University of Missouri - St. Louis
Claude N. Strauser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District

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Cape Girardeau, Missouri Flood Wall Construction - Mississippi River 1927 Flood 59.

Introduction

The flood of 1927 is considered one of the worst floods of the 1900s. It started around the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and flooded the tributaries southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The flooded area covered 27,000 square miles, including the towns of Forrest City, Arkansas; Greenville, Mississippi; Vicksburg, Mississippi; Hamburg, Louisiana; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Even though the flood peaked in April, water did not go below flood stage for two months. The floods caused 246 deaths, displaced 700,000 people, destroyed or damaged 137,000 buildings and caused $347,000,000 in financial loss (data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

The Collection

This collection has 69 images showing rescue work and refugees from the 1927 flooding of the Mississippi River Valley.

Rights and Reproductions

For use of these materials please see the St. Louis Mercantile Library Copyright Statement at http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/gen-info/rights.html for contact information.

How to Use This Collection

These images may be browsed or searched. The materials are searchable by title, subject and description.

Additional Resources

Further information on the Claude N. Strauser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District may be found online at http://www.umsl.edu/pott/collections/strauser.htm.

For additional information on floods or flood control in the years following 1927, please see:

Additional resources showing the flood’s aftermath along the length of the Mississippi River or its long-term impact on government policy are available in the following collections:

Mervin J. LaBorde Papers at McNeese State University
Resources for Waterways Transportation at Tulane University
Neighborhood Union Collection, 1908-1933 at the Atlanta University Center
New Orleans (La.). Dept. of Public Property. Records, 1912-1947 at the City Archives, New Orleans Public Library