New Madrid, Missouri

Overview

• Location: New Madrid County, Missouri
• Legal status: Fourth-class city
• Population: 3,334 (Change since 1990: -0.5%)
• Founded: 1783 by Francois and Joseph LaSieur
• Name origin: Madrid, Spain
• Previously known as: L'Anse a la Graisse

Geography

• Latitude: 36°35'16" N   (+36.5878)
• Longitude: 89°32'09" W   (-89.5358)
• Elevation: 305 feet above sea level
• Civil township: New Madrid
• Land area: 4.5 square miles

As the crow flies, New Madrid is...

• 3.8 miles NE of Howardville
• 4.3 miles E of Lilbourn
• 4.3 miles S of Ristine
• 4.8 miles E of North Lilbourn
• 5.8 miles S of La Forge
• 6.1 miles SE of Kewanee
• 6.4 miles NE of Marston
• 7.2 miles S of Farrenburg
• 7.3 miles NW of Lone Star
• 7.7 miles E of Dodds
• 49.8 miles S of Cape Girardeau
• 145.4 miles S of St. Louis

History

Name origin

Named for Madrid, Spain

Previous names

The town was originally called L'Anse a la Graisse or "The Cove of Grease". It was founded on a bend in the river already known as "Greasy Bent".

Timeline

1783

L'Anse a la Graisse founded by the LaSieur brothers, French-Canadian fur trappers.

ca. 1789

Spain granted Col. George Morgan a governorship of a portion of New Spain after he makes grand promises to develop the region.

1789

Col. George Morgan took control of the town and renamed it New Madrid, hoping to turn it into the future capital of New Spain.

ca. 1790

Spain rescinded George Morgan's power after complaints that he had been selling land without permission. Morgan went back to his home in New Jersey.

ca. 1803

New Madrid incorporated

1811

New Madrid destroyed by earthquakes along the New Madrid Fault.

Demographics