How did the Bootheel get into Missouri?

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The inclusion of the "bootheel" in the boundaries of Missouri has been credited to John Hardeman Walker, a landowner and influential citizen of Southeast Missouri. Walker was born in Tennessee in 1794 and came to the New Madrid area of the Territory of Missouri at the age of 16. When the New Madrid earthquakes began a year later, in December 1811, many of the area's citizens moved away. Walker, however, did not leave the area and his cattle-raising enterprise; instead he acquired more property and soon became known as the "Czar of the Valley." His extensive landholdings were located in Little Prairie, near present-day Caruthersville. This area fell under the jurisdiction of the Missouri Territory as administered from the town of New Madrid.

To Read More
Subscribe Sign In
Continue reading with a subscription

Thank you for visiting our website. If you would like to continue reading Butler County news and sports written by Butler County people, please click here to learn how you can support community journalism.

Subscribe now