St Francis Sunken Lands From the Great Earthquake of 1811

This is and aerial view I lensed of the St. Francis Sunken  Lands in northeast Arkansas. This region was utterly ravaged by the New  Madrid earthquakes of December 1811 and January and February 1812. Few  people lived in the area then, but the earth sank along the St. Francis  River, along the Mississippi River and created new looks to the  environment.   

Called the New Madrid earthquakes began shaking in December 1811, the  territory which is today northeastern Arkansas was very sparsely  populated. The earthquake was so intense  it caused the Mississippi  River to actually ran backward for a while after the quake hit! And the  St. Francis Sunken Lands along with Big Lake just to the north are  Arkansas legacies of the upheaval.     

An early chronicler described the earthquakes’ effect as the ground  moving like waves on the land, when suddenly the earth would burst,  sending up huge volumes of water and sand, leaving chasms where the  earth had burst open. Huge lakes were created (such as Tennessee’s  Reelfoot), and near the St. Francis River in northeast Arkansas, vast  tracts of land sank as far as fifty feet into the earth or literally  disappeared into the river.      

The earthquakes continued rumbling all the way through March 1812,  and land continued to sink in much of today’s Craighead, Mississippi,  and Poinsett counties. Afterwards, surveying the damage in canoes, folks  recorded their shock at seeing entire forests of huge trees submerged  under murky water with only the tallest branches visible. 

Large lakes  replaced hills, and giant fissures filled with stagnant pools. For  miles, the quakes caused land to sink beneath the level of the  surrounding countryside. This once bountiful northeast Arkansas  landscape, filled with verdant forests, abundant game, and fertile  ground.... became the swamp you see here.  

Surrounded by farm lands this is now a duck hunting and bow hunting  attraction for sportsmen. Both are highly dependent on the level of  water in the river, and close readings of the daily levels in newspapers  are a virtual requirement for going after ducks, deer and other game. 

A  change of a few inches of water in the flat country can make or break  an outing.  In it’s forested river bottoms travel can be very difficult even for  locals. Boats are essential in some sections, but in other places users  can park vehicles and walk in to hunt, watch wildlife and for other  activities.  

From "Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition" my  personal project of exploration in the North American Wilderness.  I am  on a mission to raise awareness of our Iconic Natural Heritage  Treasures of North America.    

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Yehaw!