Stories From Under A Bootheel (Rants, Laughs, and Tears)

Forward Part 1 Under the Bootheel Explained

If the cover of the book had you thinking these were going to be stories told from the toad's perspective, then I should explain that I am the toad relating these stories. To be clear, I am only a toad in a metaphorical sense. The toad on the cover is literal and will be explained in the section "Hop, Hop, Boom." You should read at least that far before making any judgements about the author. The toad on the cover was not crushed under a bootheel, his demise was somewhat more spectacular. The toad under the bootheel was me.

I was born under a bootheel – both literally and metaphorically. The Missouri Bootheel is the southeasternmost part of the state of Missouri, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot crushing down into the northeast corner of the state of Arkansas.

When Missouri was admitted to the Union, its original proposed southern border would have been a straight line following the 36°30′ north parallel. This border would have excluded the Bootheel from Missouri and would have made it part of the Arkansas territory to the south. The Bootheel was added to Missouri at the request of the Missourian who owned the land. He wanted his land to be part of Missouri as he had heard it was "so sickly in Arkansas." Missourians have always looked down on Arkansas, even before it became a state.

Mark Twain, also a Missourian, made Arkansas a regular target of his humor. He portrayed Arkansas as raucous and raw — "where ignorance, sloth and drowsiness prevail." I was born just beneath the bootheel a couple of miles from the Mississippi river. I'm not sure a lot had changed between Twain's time and mine although, I would probably not use Twain's words in characterizing the inhabitants. He was much too kind.