The Dangerous Situation in Cairo, Illinois

[@dblat1291]

They pronounce it "Kay'-row". Most pronunciations are bowdlerized from their original forms.

[@jessicaa9569]

@@dblat1291 was just about to say the same 😆

[@ITSHISTORY]

Funny enough, this causes people to comment, which is a good thing for the KZbin algorithm 😉

[@JoshLogan42]

Does it outweigh the downvotes? This is a topic that will pile them up fast.

[@user-lt3lm6me9k]

@@ITSHISTORY Surprised you get New Madrid but not Cairo.

[@fordisfurious]

@@ITSHISTORYdark 5 what?

[@RayTheMickey]

It is as far south in Illinois as you can get. That is not the "heart of Illinois".

[@ajkleipass]

HA HA HA! Given all the errors that creep into Ryan's videos, having a heart in the toe of the state is typical. Thank goodness he's not a surgeon! 😂

[@marycrowley6820]

😂it’s as close to Jackson Mississippi as it is to Chicago.

[@stflaw]

Yeah, I was going to comment on that. He blew it in the first sentence.

[@jazzgod21]

as someone from near Peoria, i really had to rewind to make sure i heard that right

[@MichaelBradley1967]

Chicago is the heart. Even Joliet is considered "downstate" 🤣😂

[@herschelmayo2727]

A tornado just ripped through Cairo and did $12 worth of damage.

[@jamessimms415]

That was likely an improvement

[@Steve.Cutler]

😂😂😂😂

[@boboala1]

Aa-Ee - Aa-Ee! LOL! 🙂

[@KingAbbottman]

It actually helped clean up some of the abandoned properties 🤣

[@onanov]

It's hard to believe there is financial worth even close to that amount of money. It's sad, you can tell how fantastic this place once was

[@bomilam7254]

As a truck driver, I've driven through Cairo multiple times and fell in love with it. Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri in just a few miles. Amazing location

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Objectivestanceonlysike]

@@bomilam7254 uhhhhhh...that driver is smokin something....I drive through it weekly...shit hole

[@CrazedHistorian]

different Storkes for different folks

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Old buildings have a certain character that is not found in most buildings designed and built after 1950, even in poor areas. ​@@Objectivestanceonlysike

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

Great location, awful state and even worse city.

[@quiksilvermanblue]

As someone who has traveled through Cairo several times. I know from personal experience that the whole area is essentially a ghost town. I have to give the people who stayed credit.... There is very little in actual service available to its citizens.

[@TheAutoexecbat]

The whole things starts with saying "in the heart of Illinois". Cairo is the most southern town in Illinois

[@sammehlberg6664]

Was passing through when a tornado happened, instead of stopping in Cairo I decided to risk the tornado

[@jimmyv5730]

Why stop, only hotel we have is outside of town 😂

[@mchervino]

Despite its look and reputation, Cairo is a smorgasbord of history and interest. I’ve walked its streets alone many time and talked with several of its residents. If you’re a history buff, it vibrates with that kind of energy.

[@danbaisden]

This may have been done on purpose, but the history of Cairo between 1943 and 1980 is really important, maybe moreso than the levee and floods. I defended my graduate thesis on Cairo and its history and the root cause of many of its travails. Maybe that could be an entire separate episode.

[@pattiwhat7528]

@@danbaisden I know the I-57 to I-55 bridge used to take travelers through downtown Cairo. How much did building the new bridge that bypassed the town affect the vitality of Cairo?

[@jocelynmartin1572]

​@@pattiwhat7528Cairo was pretty well run down when that happened. Hard to differentiate between an existing process and any new impact from the Bridge. I was traveling through Cairo about 12 years ago, and could not find anywhere to use a bathroom and buy a soda. Not a desirable place to stop, but absolutely no store. It's hard to come back from that sort of blight.

[@TDOLLA]

I was just telling my girlfriend about Cairo and how rich and interesting and tragic it’s history is. just reading about the racial history in the time period you mention sounds like a synopsis from some dramatic movie, its really a fascinating and tragic place

[@zoezulma594]

The problem with Cairo stems from its location at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers flood every spring and the city must be periodically evacuated as it was in 2011. Being of low elevation and next to rivers the climate there is very humid and it is understandable malaria was common there with so much water around. Cairo would not be my first choice for a town to live in.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Most places that are or were ports have this sort of problem unless built on a cliff face or hill.

[@nikki7962]

Thanks for your input, I will reconsider my plan to retire there.

[@rosemarymagrino772]

Like New Orleans

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

That is pretty much why Cairo never really boomed until the 1860's. Indeed, Charles Dickens portrayed Cairo in his novel Martin Chuzzlewit, albeit as the more ironically named Eden, where the hero almost died of malaria.

[@pattiwhat7528]

I remember one year as a child traveling back north to Indiana and we barely made it out of town before they shut the flood gate!

[@robkunkel8833]

There are still many heavily built structures from the 1800s. Housing projects from the 1950s-60s are usually no loss, except for the displacement of people. They were usually asbestos and cheaply built. God Bless Cairo.

[@nancyadams9228]

We used to drive through Cairo on the way to St. Louis back in the 1960s. I remember a great family style restaurant there. The town was in decline then.

[@Mr_Chris77]

I've drove through here several times and the sad part is that you can still see some buildings that are architectural wonders. The even more sad part is the rest of town, which just needs to be leveled. It's nowhere near anything, no longer has a hospital and last I looked, didn't even have a grocery store. It's a dangerous heap that Illinois wishes didn't exist.

[@tomfields3682]

You must have missed or forgotten about the small historic district. Beautiful old Civil War era mansions. Nice little neighborhood surrounded by desolation.

[@steverosie4641]

@@Mr_Chris77 like Chicago

[@timothysworld1028]

In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the plan was to get Jim to Cairo so he would be a freeman.

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

Just Jim? Think you are missing a word there.

[@peggyjones3282]

That's what I think of.

[@shanefsr6609]

Jim who?

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@Bonzi_BuddyDifferent character dude. That Jim didn’t have a last name.

[@jessefarley4609]

Alot of people don't know of the old slave house in Illinois it's just outside of equality IL

[@retusaforce]

Illinois govt had a big hand in destroying alot of the towns.

[@floycewhite6991]

Why not? The government created the town.

[@tonyjohnson7515]

Democrats, destroyed these Illinois towns and have captured Illinois to rule over them in perpetuity. It's enshrined into its laws.

[@daleshelden8394]

Government

[@carolynhotchkiss4760]

It's Kay-ro, like the corn syrup.

[@Critter68]

@@carolynhotchkiss4760 just because the very "special" people who live there don't pronounce it properly doesn't mean that intelligent people should emulate them.

[@DallasG83]

​@Critter68 It's their town, they can call it whatever they want and pronounce it the way they want. You can feel special and pronounce it like the city in Egypt but you'll just be the one looked at as "special".

[@thatShadowKat]

@@Critter68 I dare you to go to anyone in Detroit and say the same thing. Unless of course you're one of those "special" people that don't pronounce it properly.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

@@thatShadowKat it was literally copying Egypt, and is not the only such town with an Egyptian name. Incidentally, I’ve actually heard multiple pronunciations of Detroit that were considered acceptable, although they only differ in emphasis, not the actual vowel sounds.

[@rootz420]

No its not

[@bingham7957]

"In the heart of Illinois". Pronouncing Cairo like the city in Egypt. You sure didn't do much research in putting this together. It's located at the southern tip of Illinois.

[@floycewhite6991]

Kay-row like the syrup.

[@paulhocq1207]

I live in Springfield Illinois my advice get out of Illinois!

[@joerapo]

The "state" government only seems to care about Chicago. Even the Metro East(Illinois side of Metro St. Louis) seems like an afterthought. I live here to because we got cheap land, but I don't see the state ever doing well.

[@Lightning613]

Same goes for KommieFornia 👍

[@Daniel-id6le]

I wish I left it. Property taxes high. It all goes to retired teachers who now live in Florida.

[@wyneken38]

Driven through twice. First time out of curiosity on a road trip between St. Louis and Vicksburg. The second time it added a hour on my road trip but I was fascinated by it and the surrounding region. The drive along the Mississippi on the Illinois side felt like a trip back in time

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Southern Illinois was where the famous engineman John Luther ‘Casey’ Jones spent much of his youth and a considerable part of his career.

[@sarahkragness7138]

very famous folk song about Casey Jones....

[@JJAcrosstheUSA]

Casey was also a friend of a gang of pizza eating turtles

[@jcrawford5569]

I believe the heart of Illinois is around Peoria or Springfield. Cairo is on the outer edge, far away from the heart.

[@samuelskillern7365]

I'm trying not to defend the city, but Kay-ro still has about 1,700 residents. There's still a high school (to my knowledge), a community college satellite campus, a co-op market, and new housing. Not just yet a ghost town, but definitely a city that has seen better days.

[@ArtRebelsBloc]

kinda like gary indiana in that right

[@josron6088]

Reminds me of Gary, Indiana. Unfortunately you can find cities and towns like this all over the US.

[@timothykeith1367]

It's worse than Gary. With Lake Michigan frontage, Gary is destined to be redeveloped - well, part of Gary has potential . Cairo when removed, might be a good location for a state park.

[@here_we_go_again2571]

@@timothykeith1367 Flood control, nature preserve, state/federal park.

[@dalegaliniak607]

@@timothykeith1367 Yeah, with East Chicago starting to look a lot nicer, as well as the towns around the Dunes on the other side of it, Gary is destined to be redeveloped, whether that's in 5 years or 30.

[@christinacody8653]

@@timothykeith1367 Honestly surprised the state hasn't tried to begin the process of claiming some of the abandoned building as historic sites and mounuments, but I guess their version of the state parks system isn't like Missouri's or the national park system.

[@misspat7555]

I live in southwest PA, have my whole life, and it is lousy with dilapidated or outright ghost town ex-“coal patches”; towns that existed solely because there was a coal mine nearby. The biggest towns, and of course the big city of Pittsburgh, were able to develop their hospitals and universities once the steel industry collapsed, but the smaller settlements are all just slowly fading away… 😔

[@mikehughes4969]

I grew up in the Chicago area, and I had always heard that Cairo was a dangerous, gang infested, crime ridden place and you were talking your life in your hands if you went there. And maybe it was like that in the 80's, but now it just looked empty and sad.

[@johngault7329]

Visit at night. The hordes come out and roam around until daybreak. It's crazy...

[@653j521]

@@johngault7329 It would be, if true. I think you are mistaking it for a dystopian video game.

[@jimmyv5730]

It's far from that now, its better since they tore down both housing projects, pyramid courts and Elmwood, forced people to move

[@Pentagon6519]

It still is almost as dangerous as most of Chicago.

[@markstewart6367]

😂😂😂😂😂 Chiraq!?!

[@twotone3471]

The modern issue for the city is the Interstate Highway bypassed it, and the existing Bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi are failing, and when they do, are not likely to be replaced. When that happens, Cairo will be essentially cut off, minus to the north.

[@olympianproduct]

@@twotone3471 I’ve heard the Ohio River bridge will get replaced, but the Mississippi River bridge won’t since they already have the I 57 bridge.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

I-57 bypassing Cairo was the opposite of the village of Hennepin getting an interstate. With Cairo, the city leaders refused to desegregate (a policy that Lyndon Johnson's party had actively encouraged for decades), and so the government punished the city by building the interstate to bypass it.

[@twotone3471]

@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Not saying that Cairo actually deserves saving, or that it's troubles aren't Karma biting it in the ass. Just saying that when the US 60 bridges close, the countdown for Cairo's end will have begun.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

@@twotone3471 I was saying that Cairo's troubles are because the city's entire existence is artificial and contrived, not any kind of karma. Left alone, without government support, it would have been the stillborn town that it was always destined to be.

[@rafalganowicz1939]

That was one of my favorite towns to pull into when I was on a USCG river tender.

[@brj_han]

Just upriver is Metropolis, home of Superman!

[@RobertDetert]

Yep. Up the Ohio River.

[@ericschneider8524]

Superman wouldn't even fly over Kayro.

[@Moose803]

Popeye is from upriver on the Mississippi

[@jessefarley4609]

Yup in Chester ​@@Moose803

[@freetolook3727]

It boggles my mind why people want to live in a floodplain, get flooded and then complain about it like it's a big surprise.

[@five-toedslothbear4051]

Because before roads, and before railroads, waterways were very important. Unfortunately, waterways often include floodplains next to them.

[@TheGreenGrower618]

@@freetolook3727 no different than living on a coastline that gets wiped out and flooded by a hurricane once a decade or so.

[@Flint-Dibble-the-Don]

Because the land is futile.

[@Lunker_Dunker]

@@TheGreenGrower618 Tbf I think those people are equally dumb. Also for people who build houses in wildfire prone areas out west and take zero safety measures against fires...

[@ostrich67]

It was a major inland river port at one time. Also, the poorest people live there because they can't afford to live in a less flood-prone place.

[@warrenlemay8134]

There is very little left of Downtown Cairo, IL as of 2024. I visited last month, and the historic downtown has been mostly demolished, today just being a series of grass-covered vacant lots, with only a few buildings remaining, most of which are on side streets, but the remaining structures are in serious disrepair. Dilapidated and collapsing houses line the streets, and Fort Defiance State Park, while open to the public, is in a sad state. The only things in good shape are the historic mansions and civic buildings. Despite the good condition of a few buildings, I really think the city is fading into memory.

[@653j521]

Cities rise and fall and rise and fall. New technologies and discoveries replace the old. Keeps it fresh, keeps it new. I'm glad they appreciate their past, though.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

I knew about Cairo but the first time I drove through the town I was still shocked at how empty it seemed.

[@hendersongalbreath1072]

I live about 40 minutes north of Cairo and you can apply a lot of towns to some of the more negative parts of this video. Not only is the early 20th century history an equal measure of depressing and downright insane, but the latter bit wasnt a whole lot better, economically. During the 80s and 90s, most of the industry in the area just left, taking thousands of jobs. By now, poverty and drug addiction are what's left. Marion seems to have found a breath of fresh air, but it's fairly bleak here in the lower midwest.

[@wthrmn87]

They left cause of one of the highest taxes in the nation. Repeated union brow beating and brash changes to employment laws and regulations

[@princesspikachu3915]

Marion is very nice. Actually Williamson County in general is nice.

[@girldaddividendinvestor]

Thanks for this video. Cairo is where my grandmother grew up before moving to Chicago, I recently drove through, there's no reason it shouldnt be a bustling river town. Riverboat breakfast, AirBnBs, etc. I have definitely looked into this. 🎉

[@nikki7962]

I hope you can do some of your ideas. More people can work from home so this might bring people there

[@scotts.2624]

They have just started to 3D print houses there in a trial run to rebuild housing.

[@isy111]

I get that “in the heart of “x’” is just an expression, but Cairo is at the tip of the state 😭

[@JoshLogan42]

I wonder if he meant heart of the Midwest.

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

"In the pinky toe of Illinois" doesn't have the same ring.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

It is in the central part of Southern Illinois, almost directly south (by a long way) of Freeport in North Central Illinois, and Madison in Wisconsin. Karnak, another Egyptian-named town, is almost directly south of Rockford to the east, close to the exact centerline of the state.

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

@@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis Any point on a state's border is on a straight line connecting it to the state's center. Remarkably, this holds true regardless of how you define the center.

[@tomfields3682]

​@@JoshLogan42It's not that either.

[@artteacher71]

I thought you were from Illinois? Everyone here, even in Chicago, refers to the town as Kay-Ro.

[@Chaos8282]

It's claim to fame now is a few chapters in "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. Good book, and I thought it was pretty neat him bumbling around S. IL

[@mathew85]

Can't remember his name or channel name, but theres a guy that travels the country and goes to places like this , talks to locals and such,. Very interesting channel.

[@jimmyv5730]

I think its chris hansen or Lamont on the run

[@twoah5410]

Exploring with Josh just did documentary on this City

[@Ben-jq5oo]

I really enjoy your productions Ryan. I learn so much. 🇦🇺

[@stevepeyton9073]

In Huckleberry Finn Huck and Jim were headed to Cairo

[@shanefsr6609]

Jim who?

[@stevepeyton9073]

@@shanefsr6609 Perhaps you should ask a librarian

[@shanefsr6609]

@@stevepeyton9073 who Jim?

[@cmdrflake]

It is just plain obsolete. This is endemic in many places. The number of “ghost” towns (cities, villages) in Illinois says something about the quality of their leaders. 😮

[@here_we_go_again2571]

@ cmdrflake Maybe it is time for the federal government to evacuate the town, tear it down and use the land as part of a flood-control plan/ nature preserve (i.e. return it to swamp land)

[@wthrmn87]

That could do something but it also is the fault of state leaders that Cairo is in the shambles it currently is.

[@jimjohnstonreviewstheworld]

Kaskaskia has some ruins of civilization past as well. With October and Halloween coming up it’s been sone years since anyone’s done a good piece on the Willowbrooke Ballroom, Bloody Mary and resurrection ceremony!! Fascinating stories and set of coincidences. Shame they tore down the ballroom to build condos a couple years ago. It was a gem well into the 2010’s for live music.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

I believe that Kaskaskia was destroyed in a series of floods during the 1870's...

[@whyjnot420]

A.M.E. stands for African Methodist Episcopal in case anyone was wondering.

[@Lightning613]

Thanks. Learn something new every day.👍

[@garydean0308]

What would the Cherokee be doing in IL? They were in GA, SC etc. It was probably Shawnee or Potawatomie.

[@christinacody8653]

It's possible that the person wrote that only knew of Cherokees because they were the most educated and of the tribes at the time (at least in terms of having their own written language). I agree that it was most likely Shawnee or Osage. Not sure on the Potawatomi.

[@garydean0308]

@@christinacody8653 Other tribes known to have also lived on and used the lands of southern Illinois included the Delaware, Shawnees, Potawatomie, Miami, Eel River (the Miami), Wea, Kickapoos, and Piankashaw. (US Forest Service)

[@Moose803]

The trail of tears passed through that area.

[@christinacody8653]

@@Moose803 yes it passed through, but it wasn’t the unceded land of them (or even ceded).

[@garydean0308]

@@Moose803 Yes, passed through. That was much later: 1838-9. The Cherokee were in no shape to battle anyone.

[@miniaturefarmer464]

The New York Central railroad went from Chicago to Cairo along most of the NW Indiana border at one time. Some of the tracks are still used or abandoned in Indiana.

[@jpmusttravel]

I live in Makanda IL about an hour from Cairo. Great coverage!! Look into Makanda little old railroad village with a cool history

[@jeffhammond8969]

Could also have mentioned riots in 1968. It's a city that is best to just get rid of. Not all old things are worth saving.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

Especially cities that, sans a great war, would never have been a thing in the first place.

[@tootired76]

I love your content, Socash!

[@typicalfarms56]

Been through Cairo a few times its the kind of place you don’t stop in and your wheels still get stolen

[@RomieThaaHomie]

Love this channel definitely addictive and historic

[@iggymitchell2763]

You should make a video about Keokuk, Illinois. Like Cairo, it was once a prosperous shipping hub. Sadly, today, it is a sad shell of its former self. Keokuk still has some absolutely beautiful old buildings that are worth checking out

[@Moose803]

Isn't that in Iowa?

[@stevofromiowa]

@@Moose803 Yes.

[@iggymitchell2763]

😅 it sure is!! I have a lot of family in Keokuk, IOWA and just across the river in Hamilton, Illinois. I get confused sometimes 😕

[@BIGGEOFF40]

Mr. Socash, I really like and appreciate your videos, they're very informative, interesting, etc. But can you please standard and metric measurements instead of just metric. Thanks 👍🏾

[@okboomer6201]

They should just let the floods reclaim the city

[@jimmyv5730]

Then FEMA would have to pay everyone to move

[@jessefarley4609]

Back in 2011 a politician was caught on a hot mic calling for it. I seem to think it was on the Missouri side since the bird point Leavee caused the flooding since it was blown up.

[@dwainschumer9298]

It’s those two bridges!!! they are scary stuff

[@McRocket]

Fascinating video. I had never even heard of the place before. Thank you. ☮

[@joshweinstein5345]

Always such interesting videos, thank you!

[@Airsoftforall]

I was there last summer. It was eerie. One block beautiful homes and the next reminded you of Detroit.

[@brodie29a]

Wow no mention of the flood of 93, which was the worst flood in at least mo history, it’s still talked about to this day

[@luvsilly60]

Excellent information

[@coloradoandtheworld8011]

It’s KAY-RO!!

[@Berelore]

That's only what the people ignorant enough to live there call it.

[@haroldjones8521]

@@Berelore I wondered how someone could be so arrogant. Maybe low self- esteem? You know, having to put down other to feel good. Then I see that you watch Joe Rogan and Tim Pool. Question answered.

[@Lightning613]

Cairo is far from “the heart of Illinois,” but it is quite reflective of many of the problems of Illinois towns outside Chicago.

[@mattoonwrestler]

My National Guard unit was one of the ones that went to help in the flood of 2011. They later asked us to be in their city parade....it was truly a sad sight to see such a run-down town trying to hold on

[@tonywestvirginia]

I have watched a few on Cairo, Ill. You give the best info yet.

[@maryjomccallister9102]

In 2011, the COE blew the Mississippi river levee at Bird's Point on the Missouri side to save that ghost town.

[@ben-vm8ru]

You didn’t mention one of their most famous citizens, legendary pool player Minnesota Fats!

[@MarkBarrack]

Thx I didn't know

[@jimmyv5730]

He wasn't from Cairo

[@Chaos8282]

@@jimmyv5730 Retired in Dowell and owned that bar that you went to to see fights every night. whatever it was called.

[@AndyDeMontana]

Dude, the "Illinois murder rate" is really the "South Side Chicago murder rate." Almost all murders in the state happen within that very small area. Per capita the worst city is Peoria, but in sheer volume nothing can compete with Chicago/Crook County.

[@markstewart6367]

Don't forget East St. Louis!

[@Lightning613]

@@markstewart6367just what I was getting ready to reply!!! 🤣👍

[@pamcaldwell7055]

I love that area where the rivers come together. I've often thought about buying one of those old buildings, it's always been the flooding that stopped me

[@johndersham1]

Very well done. I have gone through Cairo for years cutting across Kentucky to get to Columbia Missouri . I always stop in Cairo to mill around a bit. Most all of the main downtown next to the river, has been removed.

[@Pacifist11921]

It’s spooky and cool to go see the ruins

[@harris505901]

That's not the heart of Illinois that is the armpit of Illinois

[@mdrdprtcl]

@@harris505901 😂

[@JK-sw1rh]

@@harris505901 Also known as “ass end” in rural slang in some areas.

[@sarahkuper3911]

More like the toe

[@johnperkins9002]

@@sarahkuper3911 Fungus infected left little toe of Illinois.

[@jimjohnstonreviewstheworld]

Nahh Rockford is well known as the armpit 😂

[@kosjeyr]

While I was living in Illinois I have only been there once 3 to 4 years ago to check out Fort Defiance and the merge of the two rivers. After that I went on down to New Madrid.

[@farhatmuhmmed604]

Cairo Egypt. No Cairo Illinois.

[@laseourable]

Interesting. I just drove through the town and was startled by how bombed out it looked; and then I saw your video that you just put on. Thanks.

[@skeetrix5577]

i grew up and live in St Louis and have heard about this place before, but nothing ever good. time has seemed to leave this place behind

[@bender7565]

I thought it was a thorough doc, thanks. I always assumed you were from IL but you seem normal, you have offended a bunch of Illini, a touchy group. I read a story long ago the Army came in during WWII, just north of there, 'confiscated' a buttload of farms, built a huge spy school and abandoned it after the war. I get war but that screwed a lot of fams.

[@robkunkel8833]

2:30 Illinois became a state the same year, 1818. 🇺🇸

[@kendavid891]

Yes there is still Cairo Illinois

[@gregb2]

Cool video, I like this

[@TheMattC9999]

The problem with Cairo's location is that while it has a lot of shipping traffic, it all pissed by. None of it actually stopped there. Even in the days of steamboats it was flyover country.

[@653j521]

That metaphor was the worst. Fly over the steamboats. Get a grip. Metaphors are word pictures but that was a word train wreck, (adding another layer to the mess).

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

​@@653j521People cross the entire United States all the time, but few ever travel to the central regions except for specific purposes. Nobody is interested in the Midwest, which is why it is called Flyover Country. It is not hard to imagine that there was some sort of equivalent in the days of riverboats.

[@jwoody8815]

It crazy how accurate those hand drawn area maps are....

[@pdxtk]

They called it Cairo for a reason. The confluence of a major tributary to the Mississippi is going to be something…

[@tamarabarrett5137]

My grandfather was a riverboat captain and owned the boat store in Cairo. Only one member of our family called it “Kay-Ro”. Everyone else said “Care-O”. I was last there about 20 years ago and the old family home on Washington was a roofless crumbling mess. Cairo should have been evacuated, allowed to be flooded and left to return to nature.

[@patrickstarr2252]

It’s sad, but it’s the story of a lot of southern Illinois

[@Chaos8282]

I blame shitcago.

[@dannyhassler9008]

It's a scary place to drive through especially at night.

[@jimmyv5730]

😂😂No its not

[@SuperCoalBlox]

I used to go here at night when I was a student at SIU.

[@jeffaulik3980]

Nice job, as usual.

[@purplesprigs]

"Deep in the heartland of the United States sits Key West, Florida."

[@kenalbrecht5649]

Drove through this town, shocking what has happened to it.

[@tatedavis2016]

As an Illinoisan, I’ve driven near Cairo on I-57 a bunch of times on my way out of state. I only recently drove through the downtown on a roadtrip, and I think the only business open was the local Dollar General.

[@devianb]

I haven't been to Cairo in 20 years. I only went there to see derelict properties in various stages of disrepair. I was not disappointed.

[@hoboonwheels9289]

One of my grandparents was born and grew up in Illinois, he homesteaded in Alberta where mom was born.

[@timothykeith1367]

Cairo was never a good "between" city for east-west land based transportation. Cairo's need for multiple river bridges delayed its development until it was too late. The flooding could be fixed. Chicago was built on swampy land and required significant civil engineering. The shallow Mississsippi was first bridged west of Chicago. Interstate 80 remains the major east-west USA land route.

[@t0dmacher]

Cairo was interesting to drive through. There is some cool architecture there. I don’t think even temporary damage to farmland is worth preserving it, though. Not with the cost of food these days.

[@bonniewight911]

Thanks!

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thank you for watching!

[@geoffreyvandahm1349]

I see, or rather hear, what you did there… Purposely mispronouncing the name to spark engagement. Touché! 🤣 Anyway… long-time subscriber and first time commenter here: 1. Greetings from the land-o-beer-n-cheese and 2. Keep up the great work! 😁

[@benjaminclark4030]

A story from the Evansville tri-state area. Nice.

[@jessefarley4609]

I live about 60 miles from cairo very interested place.

[@sonRiZe26]

Drove through the town recently. Baghdad looks hospitable by comparison. Stopped at Fort Defiance to see the confluence of the rivers. The park is abandoned and the only structure is a home for millions of wasps. I did see the 3 historic buildings that give evidence to the history of the town, but any hope to revive the area appears to be a pipe dream.

[@xbmpr]

Heart of Illinois? I live by Elgin, that’s like a 6 hour drive south lol.

[@Sportsthebest542]

You should do the seashore lines New Jersey

[@stevegabbert9626]

Cairo is more of the big toe than the heart of Illinois.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

The trench foot of Illinois.

[@Dennis-d1p]

Its also on the new Madrid earthqauke zone. They are all dead when it pops again.