Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/374

 314 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI an Indian word which signifies ' ' liquid mud. ' ' An act of Congress was passed in 1850 which donated lands to the state for the purpose of reclaiming swamp lauds within their limits. Large tracts of these lands were then given by the state to the counties for this purpose. The question of the reclamation of these swamp lands was early agitated in Pemsicot county. It was the desire of many of the people of the county to build a levee along the bank of the Mississippi river to protect it from the overflows. It was proposed by some that the levee should be built and paid for in lands at the price of !)il.25 per acre. Stancil, who had been a judge of the county court, and who had resigned, opposed this plan of levee construction. He advocated the sale of the lands at a public auction, at a minimum price of .$1.25, and that the money realized from this sale should be appropriated to tlip work of leveeing and draining thei lands. He circulated a petition, which was afterward presented to the court, asking that this plan of disposing of the lands should be adopted. He was opposed by William S. Moseley, then a member of the legislature from New Madrid and Pemsicot counties, and the plan proposed was defeated. The court decided to build the levee, and to issue in payment for the work county scrip, which could be used in locating the land, at $1.25 per acre. After the plan was determined, there arose a contest over the location of the levee. Stancil believed that it should be placed on the west side of Cypress bayou and Big lake, biit it was finally built along the bank of the river and extended, with two small breaks, along the entire length of the county. It was not long after its construc- tion until it became evident that it was lo- cated too near the river, and it soon was washed away. This contest left some bitter feeling among the people of the county. St. Fr.vncois Levee District This state levee was completely destroyed by the caving of the banks of the river in 1893. The legislature created the St. Francis levee district of Missouri, embracing all that part of the state in the St. Francis valley lying in the counties of New Madrid, Pemis- cot and Dunklin. A board of directors was appointed to manage the affairs of the dis- trict and to build a levee, consisting W. G. Petty, Reuben Chapman and John Black, of Dunklin county; Dr. J. J. Williams, J. T. Girvin and Alphouso DeLisle, of New JMa- drid coimty; and J. A. Cvmningham, J. M. Brasher and G. W. Carleton, of Pemsicot county. The first meeting of the board was held in New Madrid March 29, 1893. Dr. J. J. Williams was made president, W. D. Schult, secretary; J. A. Cunningham, treas- urer, and Captain N. H. Pharr, chief engi- neer. G. W. Carleton, of Pemsicot county, died March 30, 1893, and Hina C. Schult was appointed as his successor. In August of that year the building of the levee was com- menced. It was raised to an average height of 7 feet in 1896 and 1897. Since that time there has been constant work done on the levee until it has been raised to an average of 11 feet. It extends from just south of the town of New Madrid to the state line and cost about $650,000. The United States gov- ernment paid $120,000 of this, the state of Missouri $20,000, and the district, by taxa- tion, $510,000. Courts op the County The circuit court in Pemsicot county was organized October 25, 1852, by Judge Har-