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Episode 192: Did You Know The Greatest Maritime Disaster In The United States Happened In Arkansas?

About the Show:

Being a member of Rotary certainly has its privileges. We heard the next guest of the podcast at a Rotary meeting. Retired Judge John Fogleman shared a historically significant story with our club about the greatest maritime disaster in US History. We were surprised to learn that this disaster did not occur off our East (Atlantic) or West Coast (Pacific). It happened just off the shores of Arkansas on the Mighty Mississippi River about seven miles North of what is now downtown Memphis. 

Judge Fogleman sat down with us to share the whole story of the Sultana disaster, which took place in April of 1865, only a few weeks after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. There are so many plots and subplots in this story, and Judge Fogleman does a great job outlining them all. 

You will never look at a steamboat the same again. 

We hope you enjoy this episode of The I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast. We had a lot of fun sitting down with the judge, and this is a piece of history that we all need to be aware of. This story moves you. We encourage you to support the building of the Sultana Disaster Museum so that this story and all of the remaining artifacts from the ship have a permanent home. 

All this and more on this episode of the I am Northwest Arkansas podcast.

Important Links and Mentions on the Show*

Email Judge Fogleman

Rotary on Facebook

Sultana Disaster on Facebook

This episode is sponsored by*

Signature Bank of Arkansas “Community Banking at its Best!”

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Northwest Arkansas Council – “Life Works Here!”

*Note: some of the resources mentioned may be affiliate links. This means we get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Signature Bank of Arkansas “Community Banking at its Best!”

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