Major General James G. Blunt

Niota (also East Fort Madison, East Fort Madison Station) is an unincorporated community in Appanoose Township, Hancock County, in the U.S. state of Illinois.^[3] The community is located on the bank of the Mississippi River and is at the eastern end of the Fort Madison Toll Bridge, which connects Niota to Fort Madison, Iowa. Niota is the western terminus of Illinois Route 9 and is also served by Illinois Route 96, which is part of the Great River Road.^[4]

History

The community has fought Mississippi River flooding (cresting levees) through its history. In response to Upper Mississippi River flooding in April 1965, the US Coast Guard sent its Goldenrod to the community on May 3, 1965, for relief.^[5]

During the July 1993 flooding, inmates helped local residents to reinforce the levees in order to save the community. The effort failed, and the 1993 flood damage from the Mississippi River was the worst in its history.^[6] The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposed that the community be relocated and incorporated at a cost of $8.5 million, though most townspeople preferred to stay where they were.^[7]

Geography

Niota is located at 40°37′03″N 91°17′17″W / 40.61750°N 91.28806°W / 40.61750; -91.28806 at an elevation of 522 feet.

Demographics

Transportation

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, which operates between Los Angeles and Chicago, passes through the town on BNSF tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in Fort Madison, 1 mile (1.6 km) across the Mississippi river.

References

• 1993 Mississippi River Record Stages and Levee Failures along the Illinois Border