Sikeston Ridge is a two mile (3 km) wide topographic terrace with an average height of 20 feet (6.1 m) deposited by the Ohio River. It was formed many years ago when the Mississippi River flowed west of Sikeston. This Southeast Missouri ridge runs from area of Haywood City south through Sikeston towards the historic Mississippi River town of New Madrid, Missouri. However, the most dominant ridge in the surrounding area is Crowley's Ridge which is 150 miles (240 km) long and with an average height of 400 feet (120 m) and formation. In 1789, the King of Spain ordered that an overland route be laid out to connect the cities of St. Louis and New Orleans. The high ground from the Sikeston Ridge was use as the location for a small stretch of this road. Before the surrounding swampland was drained, this ridge was an even more important geographical feature and was an important strategic location in the early days of the American Civil War.