On Shaky Ground by Norma Hayes Bagnall

Author:Norma Hayes Bagnall [Bagnall, Norma Hayes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, General, United States, State & Local, Midwest (IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; ND; NE; OH; SD; WI)
ISBN: 9780826273109
Google: nfoz3UvSZQcC
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
Published: 2013-07-22T04:10:35+00:00

CHAPTER 4

After the Disaster

“This district, formerly so level, rich, and beautiful, had the most melancholy of all aspects of decay.”

—Timothy Flint, in “I Was There!” In the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–12

Scientists believe that the epicenter of the first quake in December 1811 was about sixty miles south of New Madrid, close to what is now Blytheville, Arkansas. New Madrid was the most populated town in the area, a thriving market town, with stores, trading posts, and active river traffic and commerce. The town's dominance in the area, combined with the fact that the quakes originated in New Madrid County, account for the quakes' being called the “New Madrid earthquake.” The underlying fault line is still called the “New Madrid Seismic Zone.”

In 1812 the Territory of New Orleans became the state of Louisiana, and Congress changed the name of the Upper Louisiana Territory to the Territory of Missouri. The five Missouri counties, named for the major Spanish and French towns on the eastern side of the territory, had a total population of less than 10,000 in 1812. St. Louis had the largest number of residents:

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