Depopulation and fissures at New Madrid
- When
- 1813
- Where
- New Madrid and surrounding fissures
By 1813, fissures scarred both sides of the river near New Madrid, and the town's population had fallen from about 1,000 to roughly 300.
A Methodist chaplain traveling with Andrew Jackson on the 1813 Natchez Expedition recorded that fissures produced in the earth about Madrid looked awful on both sides of the river and that the earth continued to shake at times. He noted fears that the worst was yet to come, and that New Madrid had about 1,000 inhabitants before the earthquakes but only about 300 remained, as many alarmed residents had departed.
Sources
- 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
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