MISSOURI: Bleak, Crime Infested Towns In The Bootheel - What I Actually Saw

I visited the small towns of Caruthersville, Hayti, Kennett & Cardwell.
USA Travel Vlog 207

[@jamesbarnett2483]

Wal Mart came to Caruthersville in 1976...and pretty much hollowed out the downtown area. No more Ace Hardware, sporting goods, 5 and dime type stores-they all went out of business. Then, Wal Mart closed and the town was left with almost nothing. It is also important to note that a terrible tornado destroyed a large portion of the city in 2006, and it really hasn't recovered.

[@Kevin87A]

That was just a small WalMart and was never a supercenter. It didn't offer groceries. So that's not a great excuse.

[@Bejaardenbus]

@@Kevin87A A place like that does drive others out of business, and that's usually the downfall of places like this. There's less diversity in what's on offer, and once a massive, country-spanning company things "Oh, not enough profit, shut it down" then suddenly there's virtually no shopping ecosystem anymore, and the people living there are too poor to set up a shop or too old.

[@panchopuskas1]

Amazon and similar have had a devastating effect on Main Streets and downtowns everywhere.......and not only in America.....

[@nonegone7170]

@@panchopuskas1 Just like people get the government they deserve, so do they get the shopping they deserve : )

[@steveib724]

Yep and now Amazon going to but Walmart out good

[@lk3309]

So many people from all over the world watching videos of crummy little Missouri towns amazes me. Hello fro Sikeston, Missouri everyone!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

We spent a couple nights in Sikeston at the Drury. Nice town!

[@nelsonmcatee3721]

I go to Lambert's as often as I can from 120 miles up in Illinois 😋. I even met Norman Lambert once and he tore my check up. I was embarrassed when I went to the cashier's but they said he does that sometimes.🤣I couldn't believe it when I heard he committed suicide.

[@thebookishbryants]

@@nelsonmcatee3721 I am from Dexter, Missouri originally. It's 20 miles from Sikeston. I live in Georgia now, but when i go to Missouri to see my family we always hit Lambert's. Still our favorite restaurant in the world. A bit of trivia, my dad went to high school in Sikeston and Norman Lambert was his PE teacher. He said he was an excellent teacher. Scott.

[@wormy_83]

Ireland 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@lk3309]

@@wormy_83 Hello from hot and humid southeast Missouri.

[@frankd4875]

One other famous person from Caruthersville, MO was the late, great electric guitarist Reggie Young, who toured with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison in the 50s, played lead guitar for Johnny Horton on the Louisiana Hayride in 1958, toured with the Beatles with their opening act Bill Black's Combo on their first US tour in 1964, played lead guitar in session recordings with Elvis on his comeback album From Elvis in Memphis in 1969, and toured live as lead guitarist for The Highwaymen for five years in the early 90s after playing sessions with them in the 80s, as well as playing in sessions at American Sound Studio in Memphis for various artists including Bobby Bland, Wilson Pickett, the Box Tops, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, Etta James, Boz Scaggs, Waylon Jennings, Dusty Springfield, Joe Tex, B. J. Thomas, Solomon Burke, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and many others. He was elected to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019, the year he passed. He was recognized for being one of the "Memphis Boys" that recorded over 120 hit records in the late 60s and early 70s, and was later recognized as being a "Nashville Cat" after he later relocated to Nashville and began doing country music session work.

[@sunnyskye213]

AMAZING talents....I toured 'Sun Studio' early 90s; was in awe w/all the artist whom had recorded there....

[@andyokus5735]

Reggie also played his ass off on Herbie Mann's album something " Gambler ". I remember as a teen his playing blew my mind!

[@darrellm.9622]

Thanks for adding that information apparently this jackals doesn't tell all the famous people from that town ohh I'm sorry he said no one on the A list

[@sunnyskye213]

@AlisaRed◇BandanaDashaVVV41 Brigades Don't think I knew that....Thanks!

[@sunnyskye213]

@AlisaRed◇BandanaDashaVVV41 Brigades Where I live TEXAZZ ..

[@petergorm]

Your channel will go over in history as evidence of how it was at this certain age in time. Absolutely love your channel. Cheers to both of you!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, PG!

[@angiehatley-mh2sz]

They were very misinforming

[@stephaniepersin4222]

In a way, people probably don’t like living where you travelled to but they don’t have many options, if any. This is what happens when companies go overseas and leave USA citizens high and dry when it comes to jobs that pay a livable wage.

[@bthomson]

Yes!

[@standunitedorfall1863]

Yes, the greed of a few causes misery to many. Shameful.

[@glennmcdonald2028]

They got what they voted for...In my State, the Minimum Wage is $17/hr....In Missouri, low wages keep the Working Poor working and poor...We got what we voted for - Liveable Wages.

[@extraart1]

Just keep voting Republican! They love the working class!

[@nevadacario2000]

@@extraart1 and democrats too? I don't get why some people blame both sides when its happening everywhere.

[@Philliben1991]

As a European it looks like any notion of town planning is completely non existent in these places. Everything is in a grid whether that's a good idea or not. The architecture is mostly dismal. Every thing seems to be designed with a sort of 'stay off my lawn' attitude and there is absolutely no sense of community or shared spaces. Even places like shops and bars are drive in, drive out. Everything is spread out and it's all about staying away from other people instead of engaging. The fact that you almost never see anyone on the streets is absolutely bizarre.

[@StandWatie1862]

Yeah it's not a human terrarium. We don't live on top of eachother

[@Rekless70]

Think your right. everything is too car centric here, Europeon architecture and building codes better in some ways. Caruthersville and Haiti have allways been very poor.

[@GratefulGma08]

I just stumbled upon your channel. It caught my attention because I had family from this area. My mom was born in Braggadocio and we traveled down to Hayti (hay tie), C’ville and Bragg City when I was a kid. My grandma handpicked cotton as I’m sure a lot of our family and other families did as well. This is bringing back so many memories. It’s still a beautiful area to me. Thank you for your videos!

[@zachrabey727]

My grandma was born in Braggadocio! I'm not even sure where that is though. South of Sikeston, I think.

[@tylerrudd5461]

My entire fathers side is from Cruthersville, kennett and Hayti. My father was born in Hayti in 1960. The people there have always lived simple hard working lives as I have been told. A lot of Farming. My great grandmothers house was just sold, it still doesn’t have central Air. I still have family there, but half moved towards St. louis which is where I was born. I do visit the area every few years. Not many opportunities. The cemetery in Hayti is interesting, a lot of very old tombstones, 100’s of years old.

[@tonym2513]

My Mom’s side are from Hornersville. Kennet was the big city to them. =)

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

Once upon a time, as you would drive into my home town of Galena Park, TX, there was a sign out front of the business that said "Welcome to Galena Park...home of 5, 283 good people....and a few nuts."

[@denisesmith2745]

Lol!!! That’s funny!!!!

[@nelsonmcatee3721]

Only 5000 people? Isn't Galena Park the home of North Shore high school, Texas 6A runner-up in football?

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

@@nelsonmcatee3721 No. Galena Park is an incorporated city of its own since 1944, but Galena Park School District is a bit larger, and includes part of east Houston north of the ship channel. Yes, GPISD included North Shore HS, but most of GPISD, including some areas that actually attend GPHS, are actually a part of Houston….Jacinto City is a separate city, but has a Houston mailing address, Greens Bayou, Woodland Acres, and Pyburn are all a part of Houston. And everything north of I-10, all of North Shore….is a part of Houston. Simply put, in Texas, there is a difference between city governments, and school district governments. GP is a city. GPISD is much larger.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

@@nelsonmcatee3721 Oh…and North Shore isn’t runner up. They’ve won the state championship twice.

[@nelsonmcatee3721]

@@LyleFrancisDelp thanks for the info. The school districting system must be different than up here in Illinois. I only know about this year's 6A UIL playoffs. I think Duncanville beat them. I was keeping track because it was rumored that East St Louis would be playing Duncanville this coming fall. But I think their opponent will be Atascocita from Humble TX September 9th

[@oskarsmom7552]

So so sad to see these small towns that have gone to hell. You can tell they were charming back in the day before jobs got shipped out of the country. That’s when everything started getting bad. Kids that would have stayed and worked where their Dads did leave , the older generation that sadly sees their towns decline die off and you’re left with decay. I for one enjoy the architecture of the old homes/buildings. So poignant to see them run down yet I can see what they used to be. It’s an awful reality what politicians have done to this once hard working country.

[@tomduley6357]

This area produces a lot of crops such as soybean and cotton. My ancestors settled here in the 1940's as sharecroppers. With the advent of mechanized farming techniques, the farm labor was no longer needed, and many people went elsewhere looking for work. There also used to be an aluminum mill in the Bootheel called Noranda that employed a lot of people and they earned union wages. That closed in 2016 which has further plunged that part of the state into poverty and economic uncertainty. There are still a lot of large farms in the area so some do quite well, but this applies to only a few people.

[@bobwallace9814]

My Grandmother's grand parents settled there in the 1860's. My dad was born on a farm in Hollywood. The LuLu cemetery has plenty of ancestors buried there. The farm was the Coburn farm. Cotton was king and so was lumbering. I have plenty of late 1800 early 1900 pictures but had no idea what it looked like today.

[@garagekeys]

What about those in Canada, they use Celsius

[@corypeacock556]

That's story is everywhere USA

[@conniemoney4459]

That last town … if you’re poor .. go to a town you can afford to live in.

[@lk3309]

Noranda reopened as Magnitude Seven. Some people drive an hour one way to work

[@cecolson]

My dad’s maternal ancestors settled the bootheel area in the 1700s soon after the end of the American Revolution but before the Louisiana Purchase, when it was still called the New Madrid Territory and included a small portion of northeast Arkansas in what is now Mississippi County. My dad’s paternal ancestors and both of mom’s paternal and maternal ancestors moved to the bootheel soon after the end of the Civil War, traveling from Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. I consider Kennett home and visit at least relatives there at least once a year although I’ve lived in southern Arkansas for the past 30 years. My mom’s family is still on the bootheel and so is my dad’s family but they are a little north of Kennett in the area of Gideon, MO. Kennett was once the safest and nicest little town you could imagine. It’s still relatively safe. It’s economy has done better than Haiti’s which has always been bad, even before I was born in 1964. It was poor when my dad was boy back in the 1930’s and had a higher crime rate than the other small towns in the area. You are mispronouncing Haiti. The last syllable is pronounced as a long I instead of a long e. I do not know much about Caruthersville except you are mispronouncing it’s name, also. The u is pronounced as a short vowel instead of a long U. I have lived in the small bootheel towns of Campbell and Holcomb also. My dad was a preacher in the Church of Christ for 52 years and he preached in many of the towns in the bootheel as well as northeast Arkansas.

[@twistoffate4791]

I caught the mispronunciation as well. It's kuh-ruh-thers-ville.

[@jamesadams3476]

My dad's side is from a little town called harville missouri. Also have some family in neeleyville

[@Kevin87A]

So I grew up in Kennett. 1. The Daily Dunklin Democrat is not boarded up that's just the design they went with. It's still being published 2. Sheryl Crows parents lived on Washington Ave, one of the roads you drove down with the nice houses, right across from the High School for many years before. relocating to a new subdivision. 3. Palace Theater has looked like that for at least 30 years. 4. That trailer park you drove past is where my parents lived when I was born. It wasn't like that 35 years ago from what I've been told.

[@sweetirishgirl8685]

I was born in Kennett

[@Rekless70]

Lived in kennet in 1982--1983 by the fairgrounds/airport. The town was much nicer then.

[@chrisanderson5317]

Walmart opens stores in small towns to put local retailers out of business. When they build regional Walmart super centers, the smaller satellite Walmarts are shuttered. So now folks in smaller towns have to drive miles to buy groceries. That's how Walmart rolls.

[@shootshellz]

No one forces anyone to buy anything from Wal-Mart.

[@chrisanderson5317]

@@shootshellz Walmart is willing to lose money to put local retailers out of business. They are as cutthroat as their Chinese masters.

[@willbass2869]

@@shootshellz after the orig mom:pop store close because of Walmart predatory pricing what do you expect?

[@richarddilger3339]

😢​@@shootshellz

[@richarddilger3339]

​@@shootshellzis

[@bthomson]

They used to build such detailed buildings! Lovely brick work! Thoughtful designs! We have lost that ethos. It does not speak well for our mental health.

[@19jody72]

"Crutherville" is how you say it.. born down there in the bootheel.. Lived in New Madrid, Sikeston Minor, Blodgett, Morley and Benton

[@CodeNameV]

Don't forget South Africa. You have fans all over. Love the content.

[@bthomson]

That fans all over the world are fascinated by your videos says a lot both for their quality and interest in America's decline! Our great country has work to do!

[@arcademania7544]

Chicago, same difference 😬

[@CodeNameV]

@@bthomson let me tell you, South Africa is declining allot faster. It is very sad though to see the decline of rural USA.

[@deborahs2593]

Yes, "Deliverance" vibe. Felt it in a couple spots you went through. I live in Florida so we haven't really experienced entire industries leaving and the resulting despair, though there are spots here and there in piverty. Honestly I'm shocked by some of these small towns in our heartland. These were once busy little places. It is the way of life though- cycles of enterprise and growth followed by abandonment, change and resulting bleak periods. As a fellow citizen I feel for those in such lost places and I respect the way you present all the places you visit. Your voice never sounds condescending or smug, nor dripping with outrage and anger. You are genuinely interested and curious, informative and you simply observe and tell the story. Not hearing "shouldawouldacoulda" is a relief.

[@angiehatley-mh2sz]

This was not informative . He done no research except on population and the prices if housing Knew nothin ng if why our little towns were the way they were . If you live in Florida maybe you know nothing either

[@the3dhermit]

The town Haiti is pronounced like Hey- tie. We have different ways of saying things in South East Missouri and Southern Illinois. Cairo Illinois is pronounce Care- oh New Madrid Missouri is pronounced Mad- rid. I'm sure people all around the world get annoyed when the names of their towns are mispronounced.

[@jeffwebb2966]

My favorite in the area is Versailles Illinois. Pronounced Ver Sales of course. 😅

[@MENFUSSMIKE]

Mispronounced Caruthersville too

[@tammyk9772]

But who's mispronouncing them? Maybe the original name was meant to be pronounced differently than they town's people pronounce it. People can sure get silly about such things. Kinda like the pronoun mistakes. There is a guy who melts down anytime someone calls him a "sir", and if you ask me, I think this just encourages people to intentionally call him that just cause he's so serious, which makes it so silly. When verbal errors made are your worse problem, then you must have very few problems.

[@vonjunzt4130]

I lived in New Mexico and Madrid was pronounced the same way as y'all do. So all the names were anglicized which they probably should be.

[@drewbladen1668]

The town is Hayti

[@MrDEWaters]

Sometimes Walmart will close its store in one part of town and build a bigger store somewhere else nearby. I don't know about Caruthersville though. My grandparents lived there in the 1920s, and there was poverty then also. My grandma went around acting as a midwife for Black women who couldn't afford medical care and lived in old shacks.. They would give her maybe a live chicken as payment. My grandfather moved around the area and worked as a lumberjack when they were clearing all the land for farmland. Sometimes they picked cotton. Supposedly the cotton pickers used to pull up wild onions along the side of the road and make sandwiches out of them for lunch. My grandfather used to ride the rails to East St. Louis, where he learned the meat-cutting trade, and that allowed him to move away to Jackson, TN and finally Phoenix, where he managed meat markets. This area actually has the most agricultural wealth in Missouri. Out in the rural areas the folks who own acreage live in nice homes.

[@tyler-qw6xg]

There are many nice homes in these towns as well. They just weren't shown.

[@rebeccacambier5380]

Can’t hear you for the ladies laughter

[@JamesBrown-ux9ds]

So overwhelming and super convincing that this Nation and these people here intend to become 'sole empire and world dominator number one'. (1) (america already has been over borrowing money on her substance too much just to try 'to take over the world'? A world refusing and oppose to become 'taken over' quit strong i think.) 1 - A sane and smart phantasy?

[@actionsub]

Much of that area hasn't been prosperous since around the Civil War when river traffic was a major component of shipping. My father lived around Hayti in the 30s and the area was rather impoverished then too. He got out of there when World War 2 broke out and never looked back. Post-war he found his way to East St. Louis where jobs were plentiful and stayed in that area the rest of his life.

[@MrDEWaters]

@@actionsub My grandmother's sister told me that when she lived in Hayti there was a huge flood and the water was halfway up the sides of her bed. I think there was a big flood in the first decades of the 20th century but I would have to look up the year. . My mom lived there briefly in the 20s before they moved to Arizona.

[@zachrabey727]

It really is crazy, you get south of Cape Girardeau and lots of the area is rough. Sikeston, New Madrid, Charleston, Caruthersville, Malden, even over to Dexter and Poplar Bluff.

[@zachrabey727]

@@user-sn2dt6ib4f Yeah. Of course i was never around to see these towns in their heyday, but I've heard that they used to be nicer. Probably just aging infrastructure, coupled with a lot of railroad spurs closing down. I know the railroad leaving is what really killed the town I used to live in.

[@YSLRD]

​@@zachrabey727 Population decline is ramping up.

[@denisesmith2745]

I loved our drive today! Thank you! The towns were so interesting. Gosh, I can only speak for myself, but every house with people living in them, no matter what they look like on the outside, I picture it being tidy and home cooked aromas on the inside. My dad taught me to be a glass half full person. He was right. Anyone else ever placing yourself living in there like I do? I love the way you talk to us and telling us all the statistics. Some of those homes were beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, give Nicole my love. Top Hat lounge you saw had me envisioning a classy, fun place at one time. I like the name. I send all my love and thanks to you and Nicole always

[@busybeenature9092]

Nice to visit all the places in Missouri. I am not from US, but I believe that having a vast area of land everywhere there, the prices of property should be much less, at least in towns, so that people can afford at least a house of their own. So that they can afford to spend on food, education and other necessities. Thanks 🙏

[@olinwright7628]

Excited to get back into these videos. Thanks always!

[@45AMT]

Love the small town videos! Great job. Keep em coming!

[@starphase1623]

You're viewing audience love Animals of all kinds . Always a pleasure to see so many different places and attractions on your journeys. You are a wonderful tour guide . Thank you . 🌷🐕🐾💞😻 .

[@tomcat7525]

Amazing to see a geodesic dome home. Hi from 🇦🇺. I learn more about the real USA from your channel than anything else I see on a screen. 👍

[@georgettedenholm477]

Thank you for naming that strange structure, I was hoping someone who enlighten me, and you did.

[@gnolan4281]

How can there be high crime if there's nobody there? The buildings are there & the cars are there. It's like a Twilight Zone episode.

[@badxradxandy]

Opiates and people stealing to fund their addiction

[@canadadelendaest8687]

fentanyl

[@marcusbuckner5582]

It's daylight......

[@lk3309]

Most drug addicts don't start moving around until early afternoon. I'm watching society breaking down during my lifetime

[@porkerthepig]

Thing is when the population is small one or two individuals can really bring the crime statistics up

[@onthefritzfarm]

My mom’s family is from Cardwell/Arbyrd. Our doctor had his office in Cardwell. He delivered both my parents and me. The southern most school district in Missouri is in Cardwell. That gas station in Cardwell used to be Eddie Risinger’s package store.

[@lizowens3180]

I am really enjoying your real world trips through the cities and towns of the USA. Very interesting! You are doing an excellent job! Thank you!

[@gatorgogo2742]

So much despair, neglect, & poverty! It's pitiful and depressing to see.

[@andyokus5735]

Welcome to the future of America.

[@deloiscallaway9442]

Wow This Video Was Everything Thanks For Taking Us Along For The Ride Like You said you know it’s bad when Walmart is closed You do such an Amazing job with these Videos Thank You

[@yawndave]

The opening scene looking out over the Mississippi kind of set the mood for the whole episode...a bit dreary. I'm looking forward to springtime when hopefully things will be brighter and greener in the places you visit. $2.99 a gallon...prices like that is what makes it so nice when I get out of California on my road trips. The cheapest in my neck of the woods is $4.52. Until next time, happy trails!

[@Markus_Andrew]

Thank you for reporting the temperature in Celsius as well as Fahrenheit, Lord. Mind you, as an old Aussie I grew up with the "imperial" system (we went metric in the mid-70s) so I'm familiar with both scales. But I appreciate the thoughtfulness! We switched to decimal currency earlier, in 1966. Thank heavens - as a kid, I could never get to grips with that cockeyed system of pence, shillings, pounds, etc. 12 pence in a shilling, 20 shillings in a pound... What sort of goofy numbers are those for a monetary system? Then there were farthings, half-pennies, florins, sixpences, threepences... My mum tried to explain it to me when I was little, but it broke my brain.

[@mariemccann5895]

You sound like a fun character...

[@chairlesnicol672]

He never mentioned Canada for being metric did he? I like the mph and degrees fahrenheit! We're not Britain anymore lol! Nor are we all that scientific to need metric! All mechanics tool can't b in inches they gotta b in millimeters!

[@RichardFelstead1949]

I started work in January 1966, 6 weeks before decimal currency.My pay went from £7.00 to $14.00 per week.

[@xa1a]

@@mariemccann5895 Yes, intelligence is a wonderful gift.

[@maryjeanjones7569]

​@@xa1a- I call it education.

[@stringalongmike1953]

Thanks, Lord Spoda. I always enjoy riding along with you.

[@marcelocoura7140]

Hello, Lord Spoda. I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I am enjoying your videos so much. In 2019 I could take in interchange English course for 6 weeks in Springfield, Missouri. There is a very good university in the city.. called Missouri State Univeesity and there it was the institution I did my course. It was a very good experience where I could study a lot and visit the tourist attractions in the city and other cities nearby. There is a large and wonderful aquarium in Springfield.

[@lk3309]

Did you go down to Branson? It's about an hour south of Springfield

[@jerseystotler3615]

I moved from Illinois up by Chicago to a farm outside Springfield, but I was able go to the Aquarium!!! It was on of the most fantastic, interesting things, I've ever seen in my life!!!

[@AveriesMiranda]

I live nearby and I’m glad you enjoyed it 🤗

[@Plemonoo]

I grew up in Caruthersville and later moved to Kennett MO. Caruthersville can get bad from shootings and just craziness. Very dangerous town

[@zachrabey727]

I used to always get Portageville and Caruthersville mixed up lol

[@felippuente1909]

Thank you for all those videos.

[@scratchingmonkey835]

I live in kennett Missouri and was born here but moved to Savannah TN in 1988 and I moved back in a year ago there was three police shootings here this year and at least 20 gang shooting the police are crypt and are worse than the gang members two of the police shootings were in my neighborhood thanks for visiting our town I love your videos

[@ricardohurtado5646]

My sister worked here as a travel nurse a year ago in a town called Bolivar. She pretty much said the same thing about Missouri. Bleak, depressing, poverty stricken, desolate, no culture, and almost dystopian. All the furniture outside the homes scream eviction, sadly. Never before have I seen the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar in one building. So sad that all of this can be found in the country’s heartland.

[@jakisfly]

That is a stretch. Grand yes boilver is a shit hole but dystopia? Lol no , everywhere else is the dystopia

[@jakisfly]

Go to the Ozarks in spring and tell me it’s bleak lol

[@ricardohurtado5646]

Now, I heard glowing praise about the Ozarks. Pretty much every state in the country has beautiful nature, and Missouri has amazing rivers. It’s just that the towns there are in stark decline.

[@jakisfly]

@@ricardohurtado5646 I’d rather live in a poor town than the actual dystopian societies held in other states. Every state has bad towns, at least in Missouri you’re free

[@extraart1]

Republican politicians and willfully ignorant christian voters assure that in most of Missouri, the rich will get richer and the poor will multiply. If only these people would take an interest in education for themselves and their children.

[@taspeedshop2451]

Country music singer David Nail is also from Kennett, Mo.

[@catlover614]

Great video. There are so many beautiful old buildings. The Post Office in the first town is gorgeous, with the dormer windows. So sad to see the many abandoned homes, most of them are so lovely. It's interesting how different the statistics can be in different towns. Cat sighting, awesome !! Thanks so much for another enjoyable video.😊

[@theblacksheep5226]

Caruthersville and Hayti are so depressing as it is unlikely they'll ever get any better. There's a lot more economic activity around Kennett

[@bennfisherr6317]

Caruthersville looks rough but weirdly fascinating at the same time. Never been to that part of the state. It makes my brain hurt when I think about the fact that the town of Caruthersville Missouri is actually SOUTH of most of the northernmost counties in Arkansas and Tennessee!

[@Zaspor]

11:15 "That is abandoned." I just wanted to be like ahh- first time in rural Missouri ehh? All Jokes aside you would be AMAZED at the amount of people that live in houses like that out here- I know I still am and I've been in this state for all my 32 years of life now.

[@thisisme3238]

Very interesting, especially the stats on each town. Thanks for the upload.

[@HaveKayaksWillTravel]

The trailer park was apocalyptic. Great video. 😃

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

Yep it's a Ghetto town when even Walmart closes down. Kmart yes Walmart no. I would imagine that they probably got Robbed so many times that they decided to get the hell out. Thank you for another great video.

[@michaelburkett3582]

Yea closing stores around Portland Oregon main reason because of theif. Just makes it hard on commities but just more dollar general stores I guess you look were majority of these stores are nothing wrong shopping DG just making a point

[@DaVid-yp3js]

What makes City/town a Ghetto?

[@michaelburkett3582]

@Da Vid when they are run down town or city not taking care of area then people in the town living there don't give a damn

[@DaVid-yp3js]

The poor areas in the rural areas are known as a ghetto rather than a hood. By tradition, the word “hood” referred to the areas where the majority of the population was African American.

[@santhanaraj5863]

Why is this happening everywhere?? Why the level of security is so low?? Who is causing this ??

[@ledzep3692]

I remember traveling around those towns when my daughter got her first job out of law school. The Boothell court houses kept her busy. She had to live near Jonesboro, Arkansas because that was the closest place where she could find a nice apartment to rent.

[@sheabuttabeauty6870]

my great aunt, hester (or aunt ninner as she was so lovingly called by us) lived in hayti all my life. she was the only family we had in that town. she lived to be over 100 before she passed away a few years ago.

[@1951RKP]

Go to East St Louis if you’re feeling brave. That was one of the scariest towns I’ve ever been too. Memphis be another.

[@fenian123]

Went there not not long ago, place seemed deserted E STL

[@robinrussell7965]

I have got to say, I did not see much of Memphis, but the people are so friendly there.

[@fredgardner2870]

I was a landlord in Trenton new jersey .. total dump.. I went thru east st. Louis. . By bus station.. I was amazed at how scary

[@fenian123]

@@fredgardner2870 Very, very rundown. I don't think I even saw 10 people, I guess everyone stays indoors

[@robinrussell7965]

@@fredgardner2870 I went through E St Louis by bus, on mescaline. 😂

[@whitehorse420]

Love this channel ! I would love to be able to go to the places y'all do but I also know it can be rough at times. Thanks for all you guys do. 😁 😊

[@bthomson]

Yes! We get to ride along and see all that was mighty! Sort of sad but also worth seeing! Thanks for the videos!

[@MegaBait1616]

Gotta be in top 3 cause he gives "Stats" of each place.... Good guy n easy to listen to.. be well.

[@SlavaBanderastan]

Only if you are afraid of ghosts in these ghost towns

[@whitehorse420]

@@MegaBait1616 I totally agree 💯👍

[@MegaBait1616]

@@whitehorse420 , Yep 👍 he's a good guy and makes good content.. be well..

[@markmark2080]

I had never thought of, or considered, that Missouri had a "boot heel" until I saw it in the title and instantly pulled up google maps...That's the first thing I've learned this morning, I can only wonder what else awaits me...I enjoy your videos, by the way...

[@bthomson]

Yes! We learn a lot!

[@toddforhetz]

keep watchin Marky Mark, U will learn a lot.

[@nelsonmcatee3721]

Missouri has a bootheel. Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma have panhandles.

[@lk3309]

The lowest point in Missouri is in the bootheel. They grow a lot of watermelon down that way

[@jhoggard8466]

We also have huge peach orchards here in the Bootheel. Campbell Missouri is the Peach Capital of Missouri lol I grew up there.

[@josephcornelius3198]

Love this kind of stuff. Thank you for sharing.

[@lk3309]

Next time drive through Parma, Missouri. Last time I was there it looked like a bombed out city

[@MikeConner88]

Baffles me why so much garbage and junk. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you have to live in filth. To me it's an indication of laziness not a lack of money!

[@YSLRD]

Mental illness or addiction. Maybe both.

[@teresap268]

I live in St Joseph, Mo and you surprised me with some of numbers you gave. I would say that would sell for about $12,000.

[@onthefritzfarm]

There’s subdivisions with higher priced houses.

[@chriszaferes5984]

Love your videos, keep up the great work!

[@Skyking6976]

I watched just over 20 minutes and had to stop. Could not believe where I lived and visited relatives is…I have no words. Kennett was a thriving town in the 60’s. Even had a country club with a beautiful manicured golf course by the highway to Hayti. Downtown was bustling. I remember a Gibsons discount going in. OMG…the devastation. Thank you for the video.

[@alexandralovesgoats3360]

The city hall and post office in Caruthersville are gorgeous. Love the river views. I’m guessing the houses in Kennett would sell for $50-60k. It always amazes me that people are allowed to stack up piles of things outside their homes. Thank you for another great video!

[@shootshellz]

'Allowed'?

[@brady3474]

No matter how impoverished the area, the government always finds a way to build their little palaces with the taxpayer’s money.

[@JermainesFault]

I worked in Blytheville w/ a guy from Kennett. He went to high school with Sheryl Crow. He told me her parents tried to play matchmaker with him to prevent her leaving town to pursue music🤣

[@onthefritzfarm]

Who was your coworker?

[@sunnyskye213]

Cute story....🙂

[@JermainesFault]

@@onthefritzfarm His name is Tim Simmons

[@onthefritzfarm]

@@JermainesFault don’t know him. Was born the same year as Crow but lived in the Senath area.

[@jamessimmons4770]

Well it wasn’t me but I wouldn’t of minded

[@vicvinegarDebo]

I'll show my grandad this, his family are from this area, principally Hayti missouri which is a stones throw away, also used to holiday in Cape giradue? Not sure where that is in relation. Great video man from UK

[@Terry9624]

Cape is north

[@vicvinegarDebo]

@@Terry9624 ah I see, is it or was it some sort of getaway/vacation area for people in missouri, thats how my grandad described it around the late 1950s early 60s

[@andandovou23]

There you go, your videos are wonderful, very good, I feel like I'm out there. And then, in Missouri, I've heard a lot about the town of Skidimore and people used to talk about a chubby brave man

[@Paul-67]

Living in England and with a interest in small town America I find your videos very interesting. One day (I hope) I will do a road trip in your varied country. I feel on the same wavelength as you when you make certain observations. I also like cats and have always been a Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell fan! Keep up the good work. Paul in sunny Stoke on Trent.

[@lk3309]

I would recommend traveling between St Louis and Memphis if you want to see the different small towns along the way. Johnny Cash's boyhood home is just off of I 55 in Dyess, Arkansas about 45 minutes south of Caruthersville, Missouri. Across the interstate is a small town called Wilson , Arkansas. The town square is Tudor style buildings I believe. There's an interesting archeological museum there with many human effigy vessels made by native Americans

[@1949ala]

You do a very good job on these ..keep up the good work

[@blackqueen052]

I'm from Missouri, you went though my town. I watch your videos when I can.Stay safe you and your. ❤🙏🏻

[@catholiccrusader5328]

Great job as always, sir.

[@YardMan]

Celsius in Canada as well.

[@fredthejunkman]

Lord, it's ca-ruh, not ca-roo. 😃 I lived in the bootheel - Kennett and Malden - which is a sad little town.

[@tomduley6357]

Yes I have family in the area and it is pronounced Car ruh thersville. Also, Hay tie instead of Haytee. However, an out-of-stater wouldn't know that. 🙂

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

A convienence store clerk told me it was pronounced the same as the country. In hindsight, perhaps the clerk didn't know how to pronounce "Haiti" right. :(

[@fredthejunkman]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip The clerk must not be a native. :)

[@Hopscotch_24]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Kuh RUH thurz ville

[@mackelby1]

Poplar Bluff here

[@brandyboo]

I'm from Illinois and when I fled to Texas I had to stop in Missouri for gas. I have never been scared - even on the southside of Chicago. but I admit I was scared in St. Louis and high tailed it out of there very quickly.

[@badxradxandy]

North side of STL is a third world hole.

[@MrDEWaters]

@@badxradxandy I live in a somewhat upscale suburb, so my area is safe--but everybody stays away from the north side, and they avoid even driving there. On the south side there is crime too, but I feel safer there than when I lived in Los Angeles.

[@robinrussell7965]

East St. Louis is the worst that I have seen, to this day.

[@badxradxandy]

@@MrDEWaters we're probably neighbors

[@brianmatthews4149]

Like curly from the 3 stooges. Feet don't fail me now.

[@lorriebeckhusen9351]

I'm guessing the price on some of those small houses are 15 to 20 thousand. That mobile home graveyard was strange!

[@bextar6365]

Got a trailer trash vibe driving by it !

[@brettacree757]

They have a ton of migrant workers in that area. Watermelon and cantaloupe farms draw a lot of workers. More than likely the trailers are where they live while they are working.

[@arturo468]

I'm from the UK and I have watched several of these interesting clips. The majority of the smaller towns seem very similar with a main street that looks like any other, hardly any people around, vacant units and wooden houses in the suburbs, most of which need maintenance or are empty. Unlike the UK, there is often hardly any litter, or graffiti. UK unleaded petrol equivalent cost is $6.80, so it's not all bad.

[@tomduley6357]

Are you saying that the UK doesn't have any litter or graffiti? I'm just curious about the UK as I have never been there.

[@djmonstrosity6971]

@@tomduley6357 He's saying the UK DOES have litter.

[@tomduley6357]

@@djmonstrosity6971 Thank you for the clarification!

[@chairlesnicol672]

$6.80 what a gallon or a liter?

[@onthefritzfarm]

These small towns are going away because the farms are becoming larger. When I was living in this particular area which is primarily cotton farms, 1,000 to 2,500 acres was an average farm. Now 4,000 to 5,000 is considered small. The farms are bigger because it’s too expensive to operate on a small basis and survive. The farms are becoming more technologically advanced and require less employees. So the people who lived in town but worked on farms don’t have those jobs to rely on. There’s no industries except for the occasional steel mill near the river and interstates. What Spoda probably doesn’t realize is that the farmers of those cotton fields around these small towns are multimillionaires. Especially if they own the land.

[@badxradxandy]

"This town lost a third of its population in one year" Opiate crisis.

[@bthomson]

Drugs hit these areas hard.

[@pinxiedust3078]

​@@bthomson Yes they do. There's lots of chronic pain, lots of uninsured people, lots of disabled who can't get approved for assistance, LOTS of untreated or under-treated mental illness, and folks who have all of that and have to work their butts off anyway. Opiates and Ambien are escapes for a lot of people, and once you're hooked, everything starts to revolve around managing withdrawl symptoms. Many adults here are chronically non-functioning. And on top of that, there's nothing fun to do.

[@shootshellz]

@@pinxiedust3078 No one is ever forced into taking illegal drugs.

[@lk3309]

​@@pinxiedust3078 Druggies like to sit around and do drugs. There's plenty to do if you like the outdoors hunting and fishing. Nice spring fed rivers are an hour or two away to go floating and camping

[@DudeWhat-wx5bx]

Lots of people moved away or passed away. It was a lot of older folks or those who had problems with health care. Sure other things contributed too and I'm not defending that but it wasn't the only thing.

[@FMstyle19a]

Excellent videos! Thank you for giving us to see the other side of USA. In movies and doc's we don't see this. Greetings from Croatia

[@sportsfan205]

There was a ferry there lived there in 1954 was 6 years old, on Sunday afternoon he always wanted to go watch the ferry especially when 18 wheel trucks loaded on and crossed, was born right up the road in Kennette.

[@hitechredneck6366]

Really enjoy your videos. It's a shame they tend to be depressing when you feature rural areas. Not your fault, of course...it's just the decline and decay of our once wonderful country. Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember when we were actually a prosperous nation. Not that things were unicorns and puppy dogs, but society was a little kinder and respectful of each other. Also, entire towns didn't look like 3rd world dumps.

[@tyler-qw6xg]

This video hardly represents the entirety of these towns. Some of the worst areas were shown. Just as many other neighborhoods on the complete opposite end of the economic spectrum exist there as well.

[@dont-want-no-wrench]

the country is more prosperous now than it was then, just very unevenly., and dont let nostalgia cloud your view, society was not more kindly and respectful then, any more than it is now. you do have a point about the decline of some whole little towns.

[@sunnyskye213]

SO TRUE......☹️

[@michelestellar7725]

@@tyler-qw6xg no homeless camp or human excrement either. In LA people live in multimillion dollar homes whose fences support cardboard lean-tos and heroin safe spaces for shooting up. I sure hope this new pot law here doesn't bring in the element that it did to CO , the new stolen car capital of the US.

[@actionsub]

@@tyler-qw6xg Exactly. These videos seem to focus on the negatives of rural America. Where he's at is the northern edge of what is called the Mississippi Delta region, one of the poorest parts of the US economically.

[@holly5791]

That was an old Wal-Mart, like before the Superstores came in. I remember that design of the building. I'll bet that one is close to 50 years old. They were just deserted when the 'upscale' stores came in. In my hometown, a Big Lot's moved in the old one and kept it alive.

[@ralphalvarez5465]

I understand the retail part of these towns but where are the industrial areas that generate the money? $400 a week? Govt assistance sounds more like it

[@davidcox3076]

@@ralphalvarez5465 There isn't industry. It's agricultural.

[@lk3309]

​@@ralphalvarez5465 There used to be more small factories around and even some larger ones. There's a segment of the population here that won't work

[@AustinSanderson.]

Your videos are awesome! Have watched the Arkansas videos full length and watching this one now full

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@starquant]

I try and keep up-to-date with your latest releases. They are so interesting and I'm also getting an education at the same time. Who knew ?.

[@joycej3431]

I always think about these rural towns not having any healthcare like doctors and hospitals. Also maybe no fire department and an old infrastructure like old water lines that may have lead in them.

[@annajohnson3309]

Crime is going to get worse with banks starting to shut down and some banks not being able to pay their depositors with the bank glitch going on , and job losses.

[@Terry9624]

One bank went broke in Cal last few days

[@12wingwfetech]

@@Terry9624 two banks in California this week

[@stephenmoerlein8470]

Thanks for the tour of the Missouri bootheel. I have driven by the area on I-55 many times, but never made the detour!

[@lizowens3180]

Also, appreciate your honesty!

[@chaos88]

Houses in that area of Kennett that you're wondering about..... Pretty much $25,000. or less in that neighborhood.... and much of the town.

[@actionsub]

The elephant in the room when talking about the Bootheel is the New Madrid Fault, which is fairly active while not causing any major earthquakes since the big one in 1812, where shockwaves could be felt as far away as Boston.

[@jamesjackovich5886]

They said is looked like the Mississippi river was going in the opposite direction and 50 foot geysers were shooting out of the ground

[@nelsonmcatee3721]

I felt one up in Illinois in 1968

[@actionsub]

@@jamesjackovich5886 A piece of the river actually did, resulting in the formation of Reelfoot Lake in NW Tennessee.

[@billkaldem5099]

I’m told I’d that fault let’s go again like in 1812 it will devastate a lot of cities in central part of the country.

[@garyclark9807]

I grew up in this town. Nice people. It makes my heart hurt to see the town so devastated. My mom sold her house 4 years ago. Glad she doesn’t live there anymore.

[@randydinglehopper62]

Great video thank you for sharing

[@favoniansedalia4855]

very informative video thanks for the education while I'm watching, saves me having to take the trip myself too - used to fish and camp near the Mississippi more in Central Missouri, Rolla, St. James, Dixon way - that would make a good trip for you, go to St James, head for Dixon, VIenna, and then down to the lake of the ozarks, Versailles, Sunrise Beach, Camdenton , Lake Ozark Missouri - you can spend a night at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Osage Beach Missouri - yup saw that closed down walmart, really the more I watch your videos the more it seems you are showing us the gradual demise of America from the way it used to be - make sure you tank up before you leave missouri, at least they've got good gas prices

[@patriciagallagher3793]

We use the metric system which includes Celsius in Canada. Enjoy your tours.

[@shootshellz]

We won't hold it against you.

[@cherienafo7676]

Australia/ Thanks U 2 !! love ur work, never miss an EP now !!

[@bthomson]

Every video leaves a bitter sweet residue. We come back each time secretly hoping for good news and knowing we won't get much! Our hay day may be past but our spirit is unbroken ( mostly!) Let's work our way back!!!

[@bthomson]

Crying now.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Cherie!

[@ThumperDLumpyBunny]

This is awesome. I'm from Poplar Bluff, not far from there. Thank you for doing these videos!

[@garybryant6148]

Very good video, thank you. Since you are going to Kentucky may I suggest you go to Inez, Martin County, Kentucky; and Johnson County, Paintsville, Kentucky. Be safe on your travels.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

A geodesic dome structure.....designed by Buckminster Fuller. Very strange, but it does have its advocates.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Interesting.

[@indianaslim4971]

They are an example of creating a more intelligent structure but couldn't get past traditional thinking of the general public of what a building should look like. If I were to build a new house it would be a geodesic home, especially if I lived in tornado alley or where hurricanes hit landfall.

[@tyler-qw6xg]

I'm from this small town and, if memory serves, this home was built in the early to mid 80s by a local high school teacher. There are actually two of them there within a couple of blocks of each other.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

@@tyler-qw6xg My college music professor had one built in Huntsville TX. The HOA made him build it way in the back in a wooded area so no one could see it. Haha. He always was rather eccentric.

[@robinrussell7965]

Bucky Fuller taught at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, near St Louis.

[@joegotz1971]

I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Hayti, 1974 or 75 with my classmate from the University of Arkansas. It was very nice and quiet back then. We went to the John Deere and drove a tractor around the yard and got yelled at by the police. When the officer saw who it was, he just told us to park the tractor and go home. His family was famous in town.

[@SlavaBanderastan]

Invaluable work. Holding a mirror up to the reality of the American nightmare

[@willbass2869]

"nightmare"....a bit overwrought, but hey that's how YOU roll. Thx

[@mariemccann5895]

Excellent work. Really interesting video presented in a factual way that allows viewers to form their own opinion on the places visited (and yes Deliverance vibe was right!). Keep up the good work and thanks for posting.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks, Marie!

[@tyler-qw6xg]

If these towns were actually represented in a "factual way" then this video would not have cherry picked the worst of the worst areas to highlight. The stats are what they are, yes, but the visual representation given here is incomplete at best. Not shown are the many other neighborhoods in these towns that are on the opposite end of the economic spectrum.

[@chairlesnicol672]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip $75000 ? for that little 800 SQ ft job near end of vlog! Where home 4 u?

[@mariemccann5895]

@@tyler-qw6xg I think the stats really indicate there isn't another end of the spectrum!

[@tyler-qw6xg]

​​@@mariemccann5895 I'm originally from Caruthersville, so first hand knowledge indicates that the other end of that spectrum does, in fact, exist. Most of the poorer there are single with multiple children, hence a low median household income. The traditional nuclear family there have a much higher standard of living than this video would indicate. Crime rate is certainly high, but a good portion of that is confined to certain areas, as maybe indicated by the lower overall property crime.

[@mistymac9345]

Thanks for the tour they're always interesting to this Australian. Well done negotiating those craters on the road 😳

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Right! There were some big ones.

[@VernonDozier1508]

Great video as always. I've lived in Missouri my whole life and have never been to the Bootheel. Don't think I'll be going there any time soon.

[@Ob._]

I seen my brother house an where my dad an mom are buried. Thanks sharing. I cried

[@horatiodreamt]

Good vid. Dreary day near the New Madrid seismic zone.