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Tectonic events, such as the recent 5.8 earthquake in California and the eruption of a volcano in Washington, have surely caught our attention. However, these occurrences fail to compare to the sheer magnitude of the New Madrid Quakes that took place from December 1811 to February 1812, causing the mighty Mississippi River to briefly flow backward.

Allow me to present you with the compelling eyewitness account of Firmin La Roche, a French fur trader from St. Louis. At the time, the frontier west of the Mississippi had only been sold to the United States by France eight years prior, making Missouri a territory, not yet a state. La Roche’s deposition, found in the archives of the Missouri Historical Review, was written on February 20, 1812, in New Orleans, while the aftershocks were still occurring. He had just endured a disastrous journey that began with three flat-boats:

“We were present at the earthquake which recently occurred above and below the mouth of the River Ohio, along both shores of the River Mississippi. I was transporting three boats to New Orleans, filled with furs purchased in St. Louis. On the evening of December 15, we anchored eight miles north of New Madrid, near my cousin’s house, John LeClerq.

“With me were Father Joseph from the Osage Mission, returning to France; Jaques Menier, Dominic Berges, Leon Sarpy, Henry Lamel, five other men, and our Negro slave, Ben, who tragically lost his life in New Madrid. After supping, we retired for the night. However, we were abruptly awakened by a thunderous crash. The boat surged onto its side, causing Lamel, who slept beside me, to be hurled against me. We collided with the side, enveloped in darkness.

“Half an hour later, we managed to move away from the bank, and I glanced at my watch. It read 3 o’clock. I could witness trees on the shore collapsing, with enormous masses of earth tumbling into the river. Lamel severed the rope that bound us to a log. Suddenly, an immense wave surged up the river, unlike anything I had ever witnessed at sea. It propelled us back north, against the current, for more than a mile. The water inundated the banks, covering three to four miles inland.

“It was a backward current, defying the natural order. Then, the wave receded, and the river gradually resumed its proper direction. Thunderous noise echoed everywhere, as the ground shook and trees were felled. The air became heavy with a thick, smoky substance, illuminated by frequent lightning strikes.

“We believed our demise was inevitable. Father Joseph administered absolution as we all trembled in terror, anticipating death. We never sighted the other two boats again, and I remain uncertain of the fate of their occupants. Our fear was overwhelming.

“Trees were uprooted, and rumors circulated of great cracks in the ground, stretching 10 to 15 miles in some places. We learned that a new lake had formed in Tennessee, now known as Reelfoot, altering the course of nearby waterways. The River Yazoo had acquired a new mouth.

“During the earthquake, I suffered a broken arm, an injury which caused me considerable pain. Of those who accompanied me, only Father Joseph survived. Personally, I estimate my losses to amount to $600, which would equate to approximately $12,000 in today’s currency.”

In an additional account provided by Father Joseph, he stated, “I believe there were two major tremors, approximately half an hour apart, accompanied by numerous smaller shakes both during and after. The water level rose to the extent that a tree, towering 30 feet above the river, became submerged. We witnessed two houses on fire along the left bank, and upon reaching New Madrid, we found more homes in flames.

“At daybreak, we secured the boat to the shore, and a hickory tree unexpectedly fell upon us, resulting in the tragic death of the slave, Ben, and the shattering of LaRouche’s left arm.

“We did not actively seek information regarding the number of casualties, although we were informed of the vast loss of life. We encountered several deceased bodies and later witnessed bodies floating in the river. The locals discarded our fur cargo into the water, as the vessel became overcrowded with frightened individuals until we could take no more.”

Another witness account, provided by Eliza Bryan, a resident of New Madrid, four years after the earthquakes, shared the following:

“On December 16, 1811, around 2 a.m., we experienced a violent earthquake shock. The accompanying noise was truly dreadful, resembling loud yet distant thunder, with a hoarse and vibrating quality. Within moments, the atmosphere became saturated with a sulfurous vapor, plunging us into total darkness.

“The screams of terrified inhabitants reverberated, as they ran aimlessly, unsure of where to seek refuge or what action to take. The cries of animals filled the air, along with the sound of falling trees and the roar of the Mississippi River, which momentarily flowed backward.

“Fearing the imminent danger near the river, people fled in every direction. Daily, we endured several smaller tremors until January 23, 1812, when a quake as severe as the preceding ones struck. From that point until February 4, the earth incessantly swayed, undulating like a gentle sea.

“On February 7, around 4 a.m., a shock far more violent than any before it occurred, earning the name ‘the hard shock.’ The atmosphere became shrouded in terrifying darkness, permeated by sulfurous vapor and accompanied by a tumultuous thunderous noise, creating a scene that defied imagination.

“At first, the Mississippi appeared to recede from its banks, with its waters gathering into a towering mass. Consequently, numerous boats en route to New Orleans found themselves stranded on bare sand, while the sailors desperately fled for safety. Subsequently, the river surged perpendicularly, rising 15 to 20 feet and inundating the banks with a retrograde current. Boats that had been left stranded were now torn from their moorings.

“As the river quickly returned to its previous level, it carried away entire groves of cottonwood trees. Many fish were left stranded on the riverbanks. The quakes brutally tore the earth apart, causing vast stretches of land, covering hundreds of acres, to be enveloped in sand expelled from the fissures. Some regions even exhibited a substance resembling coal.

“Furthermore, it has recently been discovered that a lake, now known as Reelfoot, was formed on the opposite side of the Mississippi, in the Indian territory of West Tennessee. This lake spans over 100 miles in length, with widths varying from one to six miles and depths ranging from 10 to 50 feet.

“For eighteen long months, we lived in constant fear that our houses would succumb to the ongoing quakes. Consequently, we resided in small, fragile camps. Some individuals fled, never to return, but most eventually drifted back to their homes.”

These accounts paint a vivid picture of the immense power and destruction wrought by the New Madrid Quakes of 1811-1812. The U.S. Geological Survey considers these quakes to be the most powerful in American history, despite the absence of seismographs at the time. The extent of the land changes indicates three closely related quakes of magnitude 8 or above on the Richter scale, which measures seismic intensity on a logarithmic scale of ten-fold points. To put it into perspective, the most powerful recorded earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.4, occurred in Alaska in 1964.

It is important to note that earthquakes in the central United States affect much larger areas than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the western U.S. For instance, the 7.8 magnitude San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was felt as far as 350 miles away, while the first New Madrid earthquake rang church bells a thousand miles away in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1811, New Madrid was comprised of a mere 400 log cabins, with St. Louis and Memphis being small towns. However, if a category 8 earthquake were to strike that region today, these cities would face catastrophic destruction and result in the loss of thousands of lives, warns the U.S. Geological Survey.

Even in the present day, the Central Mississippi valley experiences a significant number of measurable earthquakes. The USGS emphasizes that there is a greater than 90 percent probability of a magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake occurring in the New Madrid seismic zone within the next 50 years.

To answer the question, whether hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, mudslides, volcanoes, or earthquakes are the worst natural disasters, it is evident that each of these events has its own unique level of devastation and impact. However, when considering the immense power and widespread consequences, the New Madrid Quakes of 1811-1812 present a compelling case for earthquakes being among the most formidable forces of nature.
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Ihab Salloum