In December of 1811 the New Madrid earthquake caused great damage all around the New Madrid area. Devastating tremors and periodic aftershocks shook parts of New York and Pennsylvania.
Travelers that were caught on the Mississippi River that December night claimed that the motion actually caused the river to flow backwards. It is said that the earthquake caused 
uprooting of trees, clogged rivers and other damage which made travel difficult for months. In 1815 Congress passed a law permitting any person to exchange up to 640 acres of damaged land for nondamaged land some place else. Unfortunately, this law benefited speculators more than actual settlers
For history of New Madrid and other earthquakes.
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This page was created by James Cornett, Mindy Maddox, Jason Pierce
Last up date 10-1-97