Grand Tower is and island in the Mississippi opposite Grand Tower, Illinois. It is actually in the Missouri half of the river. It is noted for having difficult currents and whirl poos which are cause by the water going around the island and meeting again. It was such that the Lewis and Clark placed a cross on the island in 1803to fight off the "demons."
In 1839 in April a wedding was planned by a couple, residents of the Illinois town of Grand Tower. This is close to the island. April the river is still swollen with spring run off. The wedding party were rowed by slaves to the island. The wedding was performed. It was on the return trip that the party was sucked into the river by a whirl pool. One of the three slaves survived, but the rest of the party went down. My best understanding is their bodies were not recovered. Whirlpools are still seen around the island at times, especially in the spring.
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