Cairo, Illinois USA

There were great expectations for Cairo when it was founded in 1837. Located at the lower tip of Illinois, between the Mississippi and Ohio river, was a great city for transferring goods. There were steamboats all along the river for trading goods. The town also had railroads which was also a plus for attracting people to Cairo. It was slowly growing, but did not become what was expected.

Cairo was named after Cairo, Egypt (although not pronounced the same) because of its location by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Some call Cairo, IL "Little Egypt".

Cairo was centered around an intense civil rights movement. There were many riots and historical events that took place in Cairo, Illinois. My family can tell you many stories of this time period, but there are are books listed below that capture the history of this town very well.

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Here is a small time line of a few famous people that visited Cairo. For a full time line of interesting things that happened in Cairo from 1673 to 1956 visit Cairo History.

1813: Gen. Andrew Jackson camped on the site of Cairo with 1,500 troops.

1842: Charles Dickens

1861: Generals Prentiss and Grant establish their headquarters at Cairo.

1881: President Jefferson Davis

1907: President Theodore Roosevelt

1909: President William H. Taft

Even though Cairo itself seems unwelcoming now, some of the people are still very friendly. They are old timers who have been there for years, and will help you with whatever you need.

Many people have left due to the lack of money and interest in Cairo. Cairo is full of history and stories, but has been left in abandonment. It is a sad place to be because there is so much potential and it is not being fulfilled for one reason or another. Much of the city is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

(Photo taken by me winter 2009)

I took some pictures in 2009 of some houses and places in Cairo. Click on them to view the larger version. There are more pics on the website when you click through.

If you enjoy historical towns, Cairo is a very good place for you to visit for a day. The buildings that have been kept nice that were built in the 1800's are beautiful. There are a couple of mansions (Magnolia Manor & The Riverlore) that you can take tours of, but even the outside of the homes are beautiful. Even some of the older buildings that have been abandoned are beautiful in their way. I've taken all of the pictures below. Sorry for the gloomy weather. We had just had a bad ice storm, so everything looks sad!

Some other sites of interest are:

- Fort Defiance State Park (located right outside of Cairo on the tip of IL). Unfortunately, the park was closed when I went down because of a winter storm. The only pictures I could get were of the outside.



- Historical Statues and Sculptures





- A.B. Safford Memorial Library





- St. Mary's Park surrounded by Magnolia Trees







- Shemwell's BBQ. Popular BBQ restaurant in Cairo.



- Magnolia Manor Famous historical mansion that president Grant stayed in. Open for tours.



- Riverlore



- Washington Ave More information coming soon...

- Downtown Historical Cairo More information coming soon...

- Riverboat Days (In October) More information coming soon...

- Cairo Custom House & Post Office. More information soon....

1. Don't speed through town. I have heard many stories of being pulled over easily going 1 mile over. I never chance it!
2. Visit during the month of December. The town sets up a big Christmas tree, lights up the town park, and decorates Magnolia Manor.
3. If you would like to see the Magnolia Trees in bloom, travel during the spring or summer.

Nearby Sites of interest:
- Mounds City National Cemetery
- Horseshoe Lake
- Cache River

1. http://www.usacitiesonline.com/ilcountycairo.htm --- about Cairo

3. http://www.cairocitizen.com/history.htm --- Cairo Newspaper

4. http://users.stlcc.edu/jangert/cairo/cairo.html ---about Cairo

5. http://www.pilotlight2000.com/historic/library.htm --- Public Library

6. http://www.southernmostillinoishistory.net/customhouse.htm --- Custom House & Post Office

7. http://www.cairoillinois.org ---- Cairo Chamber of Commerce