Chester in Randolph County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Flood of 1993
Photographed By Jason Voigt, November 30, 2020
1. Flood of 1993 Marker
The Mississippi "cannot be tamed, curbed, or confined…you cannot bar its path with an obstruction which it will not tear down, dance over and laugh at."-Mark Twain
The bottomland in front of you was flooded from the Chester bluff to the Missouri bluff, a distance of over 10 miles.
The Flood stage at Chester is normally 27 feet. During the Flood, the Mississippi River reached a maximum stage of 49.74 feet.
Over 1,000 of the 1,300 levees were breached or overtopped, displacing 70,000 people.
Homes in the plain were flooded to their second floor windows, covering much of the area in 10 to 20 feet of water. Nearly 50,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, 12,000 square miles of crops were lost and 52 people died.
Water closed the main riverfront roads eliminating access from the bypass to both Menard Correctional Center and the riverfront.
For at least 68 days the Chester Bridge was closed, forcing residents to drive to St. Louis or Cape Girardeau to cross the Mississippi River.
Not only was the Flood considered the most destructive, it was of the longest
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1993.
Location. 37° 54.287′ N, 89° 50.043′ W. Marker is in Chester, Illinois, in Randolph County. Marker is on Bridge Bypass Road (Illinois Route 150) south of Randolph Street. Marker is located at the Chester Welcome Center and Segar Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Bridge Bypass Rd, Chester IL 62233, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Chester Bridge (here, next to this marker); Chester, Randolph County, Illinois (a few steps from this marker); Lewis and Clark in Illinois (within shouting distance of this marker); Popeye (within shouting distance of this marker); Weistar House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Statehood of Illinois (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ham Gravy (approx. 0.3 miles away); Toar (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chester.
Photographed By Jason Voigt, November 30, 2020
2. Flood of 1993 Marker
Chester Bridge and Mississippi River are in the background
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 249 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 6, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
