The Great Mississippi Flood of 1874: Its Extent, Duration, and Effects

The circular documents a catastrophic flood that breached levees along the Mississippi, creating multiple crevasses and submerging more than twelve million acres across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. It estimates widespread agricultural ruin, prolonged high water, and displacement of tens of thousands of inhabitants who face immediate hunger, ruined livestock, and delayed planting. The author quantifies damages, maps the inundated parishes and counties, and urgently appeals to cities and philanthropic bodies for cash and provisions, warning that existing relief funds are nearly exhausted and that extensive aid will be required to avert famine and long-term economic disaster.