The North American continent in 1811 was a wild and unknown land. The pioneer movement that would soon grip the United States had not yet taken hold, and vast areas of the country were still wilderness. Missouri was part of that wilderness, and the town of New Madrid, a small river town about 180 miles south of St. Louis, was little more than a village nestled comfortably at the edge of the civilized world.

There was nothing extraordinary about New Madrid. That is, not until the evening of December 16, 1811. That night the townspeople, looking forward to their Christmas celebrations, had gone to bed. Suddenly, around 2 A.M., the ground began to shake. One anonymous resident of the town later wrote a description of what happened for the local newspaper:

About 2 o'clock this morning we were awakened by a most tremendous noise, which the house danced about...