes and the city's sensitive seismic situation. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 2,787 people, 1,307 households, and 711 families in

832-595: Is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km ) is water. New Madrid has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa ) with hot, humid summers and chilly, though not severe winters. Winter weather can vary from very mild and rainy when air masses from the Gulf of Mexico predominate, to very cold, dry and windy with northerly or northwesterly airflows as in the famous cold month of January 1977. On average there are 82 nights which fall to or below 32 °F or 0 °C, whilst one night falls to or below 0 °F or −17.8 °C, and

896-554: Is very rare, as it is normally too dry to snow when cold air masses reach the Bootheel , so that the median is only 0.4 inches or 0.010 metres per year and the mean just 5.7 inches or 0.14 metres. The most snow in one month was in January 1977 with 13.1 inches or 0.33 metres, whilst the snowiest season was from July 1966 to June 1967 with 19.3 inches or 0.49 metres. The New Madrid coal plant owned by Associated Electric Cooperative Inc.

960-580: Is well overdue for a moderately powerful tremor- which will cause major damage and undoubtedly some casualties...With each passing year, the inevitable earthquake is becoming more powerful, while the state of readiness in the Mississippi Valley remains woefully inadequate. Given the population in the area, even a moderately sized earthquake would be disastrous. The Bootheel is on the edge of the Mississippi Delta culture that produced

1024-544: The Arkansas Territory . The border was dropped about 50 miles to the 36th parallel north . It follows that parallel west about 30 miles until intersecting the St. Francis River , then follows that river north to about the 36°30′ parallel just west of Campbell, Missouri . According to an apocryphal story in various versions, the Bootheel was added to the state because of the request of John Hardeman Walker to remain in

1088-674: The Civil War , the Battle of Island Number Ten took place on the Mississippi River near New Madrid. In the antebellum period, this fertile floodplain area was developed for cotton plantations , based on the labor of enslaved African Americans. They were emancipated after the Civil War and worked to make new lives. As whites struggled to re-establish dominance after the Reconstruction era, they intimidated and attacked blacks under

1152-529: The Delta blues . Its relatively large black population makes it distinct from the rest of rural Missouri. The area has a unique rural black culture reflected in its music, churches and other traditions. The black population ranges from about 26% in Pemiscot County , to 15% in New Madrid County, and about 9% in Dunklin County. The Bootheel once had a reputation for lawlessness. Remote settlements along

1216-693: The Great Flood of 1993 was the worst. Earthquakes have long been frequent in the area. The New Madrid Fault Zone is named for the city of New Madrid in the Bootheel. This fault zone is entirely hidden beneath the deep alluvial deposits of the Mississippi embayment . Unlike the San Andreas Fault in California , it is not visible anywhere. This fault zone was responsible for an extremely powerful series of earthquakes that rocked

1280-457: The boll weevil ruined the cotton crop in Arkansas, and planters moved into the Bootheel, bought up the new lands or leased them from insurance companies that had invested in the area, and recruited thousands of black sharecroppers as workers. During the 1910s, the Bootheel experienced a surge in racial violence as white tenant farmers attacked black workers who were imported by landowners from

1344-549: The 20th century, it was mostly unsettled swampy forestland. Between 1893 and 1989, developers cut about 85% of the native forests in the region; most clearing was done in the early decades of the 20th century. The entire landscape was transformed into farmland by extensive logging, draining of the watershed , channelization , and the construction of flood control structures. High levees along both river courses, an extensive system of drainage ditches and diversion channels, and controlled lakes, pumping stations and cutoffs protect

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1408-469: The Bootheel due to the influence the two cities have had on the development of the region, but neither is located within its geographic boundaries. Hornersville , a small town in southern Dunklin County, was home to William H. "Major" Ray , a one-time 19th-century circus " midget ". He later became known as the representative of the Buster Brown shoe brand . He and his wife, Jennie, are buried in

1472-489: The Bootheel was a "paradox of rich land and poor people." In 1935, three-fourths of all farms were operated by tenants, most of them black. Radicals in the Southern Tenant Farmers Union organized protests by hundreds of sharecroppers in early 1939, alleging that landlords had evicted masses of tenants because they did not want to share federal AAA checks with them. The Farm Security Administration ,

1536-473: The Chepusa creek, which provided an easy place for landing boats. Native American hunters and European-American merchants made the settlement a location for processing the bounty of hunts, including the valuable but messy fat of bears and buffalo, which was used in preparing skins and furs. The settlement quickly acquired the name L’Anse a la Graise — “Cove of Grease” or “Greasy Cove.” European Americans renamed

1600-498: The Little River Drainage District built an elaborate network of ditches, canals, and levees to drain the swamps, as people believed, not understanding about the important function of wetlands in modifying river flooding, that the highest use was for agriculture. From 1880 to 1930, the population in the area more than tripled as many workers were brought in. Cotton became the chief commodity crop. Meanwhile,

1664-580: The Mid-South vary but in general include west Tennessee and Kentucky , north Mississippi , northeast Arkansas , and the Missouri Bootheel. The locations of the region's television stations had reflected this until the early 21st century prior to smaller, but closer cities obtaining local stations and before the digital transition in 2009: Economically, the agricultural area is one of the more impoverished parts of Missouri. It does not enjoy

1728-409: The Mississippi Valley. Between 1963 and 2012, the wettest calendar year was 1990 with 71.24 inches or 1,809.5 millimetres and the driest 2005 with 32.36 inches or 821.9 millimetres. The wettest day was September 23, 2006 with 11.38 inches (289.1 mm) in one day, and September 2006 was also the wettest month with 15.27 inches (387.9 mm), whilst no precipitation fell during October 1964. Snowfall

1792-588: The North American Plate dating from the Rodinian . New Madrid was the epicenter of the powerful 3-month 2,000-earthquake 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes . In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey predicted that another major earthquake will happen in New Madrid within the next 50 years, a theory that was rejected by the geophysicist Seth Stein in his 2010 book Disaster deferred: how new science

1856-585: The South. This competition between white laborers and black laborers resulted in a period of extreme racial violence which took the form of lynchings in New Madrid , Charleston , and Caruthersville . In contrast to the other cotton-growing areas of the South, where blacks had been disfranchised around the turn of the century , they were allowed to vote in Missouri and played a political role in this area. In

1920-428: The age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.6% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age in

1984-470: The air, new hills and ridges heaved up out of the ground, and the river itself ran red with brimstone and sulfur. Whole islands in the river disappeared, the forests went under, the tall oaks snapped like twigs, and violent winds tossed bundles of fallen timbers. Deafening thunder rang to the heavens. Animals went crazy; thousands of birds hovered and screamed. The states of Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana felt

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2048-449: The area from flooding. The soils are predominantly a rich and deep glacial loess , alluvial silt , and a sandy loam , well-suited for agricultural use. But the levees have changed the nature of the rivers, and cumulatively have aggravated flooding problems. They also prevent regular silt deposits, as they have increased the speed of the rivers. The reduction in wetlands has reduced important habitats for many species of migratory birds and

2112-526: The area in 1811 and 1812, known collectively as the New Madrid earthquake . It was reported to have been so powerful as to ring church bells along the East Coast . Subsidence formed Reelfoot Lake on the other side of the Mississippi River in West Tennessee . An eyewitness of the earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 noted: Great fissures opened the earth, geysers show mud and rocks hundreds of feet in

2176-403: The average family size was 3.02. The city's population contained 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 27,422, and

2240-405: The benefits of tourism as do areas of the nearby Ozark Mountains . There is some manufacturing, but the area is primarily agricultural. Because of its alluvial past, the area's rich soil is ideal for growing soybeans , rice and cotton . Some truck crops are grown, most notably various types of melons , especially watermelons . A limited amount of livestock is raised. In contrast to much of

2304-466: The brunt of this quake, ruining lives and leaving residents in fear of aftershocks and possible larger quakes. The New Madrid Seismic Zone is still active and frequently produces small earthquakes. Scientists have estimated that a strong earthquake is inevitable and is overdue. Residents of the area are aware of the risk, but critics say they are not well prepared for a disaster. William Atkinson, author of The Next New Madrid Earthquake , writes: The area

2368-479: The city was $ 22,046. About 14.80% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 3,116 people, 1,276 households, and 809 families in the city. The population density was 694.0 inhabitants per square mile (268.0/km ). There were 1,424 housing units at an average density of 317.1 per square mile (122.4/km ). The racial makeup of

2432-403: The city was 47.2 years. 14.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 23.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female. The median income for a household in the city was $ 41,445, and the median income for a family was $ 54,476. The per capita income for

2496-547: The city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female. As of the 2000 United States Census , there were 3,334 people, 1,275 households, and 882 families in the city. The population density was 738.3 inhabitants per square mile (285.1/km ). There were 1,414 housing units at an average density of 313.1 per square mile (120.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 72.56% White , 26.48% African American , 0.18% Native American , 0.30% Asian , 0.09% from other races , and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of

2560-439: The city was 72.30% White , 25.55% Black or African American , 0.22% Native American , 0.26% Asian , 0.13% from other races , and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 1,276 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had

2624-468: The city. The population density was 613.9 inhabitants per square mile (237.0/km ). There were 1,352 housing units at an average density of 297.8 per square mile (115.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 70.30% White , 28.10% Black or African American , 0.30% Native American , 0.26% Asian , and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.20% of the population. There were 1,307 households, of which 20.7% had children under

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2688-538: The coldest temperature ever has been −14 °F or −25.6 °C on January 17, 1982. The hottest has been 107 °F or 41.7 °C record on August 4, 1964, whilst an average of 2.9 days exceed 100 °F or 37.8 °C. Rainfall is fairly heavy throughout the year due to moist air from the Gulf being advected on the western side of the Bermuda High , plus occasional remnant depressions from hurricanes passing up

2752-510: The cotton crop in Arkansas, planters moved in. They bought up the land for conversion to cotton commodity crops, bringing along thousands of sharecroppers . After mechanization of agriculture and other changes in the 1930s, many black families left the area to go north in the Great Migration . These counties have predominantly white populations in the 21st century, although some have a significant number of black residents. When Missouri

2816-493: The entire southeastern lowlands of Missouri located within the Mississippi Embayment , which includes parts of Butler , Mississippi , Ripley , Scott , Stoddard and extreme southern portions of Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties. The largest city in the region is Kennett . Until the 1920s, the district was a wheat-growing area of family farms. Following the invasion of the boll weevil , which ruined

2880-414: The guidance of his appointed empresario , Colonel George Morgan , an American Revolutionary War veteran from New Jersey . Morgan recruited a number of American families to settle at New Madrid, attracting a few hundred people to the region. Settlement in the 1790s and early 1800s remained relatively low due to the physical geography of New Madrid and its hinterlands. The Mississippi frequently washed away

2944-410: The guise of Jim Crow laws, working to suppress voting and control their activities. Three African-American men are documented as being lynched by whites in New Madrid, the county seat, near the turn of the century: Unknown Negro, on November 29, 1898; Louis Wright, a musician in a minstrel show accused of altercations with whites, hanged on February 17, 1902; and unknown Negro, May 30, 1910. By

3008-573: The main, political power was held by white power brokers, especially Democrat J. V. Conran from the 1930s to 1960s. He worked closely with blacks in the region. An ally of Senator and President Harry S. Truman , Conran packed the ballot boxes but did bring efficiency and government services, and helped improve economic and social conditions. During the Great Depression , the Farm Security Administration said that

3072-467: The median income for a family was $ 34,464. Males had a median income of $ 30,705 versus $ 21,045 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 14,639. About 22.6% of families and 25.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over. New Madrid County R-I School District operates six schools in the New Madrid area, including New Madrid County Central high school. New Madrid has

3136-531: The most powerful non- subduction zone earthquake ever recorded in the United States. New Madrid lies far from any plate boundaries, but it is on the New Madrid Seismic Zone . The major earthquake was felt as far away as the East Coast . Starting in 1838, New Madrid was on the Trail of Tears that saw thousands of Indians forcefully removed from Eastern lands and moving to Oklahoma. During

3200-578: The musical group the Kentucky Headhunters, Doug and Ricky Phelps. They received their education at Southland C-9, the consolidated schools of Arbyrd and Cardwell, Missouri . They performed at the Cotton Pickin Festival in the small town of Arbyrd ; a place where they spent much time while growing up. They both performed as Brother Phelps , and then Doug came back and performed with The Kentucky Headhunters . This festival

3264-479: The place where Missouri laps over into Arkansas". During the American Civil War , a number of battles took place in this area, most notably the Battle of Island No. 10 . Until the early 20th century, the district was largely covered by wetlands and swamps, but otherwise was a wheat-growing area of family farms. Lumbering was important in the 1890s until the most valuable trees were taken. In 1905,

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3328-409: The population. There were 1,275 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and

3392-468: The rest of Missouri, there are few fences . No large cities are located in the Bootheel. Sizable towns include Kennett , the birthplace of singers Sheryl Crow , David Nail , and Trent Tomlinson ; and Sikeston , the birthplace of professional athletes James Wilder Sr. , Brandon Barnes , and Blake DeWitt . Sikeston's city limits fall within both Scott County and New Madrid County . Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff are often considered to be part of

3456-601: The river banks, miles from paved roads, provided an ideal environment (and market) for moonshining and bootlegging . Culturally, the Bootheel is considered more Southern than Midwestern . It was settled largely by people from the South, both black and white. It is considered part of the Mid-South , a region centered on the Memphis metropolitan area ; it is also included in the area of the Upper South . Definitions of

3520-629: The settlement New Madrid around 1780 under the auspices of Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez , who was appointed to rule Spanish Louisiana (the land west of the Mississippi River), and Manuel Pérez , Lieutenant Governor of Upper Louisiana in Saint Louis . They welcomed settlers from the United States, but required them to become subjects of (i.e. swear allegiance to) the Spanish crown. In addition, they had to agree to live under

3584-540: The silt deposits of the Mississippi created some of the most fertile soil in the world, ideal for agriculture. The areas around the Mississippi are composed of thick regolith that is around 100 metres (330 ft) thick. The Bootheel lies in the flood plain between the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers , so the land is very flat. Since clearing and drainage of wetlands in the early 20th century, it has been predominantly developed for agricultural purposes. Prior to

3648-409: The state "as he had heard it was so sickly in Arkansas"; "...full of bears and panthers and copperhead snakes, so it ain't safe for civilized people to stay there over night even." Another legend has the adaptation made by a lovestruck surveyor to spare the feelings of a widow living 50 miles south of the Missouri border, but unaware of it. At one time, the area was known locally as "Lapland, because it's

3712-468: The state is in southwestern Dunklin County along the St. Francis River near Arbyrd , at 230 feet above sea level. The bootheel area is notable for being the epicenter of the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes , some of the largest earthquakes ever felt in the United States. As glaciers receded towards the end of the Ice Age and turned ice into liquid, the Mississippi River grew longer and wider. Over time,

3776-592: The territory back to France in the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso . After trying to regain control of Saint-Domingue (the present Haiti ), where a slave rebellion was underway, Napoleon gave up on his North American colonies, agreeing to sell this territory to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase . The area is noted as the site of a series of nearly 2,000 earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 , ranging up to approximately magnitude 8,

3840-525: The town's river banks, and a Spanish fort was washed away. Surrounded by low, swampy land, New Madrid developed a well-earned reputation for diseases, especially in the summer and fall. Spanish census data from the late 1790s show around 800 residents at the village of New Madrid. New Madrid continued to operate as a site of exchange between Native Americans in the St. Francis River Valley and European American traders operating out of New Madrid. In 1800, Spain traded

3904-571: The turn of the 20th century, some industry was being developed in New Madrid, which contained two lumber mills , a grist mill , a stave and heading factory, and a cotton gin . It was considered a rough town. There were four Protestant churches, two with independent African-American congregations, and one Catholic church. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.53 square miles (11.73 km ), of which 4.49 square miles (11.63 km )

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3968-618: Was admitted to the Union as part of the Missouri Compromise , its original border was proposed as an extension of the 36°30′ parallel north that formed the border between Kentucky and Tennessee . That would have excluded the Bootheel. John Hardeman Walker , a pioneer planter in what is now Pemiscot County , argued that the area had more in common with the Mississippi River towns of Cape Girardeau , Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis in Missouri than with its proposed incorporation in

4032-417: Was established by bands of Shawnee , Delaware , Creek , and Cherokee who were turned into refugees due to the U.S. War for Independence. These refugee Native American bands accepted Spanish offers to settle on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the early 1780s. These mixed Native American groups established a settlement and informal trading post where a northward, horseshoe bend of the Mississippi met

4096-562: Was identified as one of 17 "deadliest coal plants in the US" by the Sierra Club , citing emissions and regional haze affecting neighboring communities. Sulfur dioxide pollution in the Bootheel has been found to exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards . The plant was reopened in 2018 following the application of the Trump tariffs . The city is located in a web of cracks at the center of

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