Did you know? Buck Island’s correct island number is 53. But a confusion of numbers that began just below Memphis around 1874 reaches all the way down to this small Arkansas island. It originally lay in the middle of the river, was numbered Nr. 51 but is now firmly attached to the Mississippi shore just north of several casinos in Tunica County. John James Audubon wandered over Buck Island in December, 1820, marveling at the large number of ducks, geese and seagulls he saw in the area. During the Civil War, Buck Island was the scene of a clever little smuggling operation. Although Union gunboats were constantly patrolling the area, the rebels somehow managed to quietly ferry across 12 wagonloads of arms and ammunition at Buck Island in 1864. By the time Union forces became aware of what was going on the rebels and their supplies had all vanished. In June, 1866 the steamer City of Memphis exploded and burned opposite Buck Island. Built in 1857, none other than Mark Twain served as a pilot on her in the spring and early summer of 1860. Of her he wrote, “The City of Memphis is the largest boat in the trade and the hardest to pilot, and consequently I can get a reputation on her, which is a thing I never could accomplish on a transient boat. I can ‘bank’ in the neighborhood of $100 a month on her, and that will satisfy me for the present (principally because the other youngsters are sucking their fingers.) Bless me! What a pleasure there is in revenge!” On her last trip up the river, the big boat had run aground just above Vicksburg, but a high wind and heavy rains had dislodged her from the sandbar and she had hurried on upstream to her doom. Newspapers reported that about 60 people lost their lived in the explosion and fire. The City of Memphis was an old boat at the time of her demise. She had been well known and extremely popular in her day. In 1858, she had carried so many passengers that a daily newspaper published on board proved to be a successful and lucrative venture.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 17:14:31 +0000
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