Living with Floods
Throughout its history, Clarksville has survived a number of “great” Mississippi River floods – in 1851, 1973, 1993, and 2008. Each time, residents have worked to limit flood damage, and have slowly rebuilt their town. In the future, Clarksville hopes to install a state-of-the-art floodwall that can be quickly raised to hold back the rising water.
”It was a battle. It was a war, and this time we didnt lose
. But you never forget the power of the river and the possibility of a flood. You never put it out of your mind.”
- Jo Anne Smiley, Mayor of Clarksville
during the 2008 flood
[Photo captions, clockwise from top, read]
In June 2008, heavy rains in Wisconsin and Iowa sent floodwaters rushing down the Mississippi River. The river soon rose to more than 10 feet above flood stage in Clarksville.
In 2008, teams of workers defended Clarksville with pumps and sandbags. Volunteers from throughout the country joined local residents and personnel from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard.
Floodwaters surged into Clarksvilles riverfront park during the 2008 flood-the top of this sign would have been 4 feet underwater.
Erected by US Army Corps of Engineers and City of Clarksville.
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Location. 39° 22.303′ N, 90° 54.241′ W. Marker is in Clarksville, Missouri, in Pike County. It is on 1st Street north of Howard Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in Riverfront Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clarksville MO 63336, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Missouri’s Mark Twain Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Great Flood of 73 Volunteer Flood Fighters (within shouting distance of this marker); Eagle Days (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pleasant Hill Area Veteran Memorial Flag Pole (approx. 5.1 miles away in Illinois); Site of First Building in Pleasant Hill (approx. 5.4 miles away in Illinois); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.6 miles away in Illinois); Veterans Victory Park (approx. 7.8 miles away in Illinois); The First U.S. Transcontinental Flight (approx. 8.2 miles away in Illinois). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksville.
Also see . . .
1. The Great Flood of 1993
2. Remembering the Great Floods of 1993, 1973, and Even 1543 (St. Louis Magazine). (Submitted on September 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. The Great Flood of 1993 (USGS). (Submitted on September 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
4. History of Clarksville, Missouri. (Submitted on September 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Additional keywords. Living with Floods
Credits. This page was last revised on September 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 533 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
