Yes, Charlie, if ya look at the map there's a "swelling" where the river bends westward and then back eastward at the town site of Cape Girardeau. ie. "a cape" of sorts. It's only about 15 miles north (as the crow flies) of Cairo, Illinois where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi down in that part of S. Illinois called EGYPT. That's close to NEW MADRID, Mo. where in 1812 the N.M.fault "quaked" and the Mississippi ran backwards for 3 weeks---Reelfoot Lake was formed---entire forests were leveled---and this is no tall tale. If it'd been populated as it is now millions would've been killed. The steamboat ROOSEVELT rode out the quake as well as WEEKS of aftershocks(somehow) on the breast of the river! See B.A. Botkin's grand book---TREASURY OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOLKLORE.

The New Madrid Fault mooved again a couple years ago. We felt it here in Peru, Illinois---100 miles S.W. of Chicago.

Art