Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/418

 358 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI of them miles in length and at such a height as to preclude the probability of their ever giving way. These levees were built under govern- ment supervision and in part at government expense, the greater part of their cost, how- ever, was borne by the people whose lands were affected, who organized levee districts and placed a tax against lands for this pur- pose. This levee building was the first work done toward the reclamation of the swamp lands and while its results were very evident and very gratifying, it became evident that levee building alone was not sufficient. The levees saved from overflow thousands of acres and made it possible for land to be cul- tivated without fear of damage from the Mis- sissippi river, but there were hundreds of thousands of acres in the swamps of Little river and other streams in the section, which could not be utilized without the cutting of drainage ditches. A realization of this fact coupled with a rise in the value of Southeast Missouri lands led to the organization of drainage disti'icts and the cutting of drain- age ditches and canals throughout the over- flowed regions. The effect of these drainage ditches was soon apparent, the ditches made it possible to cultivate large tracts of land which were be- fore practically worthless and the produc- tions of Southeast Missouri increased at a marvelous rate. In order to understand the drainage sys- tem of Southeast IMissouri it is necessary to keep in mind the physical condition of the alluvial plains. A line drawn from the Mis- sissippi river at Cape Girardeau southwest to the Arkansas line at the southeast corner of Ripley county, follows practically the divid- ing line between the Ozark uplift and the Mis- sissippi basin. The great stretch of territory lying south and east of this line is nil alluvial flat laud with the exception of two ridges. Be- ginning about two and a half miles south of Cape Girardeau and stretching along the bank of the river to a short distance below Commerce, is a ridge of hills known as the Scott county hills, and these and the ridge which extends through Stoddard county and part of Dunklin county into Arkansas and which is known as Crowlej's ridge, form the only exception to the alluvial character of this part of Southea.st Missouri. The Scott county hills, which do not cover a very large area, have a rather rough sur- face, still much of the area is capable of cul- tivation. Crowley's ridge is principally com- posed of hills of clay sloping from the south- east to the northwest and being very rapidly worn by stream action. The other physical features of the section are first of all, beginning at the river and go- ing toward the west, an elevated level plain of high bottom land from 3 to 8 miles in width and extending south from the Scott county hills through Scott and New iladrid counties, reaching the river at New Madrid and then extending along the river to the south line of New Madrid county. This ele- vated ridge is generally known as the Sikes- ton ridge ; it is the great corn, wheat and cotton producing area of the counties men- tioned. Just east of Crowley's ridge stretch- ing south from Dexter to the Arkansas line and lying between the St. Fi-ancois river and Little river, is another ridge somewhat simi- lar in character to the Sikeston ridge ; on this elevated land are situated the towns of Bemie. Maiden, Kennett and others. East of the Sikeston ridge and stretching to the Mississippi river is a territory which is sometimes called the Charleston district ; much of this district at one time was subject to overflow bv the river but was not disturbed