The New Madrid earthquake of 1811 was the strongest of earthquakes in North America.  Actually there was a series of strong earthquakes that continued into 1812, and they caused devastation in a large area along the Mississippi River.

There were few inhabitants of New Madrid, Missouri to witness the great earthquake, but those few testimonies record a great conflagration.  On December 16, 1811 residents of New Madrid were shaken out of their beds at 2:00 am.  Giant waves along the Mississippi River capsized boats and killed the crews, and for awhile the great river actually flowed backwards.  High bluffs along the river crumbled into the water.  Some lakes dried up and others were created.  The earthquake was felt at Charleston, South Carolina and Washington D.C.  It caused bells to ring as far away as Boston, Massachusetts.  It was felt in  Canada to the North and in New Orleans to the South.   It is now estimated to have been a 8.0  to 8.4 on the Richter Scale.

Although, this catastrophe was classified as a quake; in fact, the New Madrid earthquake was more than your typical earthquake.  From eyewitness accounts we have the following details:

The quake was violent in that chimneys moved 4 inches in each direction, shaking for 10 to 12 minutes, and there was a deafening thunder noise preceded the quake. People were not strong enough to hold on, and many were banged up and bleeding.  Within minutes the atmosphere was filled with the smell of sulfur and smoke which caused the night to be totally dark – no stars or moonlight.  People were knocked out of their beds.  Humans were screaming and the animals were making a ruckus.  Houses along with their chimneys were shaken to the ground. The water in the Mississippi river bubbled like it was boiling. The River rose up like a mountain from its banks and actually flowed backwards.  Boats were overturned and fish lay on the banks. 

Aftershocks were frequent, and before sunrise there was another strong earthquake.  Hundreds of acres of forest toppled, and the trees were broken off and some were uprooted. The ends of the trees were carbonized.  High bluffs along the river crumbled into the river. The land was torn asunder with great violence.  Geysers of sand and coal billowed out from deep under the ground.

All the while this was happening, the town site dropped over fifteen feet and was completely destroyed.  Lakes boiled driving the tortoises out of the lake. Large lakes had their water completely evaporated with their beds rising above their former banks by feet.  On the other side of the river a new hundred mile long lake was formed.