Caruthersville, Missouri

History

Caruthersville lies in Missouri's Bootheel on the Mississippi River. The word "Pemiscot" comes from the word pemiskaw, meaning "liquid mud" in the Fox language. Mississippi waters have frequently flooded the flatlands, creating fertile alluvial land valued for farming. Settling the floodplain has resulted in periodic problems for residents, as there are regular floods despite (and because of) elaborate constructed systems of levees and flood controls.

Native Americans inhabited the land of the Caruthersville area for thousands of years before European settlement. The Mississippian culture built huge earthwork mounds throughout the Mississippi Valley. One such earthwork remains in this county, rising 270 feet above sea level about four miles southwest of Caruthersville. It stands in contrast to the surrounding delta-like plain.

In 1857 John Hardeman Walker and G. W. Bushey laid out and platted the town of Caruthersville. The town was named for Samuel Caruthers, who first represented the area in the US Congress.

The City of Caruthersville was incorporated on May 18, 1874. The first few decades of the town's growth can be documented through Sanborn maps, which recorded building ownership, materials, and use.

From the History section of Caruthersville, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.