1912 Flood @ Memphis

Only a few places along the lower Mississippi River are naturally protected from flooding. One of these is downtown Memphis, or at least most of downtown Memphis, which sits high on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff.

In 1912, the Mississippi River south of Cairo, IL, reached record water levels. In Memphis, where flood level is 34’, the Mississippi reached flood stage on March 24 and stayed above that level for 60 days. That year, the river crested at Memphis twice: on April 6 at 45.3’ and again on May 10th at 38.9’. Read more »

Confining the MS River

Flood control requires political will, large amounts of capital, and the help of mother nature whether you're dealing with the Brisbane River's 7,668 square mile drainage basin in Australia or the Mighty Mississippi's 1,245,000 square mile drainage basin, the 3rd largest in the world. Click to enlarge the map that shows the hills and levees that help confine the lower Mississippi River to her channel.

Taming the Mississippi for navigation, commerce, and to prevent flooding became official U. S. policy in 1879 when Congress established the Mississippi River Commission. But the Commission had neither the manpower nor the money to make the goal a reality. In 1882 Congress enacted the Rivers & Harbors Act and placed responsibility for the river under the Secretary of War. Under this arrangement, the work would be carried out by the US Army Corps of Engineers with the Commission as supervisor.Read more »

Ringing Out the Old and In the New

Some British visitors left their name in December,



and on Jan. 1, the Cobblestone Landing was a great place for the 1st walk of the New Year.





But all the action wasn't on land. Even though it was frigid, water skiiers were in the harbor. It was the 34th Annual Ski Freeze sponsored by the Collierville Ski Club, and the chill bumps were worth it; proceeds went to the Memphis Dream Factory.