Little River Drainage District

The Little River Drainage District in Cape Girardeau, MO, traces its origins back to the early French trappers who named the region Little River. Established under the Swamp Land Act of 1850, the district was created to drain federally owned swamp land and convert it into productive agricultural use.

Recognizing the fertile soil created by sediment deposits from the Mississippi River and Ozark foothill streams, landowners in the area devised plans in the 1840s to transform the swamp into farmland. Today, the Little River Drainage District stands as the largest drainage district in the United States, a testament to the successful transformation of the landscape.

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