How Baby Jessica’s Rescue Changed America 37 Years Ago

In October of 1987, while most of the country was gearing up for Halloween, a girl in Midland, Texas was about to become the focus of the entire nation. 37 years later and people are still talking about her. TV shows and movies still reference the events that took place. All these years later, we're still captivated by Baby Jessica; the girl who spent over 50 hours trapped in a well.

October 14, 1987; The Day Baby Jessica Fell Into The Well

As a kid, I remember hearing about Baby Jessica. Jessica McClure was 18 months old when she fell into a well in Midland, Texas. It was all anyone wanted to talk about. For 58 hours Jessica remained trapped in the well while crews worked feverishly to free her.

The rescue efforts hit a snag when it was discovered that the well was surrounded by rock. The equipment they had on hand wouldn't be able to get the job done. Eventually, a mining engineer was called in. Using waterjet cutting, which was fairly new at the time, they could free Baby Jessica.

She had become stuck with one of her legs trapped above her head. One of the major fears, once she was freed, was that she would have to go through amputations. Fortunately, all that had to be amputated was a toe. There were multiple surgeries after the incident, but Baby Jessica had survived and would be okay.

The Whole World Was Watching And Singing Winnie The Pooh

News coverage of Baby Jessica and her well was wall-to-wall. Reporters worldwide kept their audiences up to speed with every single development. Ronald Reagan once said that everyone in the country was her godmother or godfather. When Jessica was finally rescued, news cameras were there to capture the moment. Even after all these years, I still get teary-eyed watching the moment they pulled her out.

One of the most iconic moments was when crews could hear little Jessica singing from inside the well. Her song of choice? Winnie the Pooh. She had been trapped at that point for 45 hours. Singing the song became synonymous with the little girl trapped in the well.

After she was rescued, the world went into a frenzy wanting to meet her. People were obsessed with the story. Baby Jessica got to meet then-president H.W. Bush, and even had a made-for-TV movie made about her entire ordeal.

Where Is Baby Jessica McClure Today?

The latest reports on Baby Jessica are that she's actually not living too far from where she fell into the well. She's married and doing well and even has a couple of children of her own. She lives a quiet, pretty normal life. A far cry from her days being the biggest topic in the world.

It's hard to believe that it's been 37 years since a little girl in the well became all that any of us could think about. I was young, and remember news about Baby Jessica being on the TV, and I remember the movie being a must-watch moment for my family. If we learned anything as parents, it's how much can happen in an instant when our kids are concerned. It also reminds us that sometimes miracles can still happen.