Mississippi River And Ohio River Confluence A Major Historical Location

This is the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
Located near Cairo, Illinois, it’s an environmentally significant and historically rich site, once a major trade hub and now supporting diverse wildlife habitats.
The confluence showcases the interplay between natural forces and human activity, shaping the region's development over centuries, with strategic importance during the Civil War and ongoing commercial roles.
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet. Visit www.waterloop.org
Mississippi By Nature series supported by the Walton Family Foundation and outfitted by Patagonia
#water #river #mississippiriver #ohioriver #travel

[@brendanardenburke1960]

I’ve been there. It’s amazing how little there is there to mark such an important place. It’s actually kind of sad.

[@waterloop]

Cool that you’ve been there. These places deserve more attention.

[@alansewell7810]

I used to love travelling down the north bank of the Ohio River from Cincinnati, through Indiana and southern Illinois. Beautiful wooded hill country with the mighty river on the left. Cairo, by the way, was one of the first towns the Union occupied with troops during the Civil war, to cut the Confederate States off from the Ohio and Upper Mississippi. It was the base area for the invasion down the Mississippi that captured Vicksburg and severed the South in two.

[@waterloop]

Thanks for sharing your experience and that info!

[@clarkmorrison7243]

One of my ancestors enlisted in the Union army, along with three cousins, and were assigned to Grant's army assembling at Cairo. Two of the cousins died in Cairo either of dysentery or cholera. My ancestor and the other cousin fought all the way down the Mississippi to Vicksburg, where the cousin was killed in Grant's ill-advised frontal assault on the city.

[@alansewell7810]

@@clarkmorrison7243 Your brave ancestors were a microcosm of the Civil War. Two dying of disease in the often unsanitary military encampments where soldiers lived with scant shelter under broiling sun, pouring rain, and frigid snows, and another killed in action. They and others of their generation did their duty, ultimately keeping the Mississippi River and the states around it in the Union.

[@clarkmorrison7243]

@@alansewell7810 This is my response whenever BLM and others agitate for slavery reparations. My family long ago paid a very high price to bring slavery to an end.

[@joelmogensen579]

A pity how Cairo has deteriorated and depopulated. It deserves better.

[@waterloop]

Yes, it was hard to see that community in tough shape.

[@user-lb1hf5nk5d]

I have always wanted to visit this site. Thank You for sharing your video with me.

[@waterloop]

My pleasure 😊

[@1Kent]

I've crossed both & every American should go see them.

[@malcolmmeer9761]

Wait awhile before you go, one bridge was shut down back I March it may still be closed

[@70sfred1]

Really appreciate you showing this. I grew up along the Ohio River near Wheeling, WV. I had the opportunity to go to Point State Park in Pittsburgh and see the beginning, but not the end of the Ohio River, so this was neat to see the end of the Ohio River.

[@bobconnor1210]

We should remember that Cairo was a massively important and busy place during the Civil War. From here, the movement to open the Mississippi to the Gulf and conquering the Tennessee towards the Eastern Theater started.

[@waterloop]

That’s fascinating history!

[@lostindixie]

At their confluence, the Ohio River is larger than the Mississippi, and by convention from that point on, it should be called the Ohio River.

[@nubianking4203]

Im from GA and the Ohio blew my mind when i saw it in Louisville yrs ago. They say its a mile wide there. Incredible rivers we have in our country

[@davidepool5884]

Cairo was a busy town when I was a teen in the 70s. It’s practically a ghost town now. It’s a shame because it holds a lot of history.

[@waterloop]

Amazing you knew it back when it was busy. Sad to see how it has fallen.

[@rogerrice1772]

Today, Cairo Illinois is a crumbling ghost of it's former self. Almost no one lives there anymore and it has been ignored and neglected for years by the state government in Springfield.

[@waterloop]

It was tough seeing the town in such rough shape.

[@neilreid9005]

Very interesting!

[@waterloop]

Glad that you enjoyed it. Please subscribe to our channel for more!

[@kathyhoot7277]

That is so neat to see! Might need to take a road trip!

[@waterloop]

There isn’t tons there but it’s a cool and important location with a variety of history.

[@chesterthawkins7510]

Amazing!

[@waterloop]

It truly is an amazing place!

[@morg52]

The muddy is from the Missouri river.

[@waterloop]

Ah, thanks for that information!

[@billwilliams5889]

Another cool place to visit is near Paducah Kentucky. I can’t remember the exact highway, but there’s a place where you cross over the Tennessee River (?), then soon after that you turn left over the Ohio River (?). My recollections may not be 100% accurate, but it is still a super cool memory.

[@waterloop]

Sounds very cool

[@williamodaniel3862]

One of the first United States Naval vessels was the USS Cairo, it was sank at Vicksburg, it’s now part of the military park. They pulled it up from the bottom of the river. Truly awesome to see.

[@waterloop]

Wow! Would be cool to see that ship!

[@MonaLanger-yz5bs]

The US Navy was established in 1775. The USS Cairo was nowhere near the first ship. The USS Constitution has it beat by 64 years.

[@Hungrybird474]

Yep . Hop on it with a decent craft and wherever it takes you is where you should be . This works

[@waterloop]

Love that

[@thomasbooth9079]

The Tennessee River joins the Ohio just upstream a few miles from there.

[@waterloop]

@@thomasbooth9079 oh wow, had no idea! Please subscribe to our channel to support and learn more.

[@garyteague9555]

And your pronunciation for Cairo is correct , finally

[@waterloop]

We spoke to the Mayor of Cairo the same day this video was filmed and copied how he pronounced it.

[@kevinkwiatkowski7197]

How come you dont see anyone swimming there, such a nice beach

[@hparkindc]

That would be extremely dangerous, suicidal.

[@waterloop]

The currents from the rivers are pretty strong there.

[@kevinkwiatkowski7197]

​@@waterloopOK thank you,/ looks stagnant

[@snagletoothscott3729]

@@kevinkwiatkowski7197 Oh no, it moves faster then it looks. The real current issues are undercurrents below the water surface, and further aggravate by washes from passing barges. You do not want to be caught in a barge wash that sucks you into the under tow. The rive may look wide, flat and slow, but their are deep channels running through the bottom of it that run alot faster. Also, these rivers see incredible amounts of barge traffic. Also the many attached stillwater sloughs. The waters are.....quite slimy to say the least. Which also adds to the undertow issue. it's not Lake Erie circa 1970's polluted, but it is polluted enough where you will get weighted down and lose natural buoyancy, further aggravating your chances to get sucked under and not able to get back top

[@jerryrigsit5400]

Way too much current. Whirlpools, flood debris, etc.

[@fumastertoo]

The fact of the mississippi being the tributary here and the Ohio much larger is undeniable. Never should have been renamed, it’s still the Ohio by all accounts. I guess they just needed to give mississippi something to be proud of! Check out the overhead views of this area, eye opening.

[@waterloop]

Ah, very good point!

[@ericspratt3164]

Many say it’s actually the Missouri River. Which is more plausible?

[@visarr]

@@ericspratt3164 If you go by longest river, it should be the Missouri. If you're going by largest water contribution, it should be the Ohio. Hence, it's named the Mississippi.

[@johnchandler1687]

Mississippi is from the native American name meaning Father of Waters. It wasn't named by the white man.

[@annhenry6893]

No river no food...you will eat bugs. A warning.

[@paulmc8030]

Munching on them crispy crickets 🦗 and beetles 🪲on pizza 🍕

[@rtqii]

Cochineal

[@patrickbuglass973]

Courtesy of the Army Corps of Saboteurs

[@MD76MAC]

Dig your own well. Grow your own food.

[@stephenmorton8017]

@@patrickbuglass973 wrong. destroying all the beaver dams upstream for hats.

[@clarkridlen1966]

Well I wash my face in the muddy Mississip........do dah, do dah.....

[@joeharris3878]

Pronounced "KAY- row"

[@89volvowithlazers]

Why Cairo is not developed idk, thought location, I thought that was everything. It is a wonderful place

[@waterloop]

The area can have severe flooding from the two rivers so that is tough for building the community.

[@dammitbobby283]

Why do you talk like a lot of random words have been removed? It doesn't sound normal.

[@waterloop]

I’m sorry to hear that feedback but appreciate. Will work to get better.

[@AnX8765]

He sounded perfectly fine. He did a great job presenting this.

[@dammitbobby283]

@@AnX8765 There's something missing, something wrong, it's like a pretty woman with short hair.

[@AnX8765]

@dammitbobby283 Matter of opinion on the women topic. I love women with short /shorter, generally, it is absolutely my preference . I also dislike too much hair, if its all bushy and covers their face too much. You and I don't view things the same way, so we should end this. 😁

[@waterloop]

@@AnX8765 Thank you so much for that feedback!

[@AK-DIRECT907]

Indigenous Native Americans. 😅 Indigenous or Native pick one term.

[@waterloop]

@@AK-DIRECT907 yes I realized I said that. Most videos are unrehearsed and recorded as I think and talk. So it’s not perfect.

[@daleolson3506]

The music junked another video 👎👎👎👎💩💩😬

[@waterloop]

Sorry you didn't like the music. Hopefully the information was interesting.

[@coloradomountainman8659]

That unnecessary irritating crappy-ass background "music" ruined the video making it unwatchable and earning the poster a resounding thumbs down!

[@waterloop]

I’m sorry you don’t like the music. What would you suggest instead?