Watching this video and surprised that you pronounced Cairo correctly and not like the city in Egypt. There is another town close to Cairo that is the kitty litter capitol of America, my ex brother in law was sent there to work on an army corp of engineers project back in the mid 90’s and we visited him there a few times

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Stephen.

@amyralls6218

Жыл бұрын

@@Rick6767rick All of Southern Illinois is referred to as "Little Egypt" and there are several towns that carry the spelling of areas in Egypt, but many aren't pronounced the same way. I couldn't tell you why they are pronounced different, I suspect that many when many of the towns were named, people had read about the places in Egypt, but had never heard them pronounced! You can tell when someone isn't from Southern Illinois when they pronounce the towns the way they are pronounced in Egypt!!

@Rick6767rick

Жыл бұрын

@@amyralls6218 ah ok thanks for the info , you learn so much in the youtube comments section :)

@johnrogers9481

Жыл бұрын

potato... po-TA-to. eh!

@travisfaulk7395

Жыл бұрын

l11

My mother was born here in 1936. I remember visiting in the 60s. It was called "Little Egypt." We would stay at my grandmother's sister's house, eating fried catfish sandwiches with homemade hotsauce on white bread. There'd be sweetened sun tea and lemonade. It wouldn't be very cold (we only got one ice cube each) but it was cool and wet. Being in Cairo in the summer was unlike anything I've ever felt, before or since. Crazy Uncle Boots used to say they lived in the devil's kitchen. I remember impoverished streets and homes that had once seen better days long before I knew the right words and the reasons why. I remember trying to sleep in a hot stuffy room, praying for a breeze to lift old, yellow lace curtains hanging in the open window. To this day, I don't know if I fell asleep or simply passed out due to the heat. I remember hearing my parents talking with great aunts and uncles mixed together with the incessant drone of cicadas while they sat out on the front porch. I remember my Aunties Lou and Erlister saying how bad things had gotten there for 'the colored folk' and that they were looking to leave. I remember them talking about MLK. We had family in Chicago. They eventually moved there but they never were able to convince Uncle Boots to leave. They used to whisper he wasn't right in the head after the war. I didn't understand then what that meant. I liked Uncle Boots. He used to sneak me hard candy. I didn't know it then but that would be the last time I would ever see him. It would also be one of the last times I would visit Cairo. I reckon that Cairo has been dying for perhaps longer than it was ever alive. I would also speculate that it will still be dying long after we're gone. Watching this video was bittersweet. So many memories . . .

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic comment. Thank you for posting it. :)

@lindamitchell-fox1926

Жыл бұрын

It’s been wonderful sharing in your memories. So much detail that I can just about see it through your words. If you haven’t already, it might be nice for your family if you captured these kind of memories for them in a journal. Thanks.

@JoeZyzyx

Жыл бұрын

High humidity in summer from all those rivers confluence no doubt.

@airmail55

Жыл бұрын

You should write a book of your memories... we lose our history unless it is written...

@janlloyd6138

Жыл бұрын

That makes me so hungry!

I’m actually the Ups driver in Cairo. I have been for a few years now. You know I was almost talked out of taking the route. I’m glad I stayed. My customers are wonderful. A misunderstood area with a dense history!

@Itsaboutthewaterlife

Жыл бұрын

Good for you.

@joanna7350

Жыл бұрын

So you always feel safe there? Not to judge a book by its cover but all the KZread videos I'm kinda scared, and I live over in St. Clair County, a couple hours from Cairo. I've seen videos KZread where people are just driving around exploring and they're being followed.

@megsimp0212

Жыл бұрын

Are you the only one?

@Joseph-R

Жыл бұрын

@@joanna7350 Probably less likely to happen to a UPS driver. It's very apparent what they're in the city to do, everyone wants their packages. An unknown vehicle on the other hand would be much more likely to be followed.

@Impedancenetwork

Жыл бұрын

What the hell is "dense history?" Don't you mean "rich history" or "extensive history?" Apparently UPS drivers don't have a extensive vocabulary.

On many a night, my Navy buddy from Cairo, Russell Mertz, told me all about his hometown as we sweated through another night in the Philippines. Russell was a great storyteller. The Gem Theater...Russell worked there in his younger years. Loved seeing this. We stayed in touch for 50 years. Finally got to see him just before he passed. So glad we got to see each other one last time.

@TOCC50

Жыл бұрын

I guess he’s never heard of Cairo, Egypt 🇪🇬 hate the way he mispronounces it

@stndupforusa8964

Жыл бұрын

@@TOCC50 i can tell your not from southern il.

@danp67

Жыл бұрын

@@TOCC50 The locals pronounce it the that way so he is correct in this context

@davidstaudohar6733

Жыл бұрын

Thank U 4 serving in the United States Navy , God Bless America veterans 👌 ‼️

@ewing21139

Жыл бұрын

@@TOCC50 It is pronounced kayro.

My daughter was in college in Chicago and we drove from Texas to bring her home due to Covid. We LITERALLY almost ran at of gas in Cairo. We were in a panic because we couldn’t find an operating gas station. Never let it get below 50 miles to empty any longer. The GPS sent us to a little convenience store and the guy working said they hadn’t sold gas in 20 years. 😱

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Ouch! Yes, there is no gas station in Cairo. But you can get a new Ford there. :)

@kevinjones5560

Жыл бұрын

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Saw that. Gotta wonder where the dealer fills up the Fords for the test drives. I think we got back on the interstate and had to back-track some miles to a truck stop.

@unclesloppy5388

Жыл бұрын

When traveling always buy gas when you reach half tank

@ewing21139

Жыл бұрын

@@unclesloppy5388 Wow, in most cars you would be stopping every 150 miles. my Silverado will go 400 miles between fill ups. But I carry a spare can of gas. I was born and raised in Wayne Co. which is 133 miles north. I live in Florida but I go back every spring to visit my family. I usually go through Evansville, but i might take that route through Carerow this spring.

@jimthar17

Жыл бұрын

Not for nothing but how do you let your gas get to the point of almost running out in the first place? I've never driven a car down that low in my life. That's the type of stuff you see in horror movies. If you're traveling and it gets anywhere below half tank, FILL IT UP.

“I don’t know what people do for food and groceries” you had already answered your own question: Dollar General. Targeting the deepest parts of rural America is how that company has expanded to over 13,000 locations. They find dying towns whose last grocery store closed years ago, open shop, and offer reasonably priced food, healthy-beauty aids, and home goods. From ketchup to dental floss to cat food to bathroom towels, they really are a modern day general store. Each store provides about 12-ish jobs to the town as well. I worked at a DG for about 2.5 years.

@jessdrewthis

Жыл бұрын

@UCc463TowgsuTUjA7M5tPdAw Yup, Dollar General is fantastic for people with similar remote living situations. Glad to hear it’s made your life easier. Most of us in the cities and suburbs take for granted being able to get nearly everything we need within at most a 20 minute drive, including retailers and hospitals. It’s something I try to be grateful for and mindful of.

@Andersons999

Жыл бұрын

Your so right

@LifestreamMinistries

Жыл бұрын

The son of Dollar General lives I Nashville Tennessee where his father founded Dollar General. He gives millions of dollars to charity especially The Room in The Inn in Downtown Nashville that Ministers to the homeless community there. So Dollar General is a good company

@marcusthegreat777

Жыл бұрын

They drive 30 miles to a Walmart in Sikeston Mo.

@Acidlib

Жыл бұрын

That’s all well and good if you ignore the instances where the local corner store is still around when DG comes to town and they still decide to set up shop and force them out.

I left Cairo in 1967, when I graduated high school. Cairo is pronounced (CARE ROW) not (KAY ROW). What is not known to the casual traveler is that the entire town is riddled with subterranean caverns. Huge sinkholes have appeared in the main streets making basements and new construction unthinkable. Waters from the Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the east have destabilized the last 3 miles of southern Illinois. We knew this in 1967. Growth stopped in 1920 with the population at 15K. The area flooded in 1937 and again in 2011. The Civil War was the pinnacle of history for Cairo. Farm lands in southern Illinois are fertile from the flooding of the two rivers. Don't mourn for Cairo, Cairo died in the 1870's.

@slavaukraine963

Жыл бұрын

I've been through here. I thought this was metropolis though?

@jackmakackov7077

Жыл бұрын

its actually pronounced Kai row. Like the city in Egypt. This area of the world is notorious for butchering other languages. Every french named street in st louis is mispronounced.

@michaelf7093

Жыл бұрын

@@slavaukraine963 Metropolis is just upstream the Ohio, on the Illinois side.

@slavaukraine963

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelf7093 ok. I remember visiting an old fort in a park right where the Mississippi and the Ohio river meet. There was also a casino boat on the river and a nuclear power plant across the way in Kentucky

@echofoxtrot2.051

Жыл бұрын

Cairo, NY is pronounced the same way. Not like the city in Egypt. Lol

As someone who is fascinated by the USA, more specifically the rural part of the country, I love seeing this type of stuff. It's both sad and fascinating, I would love to travel through all these small towns, witness it myself and talk to the locals and hear their stories.

@aarondigby5054

Жыл бұрын

Stop talking about the South, everything southern of the Canadian border is down south...Malcolm X

@tettysariati1607

Жыл бұрын

Hi greetings from Jakarta Indonesia, I wish i could come and enjoy the long journey with you Thank you

@joostderidder

Жыл бұрын

yeah ... something I'm missing a tad in all this vids ... "a talk with the remaining people"

@tebelel7150

Жыл бұрын

Some locals ain’t worth talking to unfortunately

@Ferdrew-fj6xv

11 ай бұрын

Let us do it !! 👍😁😁🇺🇸😊

I have two experiences with Cairo: First was getting a ticket from a state cop as I exited back onto I-57 in 2001. It was literally only for 3 miles over the speed limit as I was accelerating from the exit to meet the speed on the interstate. Second was in 2002 trying to find a gas station at 4am. I pulled into a station that was fully lit at about 11:00pm, but the pumps weren't working and the store was locked. I rolled out of there when a car parked and blocked the exit out of the station. I just hopped the grassy curb and booked it out of there.

@guests5863

Жыл бұрын

Yeah that was me in the driveway, so your the guy that hauled a## outta there, I was gonna try and tell where you could get gas that place closes at 10

@nicholasthomas3635

Жыл бұрын

@@guests5863 HA! 'The town after sundown' will be coming everywhere soon for out of towners.........

@_leopold_butters_stotch_

Жыл бұрын

Wow, good for you.

@newdefsys

Жыл бұрын

smart move, hopping the curve

@simmonsbj86

11 ай бұрын

I also got a court appointed ticket while driving through an intentional speed trap. Required me having to travel back for my court. There was a single court room with soo many people they couldn't fit, only one local resident of the over 300 people there they let him go first and while speeding with no insurance he got off free while the rest of us got fines. 😅

Every time we drive through this town I'm filled with sadness at its decay. But also each time my husband and I discuss how easy it would be to film a post-apocalyptic movie here. If you avoid the few homes that are kept up, one could imagine the voiceover for the trailer: "In a world ravaged by (insert tragedy here), towns lie in decaying ruins. But one man..." etc.

@dougyoung221

Жыл бұрын

Love it. Better hurry though or there won't be enough for said movie. It's disappearing rapidly.

@reinegade

Жыл бұрын

Either that or a nature-y horror movie would be perfect here! The overgrown houses and abandoned motel look especially ominous

@Ixions

Жыл бұрын

if the shtf, it actually looks like a decent place to rebuild. River on two sides with embankments all around.

@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14

Жыл бұрын

In a world ravaged by Wokeness... If not for the fact that this is in anti-America IL, this is the perfect town for 150 Patriot families to buy up and turn into a crime-free piece of Americana. Only drawback is the flooding. It's not that far to Cape Girardeau for gas and groceries, and they built an awesome bridge across the Miss in 2003 to get you there.

@GorGob

Жыл бұрын

"War... war never chances"

Cairo was where Grant's army assembled in preparation for his critically important Vicksburg Campaign. My great-grandfather's 8th Illinois was among the many Union regiments that encamped there.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

That’s right.

@nelliesfarm8473

Жыл бұрын

Very interesting

@nancyoffenhiser4916

Жыл бұрын

My Great Great Uncle was General John M. Schofield. Thank God for the men of Illinois- from what I have read things could have easily gone the other way. Your Great Grandfather was a brave man, thank you for sharing your story.

@Paul-kd3ui

Жыл бұрын

Yup gen Grant was a cool bro ster

@Neal_only1

Жыл бұрын

Many of my ancestors served from Edwards and Wabash counties up Stream

I'm not sure why, but I find these video fascinating and sad at the same time. Thanks for the mini vacations!

I was introduced to Cairo by the author/humorist, Mark Twain. He knew the city well, having spent his younger years on a steamboat plying the Mississippi River. The city is mentioned in both Huckelberry Finn and Tom Sawyer novels.

I lived in Cairo until recently. You missed the one nice section of town west of Washington between roughly 25th and 35th sts. Cairo looks pretty much like any other nice small town back in there. They are also supposed to start work on the new Port Of Cairo anyday now. Several companies have already made heavy investments into it so this will happen. They will need a thousand workers for construction alone. This is the biggest thing to happen in Cairo in nearly 100 years. On to some of the negatives. Most of the population loss in the most recent census was due to the demolition of two large derelict projects. Very few were able to find new housing in Cairo so most left. Also local flooding, esp in 2011 drove many from Cairo after it was evacuated. The local electric provider charges 6-7 times the normal rate which is a large part of why bigger houses in particular are vacant. Even 15 years ago there were still many businesses open along the main drag. The town's last grocery store left 6-7 years ago. The areas with biggest employers are in Cape Girardeau MO and Paducah KY, most do their shopping there as well.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Interesting. I hope Cairo makes a comeback. It's in an amazing location. There's so much you could do there.

@hon.mr.ronburgundyiiiesq.2096

Жыл бұрын

Not unless you can move illinois away from the neighboring states. I grew up in illinois across from st louis, I moved to Missouri too. Same reason every person and business moves to Missouri or Kentucky does... illinois is a failed state.

@davidderler5924

Жыл бұрын

Well if this project goes I'm sure some workers will by a property and companies will buy any livable property to rent out . things will escalate fast. Be a boost for everyone. Maybe a store or 2 will open.

@BartholomewSmutz

Жыл бұрын

@@davidderler5924 Any store that opens will probably get robbed. That's one reason there are no businesses in Cairo.

@Blatsen

Жыл бұрын

I currently live in the part of Illinois across from St. Louis. I don’t think Illinois needs to be moved away from the neighboring states to survive. It needs separated from Chicago in order to survive. The only thing that makes Illinois different from the neighboring states is that it’s run by the failed city of Chicago. The part of Illinois that I live in is more like Missouri than like Chicago. Cairo is more like Kentucky and Missouri than like Chicago.

My daughter was one of the last children born at the Cairo hospital in 85. It was already partly demolished but was the only place our doctor had privileges, she was a little on the outside of mainstream but a good doctor. I haven't been there in several years but tried to buy a house for my wife's niece a few years back. There were many one time beautiful homes still around and some were being given away. The town still had the remains of many fine brick two and three story buildings. You could still get an idea of what it had been. I've always found it sad, once it's gone it ain't coming back, they don't build that way anymore. 😢

@studentaccount4354

Жыл бұрын

Wow, when my ancestors left all were born at home in late 1800’s.

@doreenharvey5231

Жыл бұрын

Old world buildings

@jilld1657

Жыл бұрын

This is the first I heard of Cairo. My grandmother was born here in 1910. She never returned. I always wanted to know why her fanily left and NEVER returned. So sad. You have saved me a visit.

@ManskisTreeHouse

Жыл бұрын

It will be back if America and our current state fall considering the location. With tbe republic barely hanging ok and a divide between many states and the federal government you can bet your inflated dollars that survivors will flock to vacant towns like Cairo

Such a great way to preserve American history and educate people the world over. Really enjoy your matter of fact narration and reaction to the things you see. Most of your viewers it seems would never in a million years visit a place like this. Because you take us with you and your camera in tow, the legacy of place like Cairo leaps right off the screen and into our awareness unlike any book or magazine could ever do. Thanks for not using any production music here. It's perfect just the way it is. I'll bet every building/house you've shown us has many amazing stories to tell. If only those walls and yards could talk. Thanks again for doing what you do so well.

My northern relatives visited southern relatives in Cairo in the 1940's and that is where they first experienced segregated water fountains.

Ah Cairo my nemesis. I'm a truck driver and I'll do anything to avoid that route. Sometimes I can't. The bridge is narrow as heck, 82 is a narrow two lane highway with no margin for error or you end up in a ditch. The small winding streets are a maze but I have always been so fascinated by the almost abandoned town. I roll through with my camera and always try to get pictures. Abandoned towns are beautiful in a way. After rolling through I Googled the town and yes a torrid history. Always end up going this way when I'm going to that part of Missouri.

@1954shadow

Жыл бұрын

We use to take that bridge on family trips, going down to Georgia to see my grandparents. It was scary enough in a car, later, we would use that bridge, only in a motor home with our mirror just an inch or two from a semi mirror, coming the other way. One time, a little kid came on the CB radio, “mama can’t do it daddy.” The mom was driving behind in the family car, the dad who was ahead on the other side, in a camper, she was terrified of driving across that narrow bridge. A semi driver stuck behind the back up, parked his rig and volunteered to drive the car all in it, to the other side. I suppose he got a ride back.

@jldavis7827

Жыл бұрын

I dread any of those bridges

@melissah.5319

Жыл бұрын

@1954shadow that was cool of the driver. I dread that area. On those narrow one lane highways, there is no room for any mistakes.

@melissah.5319

Жыл бұрын

@jl davis yes!!! My first time down through Cairo my co driver was driving. I sat in the passenger seat puckered. I told him I'll never do that. Little did I know I would later after getting my CDL. ugh

@msabia1

Жыл бұрын

That bridge will separate the truckers from the wannabes

As a truck driver I've passed by the town many times, and usually it's always flooded, I can see why nobody wants to live there. A town that's extremely prone to flooding by the river there is not a good idea

@randymillhouse791

Жыл бұрын

Very good point. I live up higher in elevation in my neighborhood. We had 10 inches of rain in 24 hours and our house was fine. Move to where the jobs are booming Move to where houses are affordable Move to where it is safe to live Buy a house at a nice, safe elevation

@cariwaldick4898

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking when I clicked, that the flooding would have been why the town is abandoned. I can imagine so many businesses that would work well in a place like that--but not if it's a flood risk.

@randymillhouse791

Жыл бұрын

@@cariwaldick4898 Much like Olympia beer.... it's the water!

@cariwaldick4898

Жыл бұрын

@Catania Momma Italia Most people in the mid-west don't think about flooding as a common occurrence, like those on the coasts do. In places like Louisiana they build on stilts, but here the problem is losing roads and bridges as well. When these areas flood, people get stranded for days, livestock is lost, pets are abandoned, and homes are destroyed. When the floods happen, debris washes down the river and could easily take out a house--even if it was on stilts.

@randymillhouse791

Жыл бұрын

@@LC.1990 Sorry, you need to do the research. No one can choose for you.

The nearby town of Anna has a rather infamous history of being a sundown town (they say it's an acronym for "Ain't No N-words Allowed")--This area of the state was known to have slave owners before the civil war, even though Illinois was technically supposed to be a free state. Southern Illinois truly is like an entirely different state than the area surrounding Chicago. Even as someone who has lived in IL my entire life, I have an extremely hard time relating to the experiences of people in the more rural areas.

@Davis_Carlton

Ай бұрын

Based Anna

Used to drive through here when visiting my sister back in the 80’s. This was an almost ghost town back then. The town has been in decline for a very long time.

I'm a trucker and 2 years ago we loaded big oversize wind mill tube sections in Cairo off of barges. They came from overseas to New Orleans, then on barges up the river to Cairo, then used big cranes to load onto our trucks and we took them to the windmill sites in Missouri.

@hankhillsnrrwurethra

Жыл бұрын

My in-laws live on a ridge in MO in a line of these turbines. Kind of spooky especially at night.

@erinhilliard9347

Жыл бұрын

That’s fantastic!

@RaraAvis1138

Жыл бұрын

Oh wow! Thats really cool - thank you for sharing that!

@AlwaysK2withD3

Жыл бұрын

Is it as bad as it looks or did you see any place to eat besides Dollar General

@1940limited

Жыл бұрын

That solves a lot. Build windmills from China.

One of the weirdest coincidences about Cairo is that when the last ice age ended, the glaciers' southernmost advance reached as far as Cairo's location, and the last time the sea inundated North America, its northernmost advance was more or less to Cairo's location. 🧐

@albertkundrat1734

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic! In 5th grade at Stark Elementary, Lovers Lane, Steubenville, Ohio, I had Mrs. HUBER for Geography Class in 1968! It was there that I did the ICE AGE Map for North America, covering continental U.S.A.! CAIRO must have been on the geography book's Map!

@albertkundrat1734

Жыл бұрын

Thank You!

@BE74297

Жыл бұрын

The sea from the Atlantic? please elaborate.

@albertkundrat1734

Жыл бұрын

@@BE74297 Perhaps both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans way back then were really One Ocean, or semi-One: it was much later that the 2 seas SPLIT from each other into two entirely separate body-of-water identities? My speculation only.

@darrenleaguecity

Жыл бұрын

@@BE74297 Probably more like the Gulf of Mexico if you want to be specific

I drove thru Cairo this summer. I couldn't believe that a city in the USA could be in such a dilapidated state. It was truly one of the most depressing things I have ever seen. 😔

@kimberlypound9255

Жыл бұрын

Well what can you do when only 1,500 people live there any more? That's not a city, it's barely a town.

@leoborn6595

Жыл бұрын

Many places look like this. Rarely an entire town but if you have visited e.g. Detroits dilapidating corners, you know what I mean. The problem in the US is, that people in need and those who do not bring benefit for the state get left in the the ditch. Europe handles some stuff better than the greatest nation ever.

@mollyg4980

Жыл бұрын

You should see kc

@montananerd8244

Жыл бұрын

Not saying Cairo is a healthy town, but, some of the "depressing" look that city folks perceive is just the fact that you are used to businesses getting regular remodels & refurbs, but even in healthy small towns, the buildings won't look so spiffy. Our economies can't scale up like in urban areas, aesthetics have to take a back seat. I was back in NE Montana recently, saw my hometown was thriving again, but heard from tourists who passed thru that it was so depressing and run down. I think a lot of people expect Mayberry, but rural America just cannot afford to prioritize making things look like a movie set. I think a lot of people confuse tourist small towns with regular ones. Small resort towns are super cute but it's mostly a facade.

@bradencruse5882

11 ай бұрын

Go see Parsons Kansas! It's going that same route!

It has the most frightening bridge. I went over it at night on my way to Atlanta, Ga., with my 2 yr. Old. I made it halfway up the bridge and stopped. I backed my car down the bridge. Scariest night of my life

This is a beautiful place! I live in PA, For the past 2 years I have lived on 1,500.00/mo that's 18,000.00/yr. This is my choice, I'm 56 and have worked hard all my life, raised 3 boys myself. I saved enough that I could retire early. Now I have time to enjoy my grandchildren. I do not consider myself poor, I have a 1,750 sq ft home, I have 1/4 acre, garden, chickens, rabbits a dog and a cat. It's all about living within your means and being grateful for what you have and knowing that the rat race won't make you happy.

@LonokeCountyResearch501

Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I was thinking this is perfect town to own your first home and start slow to build for the future

@bp6421

Жыл бұрын

Small town tomgansiki strikes agin with his small town propoganda🎉

@CrashTestPepe

Жыл бұрын

Lol cope

@marilynhudson5805

Ай бұрын

​@@LonokeCountyResearch501You are exactly right 💯 I would be happier there than CHICAGO. Here you don't know when you will get done for.

The final nail in the coffin was the Interstate bypassing the town in the late 1970's. I traveled through there many times earlier and Cairo was still the only bridge available so you had to go through town. Every one of those closed businesses used to be packed with locals and travelers. I believe I-57 opened around about 1977 and soon after, the first businesses started pulling out.

@michaelm5405

Жыл бұрын

There's a housing crisis. If unclaimed houses are remotely intact/ usable, this would be an opportunity for the bold and the desperate, were it not for househoarding, bulldozing banks. Just like Gary Indiana. A city fullvof empty houses, hoarded and bulldozed by the banks that seized them.

@josephocallaghan3000

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelm5405 sadly when the poor move in they most likely will get worse stuff thats free aint appreciated mostly - taken for granted

@jamesbeason9256

Жыл бұрын

I 55.

@thewkovacs316

Жыл бұрын

they did to cairo what they did to all the small towns off route 66 need a new model in order to bring these small towns back from the brink

@gitchegumee

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesbeason9256 No, it's I-57. When I used to travel through in the late 70s, early 80s,, the interstate was still being built. The interstate stopped at Hwy 51 (which is the main street through town) so then you could cross the skinny steel bridge over the Mississippi. Once they built the interstate bridge, unless you needed gas or food, you only noticed Cairo off in the distance as you passed it by.

The motel was the one we always stayed in when going down in the early 70s for the two shot goose hunt! WOW

I drive thru Cairo every year on my way to Missouri. There is another town in Southern Illinois called future city that looks like it never came. It's next door.

When I was a kid in the 60's in West Tennesse we would pass through Cairo going to visit my grandparents in Central Illinois. The interstate was the final blow to Cairo taking revenue away from the city. . I drove through there a year or so ago to see for myself. It's sad to see a historic city crumble.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Yep. You are absolutely correct.

@debmj1960

Жыл бұрын

I live in central Illinois and dated a guy from Cairo, Illinois when I was in college… it was always a place that looked neglected and run down to me

@beachbaby1427

Жыл бұрын

I live in central Illinois too.

@lindabradford9591

Жыл бұрын

We used to take that way to Trimble, TN to the in laws. I liked going over the bridge into KY and stopping in Wickliffe for cheap cigarettes. Now we take 24 to Paducah for gas then down to Trimble.

@jsterling6805

Жыл бұрын

@Mike Collon That paper mill probably gave a lot of people Parkinson’s disease.

Even with all the dilapidation, there's something special about Cairo. Good vibes.

@angelmartin7310

Жыл бұрын

I noticed that too.

In the 1950s and '60s (and probably other decades on either side), Illinois's marriage laws were more lenient than nearby Kentucky's regarding minimum age. Consequently, many young couples crossed the river to get married. Between 1973 and 1980, Illinois's drinking laws allowed 19-year-olds to enter bars and drink beer (not hard liquor). Consequently, Cairo had a huge night club (King Tut's) in the 1970s, and young people from surrounding states would come to visit. They didn't just come to drink, however. That was the heyday of disco and King Tut's held many disco dance contests that were taken seriously and attended by superb dancers. The dance floor was packed. Cairo used to perennially have a basketball powerhouse. Today, of course, they are in the lowest tier (single A) enrollment-wise, and average about 20 students per grade. The Guetterman Boys (Guetterman Motors) have been in business of selling cars in Cairo for decades, although I worry about their future. They've always relied on sales to customers in surrounding states. In fact, in 1994, the company trademarked their slogan of "Cross that money-saving bridge". Their tv and radio commercials also point out that Paducah (KY) is only 15 minutes away, at 120 miles per hour! I believe they have satellite locations in scattered towns. Truly 15 miles from Cairo, in Charleston, Missouri, is Reeves Boomland. This is easily the largest display of fireworks I've seen for sale, and it's open year-round (they have many other things in an adjoining building). Sikeston, Missouri (30 miles from Cairo) hosts Lambert's Cafe, the original home of the "throwed rolls". This place is BIG (despite it being called a cafe) and is a must-stop for anyone in the area. An employee will bring hot rolls from the back room and literally throw them across the LARGE dining room to eager diners. Some of the throws are just amazing (considering all the knick knacks hanging from the ceiling)! Occasionally, the pass is not completed (usually the fault of the receiver), and the attempt is repeated. Even without the throwed rolls, the dining experience is amazing with huge portions and "pass-arounds", which are things like fried okra, mac & tomatoes, etc. that are carried by employees in huge stainless steel bowls. The employees walk among the tables and dole out these freebies to anyone who wants 'em.

So glad that you covered Cairo, IL. Cairo was a major memorable location for me, starting as an infant (first passing thru Cairo in 1954) and throughout my pre-teen childhood years. We lived in Chicago, but since my mother's side was all in Louisiana, we would take at least 2 trips per year between Chicago to just north of New Orleans, either by train or by driving in car. The first 6 or so years were before I-57 was even built, and if we drove we'd take old Hwy 51 all the way, passing right thru Cairo. The train trips had a huge memorable part, as that was back when the Illinois Central 'Panama Limited' (sleeper car train) and the Illinois Central 'City of New Orleans' train (of the infamous Arlo Guthrie song) were in existence. The memorable highlight at Cairo was my parents telling me and my sister "to be ready to see the back & front of the train we were on", as there was a long 90° curve in the railroad tracks at Cairo and as the train was in that curve, we could look out the train window and see nearly the entire front and back halves of the train we were on, while in that long 90° curve. I still recall on an early trip we were taking by car, back in the late 1950's, due to horrendous weather we had to stop overnight and stayed at a motel on Hwy 51 in Cairo, which I have no doubt was the same (long closed) Belvedere Motel you filmed at the 21:09 mark. It's hard to believe that was approx 65 years ago.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this.

Historically, empires collapse on average every 250 years. Watching all the urban decay across this great country makes you wonder if this is the beginning.

@stephenbrand5661

Жыл бұрын

We've always treated our urban poor this way, just look at the South Bronx or East Harlem in 1980 and compare them to today.

@kgrimes101

Жыл бұрын

@@stephenbrand5661 Maybe the urban poor should start cleaning up after themselves.

@edlee2336

Жыл бұрын

@@kgrimes101 That’s not a fair statement. Imagine growing up around 100’s of 10,000+ sqft abandoned structures, 100’s of abandoned and empty government buildings.. please tell me how middle and low class people would be able to get rid of those things??

@wil7228

Жыл бұрын

Greed is killing our country , people are screwing people for everything. The government is leading the way.

@BillLaBrie

Жыл бұрын

The US has only been an empire for about 125 years. So, probably halfway there.

Anyone that every read "Huckleberry Finn" knows about Cairo. The river traffic is not near as active as it was 20 years ago. Back in the 70's and 80's most small towns lost their hospitals due to the operational expense. You have several large cities close to Cairo and that is probably the reason they lost the grocery store.

@Chicago48

Жыл бұрын

Cairo needs a benefactor. It would be the perfect city for an "abortion clinic" boom. The city needs to get grants to tear down the bad homes.

@theedxqboi

Жыл бұрын

Cairo also features in Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Southern Illinois is a beautiful place, ancient and stunning. Maybe in our lifetimes we'll visit Cairo for purpose other than watching the homes decay.

@amyralls6218

Жыл бұрын

Most of the "close" hospitals are a minimum of 30 miles away from Cairo! Try that trip when you're having a heart attack, or have a serious illness and in need of medical support!!!

@AJ-zv9tn

Жыл бұрын

during the 60s there was very bad racial tensions in cairo

@johnswartz2423

Жыл бұрын

I read every bit of Huckleberry Finn

This was so interesting to me. Thank you for making this video. My father was born in Cairo and lived there where he was a little boy, before his family moved up the river to Alton, IL, just north of St. Louis. He'd be 95 now if he were still alive and would be, I'm sure, astonished to see its current condition. We didn't have any family living in the area but we did visit when I was a kid, so early 70s-ish. It was not in such bad shape then. How sad to see what's become of it.

It's so sad to see places like this just fall apart. I was curious as to why, so I looked it up on wiccopedia, and here is some of what I found. "From 1967 to 1973, an extended period of racial unrest occurred in the town of Cairo, Illinois. The city had long had racial tensions which boiled over after a black soldier was found hanged in his jail cell. Over the next several years, fire bombings, racially charged boycotts and shootouts were common place in Cairo, with 170 nights of gunfire reported in 1969 alone."😓

I grew up in southern Illinois and always thought of it as where the midwest meets the south. You should have talked to that guy coming out of his house- he probably would have been happy to have someone to talk to. Many such small towns in the midwest now are full of retired people- the younger folk have moved on.

@mikezylstra7514

Жыл бұрын

Illinoise is very long north to south I don't know how many miles but the northern border is even with southern Massachusetts and Cairo is even with Norfolk, VA. Quite a span!

@swedeheart214

Жыл бұрын

I also would have loved hearing from the man who waved coming out of the big house!

@scottsmith6631

Жыл бұрын

Definitely a southern influence in downstate Illinois. Lots of 'stars & bars' (confederate) flags flown down there to this day.

@nagone11

Жыл бұрын

Not a place for young people.

@jmmahony

Жыл бұрын

@@maidenthe80sla you would if you had spent your life there and couldn't afford to live anyplace else.

Thank you for this. My father was born in Cairo in March 1912. He had three sisters. My Grandmother died of the Spanish Flu when he was about 10 and his father took a bad electrical shock on a riverboat and never really recovered several years later. My dad and his baby sister were adopted by a very well-off family in Northern Indiana and lived a much happier life after Cairo. Dad used to tell me that he had several childhood friends and they would go down and climb up on the levee each day and watch the boats. He said all of his friends were black and he wished he could be black too.

@janlloyd6138

Жыл бұрын

What an interesting piece of history, a sad story with a happy ending. Thank you for sharing that here.

@bolinfan1519

Жыл бұрын

"he wished he could be black too" Lead poisoning?

@emmbieemmbie2131

Жыл бұрын

Was the oldest sister of age to be on her own? I’m middle aged and realize how blessed my childhood was. I often felt unloved because my parents were of the “show no affection” generation, but I should be ashamed after learning of your father’s story. I think of what that must have felt like for a child…not knowing what each day would hold for bare necessities and losing your rock…(parents). More was expected of kids emotionally, physically and mentally long ago. I never experienced any hardships, always having things I needed. I guess that’s why I feel so sad about kids who faced the unknowing. Hind sight I can’t say accountability at such a young age was a bad thing when comparing it to the pampered children we raised. I remember thinking I was giving them something I never got but in the end, I know they would never be as resilient as previous generations because of it. I love them, they’re responsible and they make good choices. I just know I could’ve better prepared them to face tough situations they will someday face. May God continue to bless your family as he did long ago.

@ChickenMcThiccken

Жыл бұрын

@@bolinfan1519 duct cleaning

@ashyslashy5818

Жыл бұрын

@@bolinfan1519 botts are pushing genocide of the white race.

From what I understand of Cairo, and many other small towns down in the "Lincoln's Chin" region, they are kept alive in large part due to the slew of Corrections facilities nearby. As a former *tourist?* of said facilities in my more youthful spirited years, a lot of the Corrections Officers down there would talk a lot about how their quality of life was so much better than their neighbors due to these jobs. I was always confounded by how much vitriol and contempt they held for the prisoners because they were mostly from Chicago. Most people you meet in those facilities are people who committed some "victimless" crime like driving with no license repeatedly or were caught with some weed, especially in the larger minimum or medium security institutions. They hated us so much and yet our transgressions were the infusion of income that stretched the deaths of these towns into decades instead of years. While down there I picked up on the fact that a majority of the black COs lived in Cairo. Not sure if it's true but I was told that it was one of the first free cities that runaway slaves would encounter on their journey north and as a result a lot of them would stay, settle and rebuild their lives there. It is alarming to learn just how many people are incarcerated down there in towns like Tamms (my old address at 8500 Supermax Rd), Pinckneyville (also an old address of mine), Vienna, Shawnee, etc. One thing I'll never forget is the Shawnee National Forest butting up to a lot of these institutions and the fresh air (if I ever got any)and wildlife that would creep right up to the edge of the prisons. I've hiked and camped out quite a bit down there later in life as a free man and always wanted to visit Cairo but was always afraid to bump into someone who genuinely wronged me as an employee of those institutions and end up right back down there against my will.

@yawos9024

Жыл бұрын

They get $6 for every $1 in tax they pay. They are on welfare supported by insane taxes on folks up the North the state in Chicago area.

@davidtrotman5990

Жыл бұрын

In part, the correctional system functions as a way supply state funds to rural areas. Assuming the industrial base has decamped, if you don't have a tourist attraction, a university, or a regional medical facility, you need a correctional facility to support a town.

@ptrd4111

Жыл бұрын

Its because theyre "city folk" or, funnily enough, also called "tourists". A lot of small towns dont like city folk and I would be lying if I said I dont share some of that contempt.

@davidtrotman5990

Жыл бұрын

@@ptrd4111 "They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool" is a line from a John Lennon tune. I'm presenting it here in order to ask you: How much would jobs have to pay an hour for locals to overcome their xenophobia and welcome outside job opportunities and people?

@alexn6994

Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, I'm sure you were really wronged by employees at a supermax, oh for sure. I wonder what 'victimless crime' you committed to wind up in a closed super max?

I used to go there in the early to mid 80’s on school trips to Fort Defiance. It was still a decent town then but drugs and crime got really bad. Lots of people started leaving. The town was almost abandoned completely during the floods in 2011. Sink holes were popping up all over town making it very dangerous. The Main Street you were on used to have a trolley car in the early years. There was a lot of big beautiful homes there when I was a kid but almost all of them are gone now. Very sad… very sad!

It's amazing how many beautiful, well-kept houses there are! Too bad you didn't stop to talk to that man coming out of his house - I'm sure he would have been able to provide a lot of history about the town.

I was born and raised in Southern Illinois. It's been almost 50 years since I left and it's shocking the changes to Cairo since I was last there.

I got stuck in Cairo with no money for a few days waiting to fix the truck , we were puffing herbs and wicky sticks all over town asking the locals where the pyramids and Sphynx were , they weren't amused

@CreatingExcellence

Ай бұрын

😂

Makes me think of a quote from “Wind, Sand and Stars” by Antoine St. Exupery (1939): “One thing that I had loved in Paraguay was the ironic grass that showed the tip of its nose between the pavements of the capital, that slipped in on behalf of the invisible but ever-present virgin forest to see if man still held the town, if the hour had not come to send all those stones tumbling.”

I have been through Cairo a good many times on my way to Paducah, Ky, by way of Wickliffe. Going through Cairo, at night, on my Harley was an experience. Not a particularly good one, but I lived to tell about it! Cairo, like many of these Mississippi Delta towns are just sad. Once grand little cities, now just remnants of what they were, gone all to staves.

@EvLDJGetRite

Жыл бұрын

I just wrote a comment saying I can imagine how creepy it is at night here.

@codykp.

Жыл бұрын

You work on tugboats? I only ask because Paducah is a big river boat community if I’m not mistaken. I grew up on the Ohio in Point Pleasant, W. Va.

@TA_Plus_Hemi

Жыл бұрын

@@EvLDJGetRite I went through there at night in July and other than the one Bronco they couldn't fit in the dealer a cop was the only other car I saw. It wasn't really creepy but I wasn't on a 4 or 500 lb bike. I was in a 2 too car.

@philj1878

Жыл бұрын

You spelled slaves wrong

@grassblade63

Жыл бұрын

@@codykp. No sir. I'm steel mill trash. You're right about Paducah being a big towboat town, though. I used to date a real sweet gal up there, so that was the draw for me. I found it to be a real nice town.

I spent a good 6 years working on both the the Illinois section of the Ohio and the Mississippi River up to Alton conducting fish population surveys. I spent many a time in Cairo along with several similar small towns like E-Town, Olmstead, and old Shawneetown. Sure, one might say that they’re all close to ghost towns nowadays but it’s fascinating to think that this area used to be the bustling heart of Illinois at one point. I like to still hope that places like these either grow back up in population or at least be remembered for their importance in U.S. history.

@polarizingbrute

7 ай бұрын

im a lifelong chicagoan that recently bought a home in southern illinois and as much as I love Cairo, living there (even if its part time) was too much for me - so i chose Metropolis

this is yet another town lost to the American roadway. with the Lincoln Highway being routed and gradually built, starting in 1913, river towns that weren’t at the mouth began to die at rapid rates. confluence towns have been thus, ‘abridged,’ from American importance. so unimportant they’ve disappeared almost entirely. thank you for documenting and historicizing this forgotten town!

Before I retired from truck driving, I detoured off of the main route to tour Cairo. It was very late at night and the whole experience was sobering to say the least. I saw absolutely no people or moving cars, trucks or trains. There is so little lighting and useable structures I doubted I was in a town at all. I certainly expected a small town but what I observed was little more than nothing.

I was born in cairo in 1982 my grandma was the general manager at that dollar general in the 90s gangs have ruined what left of the city

@blakemorrison5699

Жыл бұрын

“Gangs?” “City?” This tiny town only had 15k people in its heyday in the 1920’s. It’s not a city. It was a town at best. And gangs? What kind of gangs could there possibly have been when the town was less than 5k people? It’s probably for the best that it becomes a ghost town if people can’t even pronounce the name properly.

WHOA, they've cleaned up the state park there a LOT since I went through in Spring of 21! That place was an abandoned wreck, totally overgrown and clearly neglected for years. nice to see it getting some much-needed love, it's a great spot and a fascinating bit of American history.

Yep! Same Cairo in the Huck Finn book/movie. It also really puts things in perspective being able to see 3 different states from one spot. Nature doesn't really observe boundaries like we do. Great video, and thanks for posting.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

My family was a big road-tripping family and one of my dad's tales he always told about going through Cairo way back when. He thought it was the coolest that he ordered catfish from some joint and having the choice of either catfish from the Ohio River or the Mississippi.

@TOCC50

Жыл бұрын

Segregation is always the safest way to go

@jliefer2484

Жыл бұрын

mississippi all day

@gabrielal6872

Жыл бұрын

​@@TOCC50 why?

@TOCC50

Жыл бұрын

@@gabrielal6872 DMTBKA

I visited Cairo in late 2020 and it looked something like Kosovo after the bombings, I was completely shocked. Most people know the American heartland's been murdered by 50+ years of steady deindustrialization and outsourcing, but it's only when you actually go see it can the full scope of the human tragedy begin to be understood.

@jimhayden5798

Жыл бұрын

If you really want to know what happened to Cairo, ask the older people who are still there. Ask about what happened in the '60's and after. It's like all the big cities, only it was once a beautiful little town.😔

@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244

Жыл бұрын

@@jimhayden5798 I wrote a book about what happened to my quiet little suburb in Northern Calfirona in the 60s. About the same thing. MLK's "non-violent" demonstrations carried a violent wake behind it.

@tomgnyc

Жыл бұрын

@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 FOH. It wasn't civil rights movement, it was the capitalists deciding to send american jobs and factories overseas to line their pockets. It couldn't be any clearer than that.

@auberjean6873

Жыл бұрын

@John Smith Great point! When we stopped manufacturing things our towns went downhill. Look at the beautiful architecture in dying towns like Sterling, Illinois. Very sad.

@rudybrooks3722

Жыл бұрын

@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 Don't Blame this on MLK,racism and White Supremacy gave birth to the Civil rights movement 🤔

The Ford Dealer in Cairo advertises on the radio to "Cross that Money Saving Bridge to Cairo." Geutterman Ford. The last grocery store, Wonder Market, closed in 2015 so the only thing left is Dollar General. I have attended the Catholic Church, St. Patrick. It was built in 1893 and is a historic building as well. When Cairo had 15,000 people, there were 3 Catholic Churches there. Great video!

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the interesting comment!

This reminds me of another river city in Illinois, East St. Louis. After the meat packing plants closed in East St Louis it really went down. Nothing but a Hugh depressing dump.

I’m not Americanbut stayed (work) in the us for almost 6yrs and I love small town vibe, so much so that when we travel we usually take the route of small towns (instead of expressway) eighteenth or or from (to change the scenery). It’s slower than expways but I like driving through them, stopping even. So peaceful, sure it can be boring maybe at times, but I like it. Kind of place where everybody knows everybody. And i feel sad to see some of them being abandoned

@teedoubleu9687

Жыл бұрын

I do that a lot too, take the U.S. highways, preferably 2-lane when I can, or even the smaller state highways sometimes. People say "there's nothing out here" but to me, driving past subdivisions, shopping centers and convenience stores makes for "nothing".

@vinniebarusa

Жыл бұрын

Exactly! Nothing to see on the interstate but interstate.

@Cons2911

Жыл бұрын

@@vinniebarusa yup, it’s just convenient. So when we have time, I don’t mind a bit longer trip. As a foreigner , we only see these before in movies! That was quite an experience for us, esp the first few ones

My grandmother grew up on a farm near there. About a century ago. She never spoke of it, nor visited the area in my lifetime. Which pretty much sums up the issues with the town.

I live right along the Ohio River at Louisville Kentucky and I walk my dog along the river every morning. I love to watch the barges moving up and down the river. Thanks for the nice view of the confluence. I've never seen it before.

It seems so strange to me that a town built on a major river delta, right on the edge of a bunch of other states, would even be able to fail in the first place. There had to have been some real mismanagement here.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree.

@patriciaguenzler9150

Жыл бұрын

True statement

@ralphlyle1456

Жыл бұрын

1980 worked on the river from Pittsburgh flipping through the phone and I seen these stories and it’s heartbroken I remember being on the barges up and down the river is beautiful I remember Cairo vividly that bridge picking up and dropping off barges sad to see the declineIn the story

@ralphlyle1456

Жыл бұрын

My dad is from Paducah Kentucky worked on the river I joined them when I was 18 sad to see the decline of America what was worse you were on your own no help from Reagan The point is my dad had to leave Paducah and made it in Pittsburgh back in 1930 but today where do you go start a life find a job buy a house like my daddy did PittsburghThank God for Pittsburgh rolling on the river what’s a fabulous time

@fat_basturd5345

Жыл бұрын

Illinois kinda sucks to live in.

I was born and raised in Mississippi, moved North for work in the sixties, lived there until retirement. I made two trips each year, back to see my parents, down interstate 57. I drove through Cario, then across the Ohio. This happened over 35 years. I always stopped in Cario, for gas. As the years went by, I saw the decline of a beautiful town. I retired in 2010, folks are gone, no more trips. It was sad to witness the death of a once important place.

I have alot if fond memories of Cairo. I was born there in the mid-fifties; i grew up 10 miles from there in a town called Charleston, MO. At least once a month we would make the quick drive across the VERY narrow Mississippi Bridge to eat BBQ--so much fun! I remember Berkharts (a large factory) that employed alot of people from Cairo and surrounding towns. I think it shut down back in the late sixties, but not for sure of that time limit. For twelve years my parents would go to the Western Auto there to buy our Christmas gifts--it was a happy time back then thanks to all the fine people who lived there during that time. I live in the Southwest part of the United States now and almost 70 yrs old. I find myself thinking about Cairo from time to time and get a tear in my eyes. It is so sad what has become of Cairo.....

@candyholder-js7kg

11 ай бұрын

Y

@bentnickel7487

11 ай бұрын

Burkart closed in 2001 and the buildings (dated in the 1880s) were taken down in 2014.

I'm 69, and it's been a ghost town all my life. Of course, as a child, I thought that meant it had ghosts. We only went there to cross the Mississippi River. We pronounced it Care‐Oh.

@bentnickel7487

11 ай бұрын

I'm 74 y/o now and left Cairo in 1967. What I've discovered from this video is that most of the folks left there (pop. 1600) are black and pronounce it Kay-row. They are not wrong. In 1967 the population was 9,300 with white folks calling it Care-row. I think even then my black friends may have called it Kay-row and I just never noticed.

Great Video... People didn't believe me when I told them about this town. The Federal Government wanted to flood the town. The only thing that stopped it was the valuable farm land that's next to it. It truly is the lowest point in Illinois in elevation and poverty. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

@h.mandelene3279

Жыл бұрын

"lowest point in Illinois in ... poverty." East St. Louis, Il just said "hold my beer".

I rode my bicycle through Cairo on my way to Paducah. You are dead right to call it eerie. The looks I got from the folks that were still in town there were like that of hungry wolves noticing a deer straying from the herd. I beat it out of there super fast. Well, as fast as you can on a bicycle.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Wow! I'd be a little nervous riding a bicycle there.

@aircooledhead

Жыл бұрын

I’ve experienced the same, in Hartford, CT.

@Frank15982

Жыл бұрын

@@aircooledhead is Hartford dying/dead too?

@VloneKid25

9 ай бұрын

@@Frank15982no it’s really safe

@keithdelsman6128

6 ай бұрын

We went through on motorcycles at dusk. And we got out of there pretty quick. Weirdest feeling I ever had on a motorcycle.

You’re a brave man. There’s people that grew up there or right across the river that wouldn’t dare try to video tape driving through there. I personally love the history of Cairo and have family who still live there but MOST people try to just get through there as fast as possible.

Another interesting town that is in disrepair is East St. Louis, Illinois. It has lots of history and was thriving up to about the 1950s, then started a decline. Lots of good people still live there.

Crazy coincidence that this video just popped up in my recommended (or probably not coincidence at all, but Google spying on me). I'm a trucker and just 3 days ago I passed through here, coming from Wickliffe KY, on my way back to the Chicago area. First time ever driving through here, I remember thinking it was a somewhat charming little town but very empty. I was impressed with the nice architecture of that St Patrick's Church (the same one you passed by). Didn't see much of the residential area of the town though, had no idea it was actually this decayed and on the verge of becoming a ghost town. From the looks of it it was certainly booming a hundred years ago, looks like a bunch of Victorian era houses that have seen better days.

@leelew.1462

Жыл бұрын

It's funny you said that because for the first time I passed through Cairo on Monday August 29th 2022. Wow. I'm just learning about Cairo from this video too. I live in Decatur illinois (another dead-end town🙄but I never heard of Cairo.

@user-dc1dr9kr8x

Жыл бұрын

When the money goes so does the town

@kathyyoung1774

Жыл бұрын

I hope you aren’t being paranoid. It popped up on my recommendation, too, and I’m nowhere near it.

@SlingshotMustang

Жыл бұрын

@@kathyyoung1774 Paranoid? about what? You are aware that your phone and Google know where you're at and use your location to determine what things pop up on your phone, right? It's for ad targeting and other purposes. They have algorithms that show you content based on where you've been and sometimes based on conversations that your phone's microphone picked up when you weren't aware it was listening. You don't know that? It's a fact, everyone knows this by now. It's not paranoia.

@kathyyoung1774

Жыл бұрын

@@SlingshotMustang I’m well aware of that and notice ads for products popping up right after I mention something in an email. Big Brother is watching for sure. But this video popped up in nearly everybody’s feed, not just people driving by. That likely was a coincidence. Coincidences do happen, even now in this dangerous political environment. But mention false teeth just for the h3ll of it in an email, and you will probably be swamped with ads for denture cleaner. Best wishes, and be safe! ~ retired long hauler

When I was eight years old, my family was driving back from Mexico to Chicago. When hit a bit of bad weather driving over the I-57 bridge there off Cairo. My dad pulled under an overpass to wait out the storm. When it passed we continued into Cairo for gas to find the town almost leveled by a tornado. This breakout of storms is known as, The Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak. We were lucky to live through it. It's a shame to see the town in shambles like that. Another historic landmark lost to time. Thanks for sharing.

@JonathanHiller

Жыл бұрын

The Marion IL tornado was 50 miles away from Cairo, not even close to the town of Cairo. It started touching down around Carterville, IL and followed along parallel to Route 13 as it made it's way to Marion. I have a friend who was killed in the Marion tornado. Again, Cairo was untouched. There was no outbreak of tornadoes, it was one storm cell. Cairo has just been falling down and into disrepair for years, which is really sad. The town is getting ready to have a new grocery store after quite a few years without one; a project several citizens of Cairo have been working on for a while, and that is being made possible with help from a program from the local community college. Construction is set to start on the store in the coming months.

@thesquigglespin

Жыл бұрын

@@JonathanHiller Then which tornadoe hit Cairo? I distinkly remember going through there and seeing trees uprooted, and a motel in ruins.

@alwaysfaithfulalwaysforwar9400

Жыл бұрын

Please tell the truth when u try to sound like a know it all

@thesquigglespin

Жыл бұрын

@@alwaysfaithfulalwaysforwar9400 Are you refering to me?

@bentnickel7487

11 ай бұрын

@@thesquigglespin What year were you 8 y/o? There is no overpass to pull under when you get off the bridge at Cairo and Cairo has never been hit by a tornado.

Very cool footage! Thank you! 😊👍

A lot of my family was from here, though they all moved on a long time ago. We used to visit sometimes when I was a kid. I think the last time we were there was maybe 2012, I was about to graduate from college and my grandfather had passed away. We held his celebration of life at Riverlore Manor there. I distinctly remember my older brother and I going to that Dollar General to pick up ice or something and having a kind of scary encounter with someone as we were walking out of there. Our family still has fond memories of Cairo Barbecue Sauce and a special butter coffee cake from there they spent years trying to find the right recipe to make. One of my aunts became a librarian because of her good experiences as a kid at the Cairo public library. The family homes have long since been condemned and torn down but I'm glad I had the chance to see them once before that happened.

Those victorian homes are lead nightmares. My "starter" home was an 1882 victorian and i learned really fast there wasnt a lot of renovations i could safely do with it (besides painting) unless i wanted to contaminate everything with lead dust or asbestos. They put lead in everything, the paint, the plaster, the finish for the wood floors, even the glass in the windows. While its sad to see those places falling apart, the flip side is they are all major health hazards especially for ppl that cant afford the work needed to make them safe to live in. Fixing up those old homes is a lot of work and lead/asbestos remediation is very very expensive. That might also be partially why theyre just letting those places fall apart, you cant just bulldoze them cuz then the demo workers get exposed to contamination, huge liability issues there so it takes specially trained people.

@brentpage5833

Жыл бұрын

Good point. That's why they ultimately demo'd the twin towers in 2001. Codes mandated asbestos removal and it was cost-prohibitive. It was a win-win for the powers-that-be.

@sunnyday7843

Жыл бұрын

I knew a lady in Monticello IL that renovated old homes and lived in them while She did the work - had a few kids - was devastated when they were lagging in school and tested for lead poisoning- all of them were high in lead levels:( I lost touch with her - so sad .

@jameswalker4225

Жыл бұрын

And a lot of the lead ultimately came from mines across the river in Missouri, oddly.

Thanks for this! I did a similar tour of Centralia, PA. It’s even more ghost, only 3 or 4 occupied houses because the entire town was condemned so the holdouts are just people refusing to leave. The one thing I would have liked to see here would be you going into one of the few open establishments, buying something and talking to the remaining residents.

@mikezylstra7514

Жыл бұрын

Go look at Detroit. Cairo X 90 in area, same look - end to end.

@upstatenewyork

Жыл бұрын

I agree

The nearby Mississippi River town of Cape Girardeau , Missouri is very prosperous and has been growing in population for many years and is a contrast to many of the small towns in Missouri and especially Illinois. It would be worth doing a video there some time and to explore why it’s doing so well. David Reardon, St Louis.

So sad to see this. Thank you for taking us along in your adventure.

My wife grew up there in the 60's and remembers the racial tension and the riots. We have visited Cairo twice since her last residence there, the latest being 2020. It's sad to see a town decay like this.

@kevinhowe3280

Жыл бұрын

Theres still racial tension except it's just young blacks that hate everyone. A friend of mine family owned a bbq restaurant in cairo. Some young cairo thugs were caught stealing there so he kicked them out. They came back and burned his restaurant to th ground. Things like this happen all th time there. I dont recommend going

@somedude6012

Жыл бұрын

@@kevinhowe3280 I regularly drive all over the state for enjoyment and boredom. Any time I'm heading toward Cairo I don't.

@rudybrooks3722

Жыл бұрын

@@kevinhowe3280 It was the Whitefolks that started the racial tension, doesn't your Bible say you reap what you sow. 🤔

@kevinhowe3280

Жыл бұрын

@@rudybrooks3722 it's always th white man lmao idc what the Hebrew myths say btw

@rudybrooks3722

Жыл бұрын

@@kevinhowe3280 I'm not a Hebrew and I don't follow their ideology or the Bible, the Truth is,Whitefolks started the racial tensions in that town and in many other towns across the USA.🤔

I have passed over those bridges many many times back and forth from Missouri to Kentucky! The 2024 eclipse will cross over over this town. Love the old 1800 homes! Its so empty now... but you can just see the potential and what used to be!

@juliahoughtalin2475

Жыл бұрын

Not accepting to the guy who was born and raised there said you can't build new due to structure damage from the water it's decaying

“Oh how the tides have turned” literally! I’m a truck driver, when I came through on i57 from the north the vibes are just so strong. Of what I don’t know, but the fact that this is the very spot where the Ohio and Mississippi meet is so amazing.

I think it's pretty cool that you posted a video about Cairo Ill ! I lived in Paducah for awhile, and Cairo was one of the "drive through" towns we would go through to get somewhere else. It has some interesting architectural buildings to check out during the day... But.. sadly at night... it's a little bit scary.

Been there many times. Always wondered why the brick buildings were crumbling. Someone told me that the ground was unstable due to mining. Some beautiful homes still in beautiful condition. Runaway slaves poured into Cairo. My dads neighbor in mtn view Missouri is a boat captain, he drives to Cairo for work.

@pattyeverett2826

Жыл бұрын

In the oil boom town I grew up in, the buildings were built quickly, during the boom. Other than loosing the roof from not being maintained, the foundations were not that great and the mortar was not the best and is not maintained and sealed. What happens is that water will get in the mortar during a rain, then freeze, cracking a little bit of the mortar. After many years of this, the bricks have no support and fall.

@markrzechula9390

Жыл бұрын

There's never been any mining in the Cairo area, its has been flooded many times being at the confluence of the upper/lower Mississippi and Ohio rivers

@Southgate210

Жыл бұрын

Run away what? Man I'm no slave but to get away from the dammed fools with in my race? Of Course no Section-8/Public House! It would be no problem at all!

@davidortega357

Жыл бұрын

A lot of these homes have mold from moisture from rivers and humidity some homes that have brick 🧱🧱 fights mold more secure

@gregorysarmas3619

Жыл бұрын

It’s earthquake country.The ground shifts everyday

Dicken"s opinion of the US was very unfavorable even after two trips to the US. American audiences responded negatively to his novel "Martin Chizzlewit" which was partly inspired by what he observed in Cairo. He considered the city to be a island of terror and lacking in civilized morals. It was the inspiration for "Eden" in the novel.

@joebanks3698

Жыл бұрын

Perhaps Dickens was a real-life scrooge...lol

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Yes. That was the book that escaped me right then, lol.

@juliemanarin4127

Жыл бұрын

Wow

@peek-a-boo7877

Жыл бұрын

Thank you John. I have added that to my reading list.

@majusaret9443

Жыл бұрын

River towns were known for criminal activities. Transient river crews would gamble, drink employ women prostitutes and leave. Rough life for less than wealthy.

Thank you for making the video for us to see.

Sounds like a good place . I so want to visit. So beautiful

I went through cairo some time in the mid 90's and stopped at a gas station right across from Kentucky. I remember in the men's room the sign said don't drink from fawcett. My guess it the reason why there is no business there is everything is cheaper right across the river. Gas prices were 80 cents cheaper in Missouri and Kentucky. It's probably the same with most businesses.

This is an important point in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Jim and Huck pass Cairo in the fog. The original plan was to escape south on the raft and take a steamboat up the Ohio at Cairo. Obviously they miss it in the Fog. Twain wrote the book to this point and then put down the manuscript for many years before moving the story down the Mississippi to New Orleans.

@russellbliss6391

Жыл бұрын

As you say, the Huck Finn river journey is downriver from Jackson Island to Cairo, not upriver as the video mentions.

12:38 Seeing that beautiful theatre shuttered, ah it breaks my heart. I love old American movie theatres, I hope they don't all die out one day.

It is a crying shame to see this happen , The town made a mistake of not diversifying its resources and industries to keep going. I hate seeing homes going to waste too. Thanks for the tour.

I loved the tour of Cairo. What a shame that a bustling little city is just disappearing into the ground.

@ChickenMcThiccken

Жыл бұрын

perfect place to create "electric boats" industry. just saying.

@ashyslashy5818

Жыл бұрын

DEMONRATS WANT THIS FOR ALL AMERICA!!!

My entire family is from southern Illinois. I spent allot time in all those southern towns like Benton, Marion, Golcanda, Cairo and the like. Seeing your video was definitely a path to the past. Lots of great memories. Thanks for sharing.

@kbanghart

Жыл бұрын

Is it really humid there in the summer? Lots of bugs?

@denisefarmer366

Жыл бұрын

@@kbanghart The rivers increase the already high humidity. And the summers are HOT.

@ciscoguru69

Жыл бұрын

I'm born and raised Texan but, my yankee cousins are all southern Illinois...Albion and Mt. Carmel. We did a lot of swimming, fishing, and skippin' stones in the Wabash River which was a short walk from the house. I remember the walk to the river as humid, with corn fields and oil wells all around. Good times. My wife and I drove through Cairo just a few months ago, beginning of summer, and noticed how desolate it seemed.

It looks like a nice town to live. It would look so nice if the homes were renovated and commercial buildings were cleaned up.

@vinylmandate

Жыл бұрын

Who's got the money for that? I highly doubt the local taxes could cover the enormous cost to restore and maintain all those empty buildings. If the state were to provide funds I any law maker that voted for that would lose in the next election if not recalled. Maybe some generous billionaire philanthropist will do it, but I don't see any benefit to them coming from such and act of charity, which kinda goes against the idea of charity, but they didn't become billionaires by getting nothing in return for spending their money.

@sampetrie340

Жыл бұрын

It doesn’t take billionaires. With the average housing cost of 40ish k, minimalists and early retirement types could take over serviceable houses IF the state and local governments don’t tax them into oblivion, and IF the crime rate isn’t outrageous. I am not so sure about either of those conditions actually being met, unfortunately. Suggestions have been made in the comments that the lack of economic opportunities dooms towns like Cairo. I have to chuckle while driving through miles and miles of new housing developments in my home state of Florida, mostly owned by retirees. If retirees can live off social security and whatever little the average American sets aside IN THE MIDDLE OF A SWAMP, surely they could find a place in a scenic river town.

THANKS YOU FOR AN INTERESTINGLY WELL PUT TOGETHER VID!!

What really strikes me in so many of these towns is the lack of foot traffic and pedestrians! But, I come from a completely different environment. Ive spent most of my adult life in Seattle and Portland. Both are growing, with fantastic public transit, lots of bike riders and people walk to a destination , even if its a half mile away. Inwalk to the store quite often, which is 2.5 miles away. I would much rather walk or ride my bike than drive. I have heard people from the South tell stories of getting in their cars, just to cross the street for lunch, noone walks, noone!

@timothyoo7

Жыл бұрын

@@ploopploopploopboop1887 Nope, I think it's a cultural thing. People choose to walk, or bike rather than drive. I have a friend from the South and he told a story of everyone piling in the car to literally go to a restaurant across the street. People are lazy. People look at you like you're a loser if your walking. I've ran into that in my travels. People laughed and wondered why I would walk 1/4 mi.

We drove the back streets of the town in April. Based on the size of the houses, school, commercial buildings clearly it was a affluent town. It is an odd set-up. Half of the buildings/ houses are well-kept and half are empty. Standing at the rivers confluence is an awesome sight.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely. A drive down Millionaire's Row confirms it.

@richardsmith7104

Жыл бұрын

A few years ago, I was just outside Cairo when I saw a few cars stopped . A White woman was along the interstate holding a young Black guy. I stopped to see what was going on and the victim said he had been shot in the back over a drug deal. Nobody seemed to know what to do, so I took over first aid and wrote down what he said. A trooper pulled up, but he refused to talk to him. I gave the statement to the trooper. A couple of men were just watching. I asked them what they saw and they both identified themselved as police officers for Cairo. Good thing I'm a retired officer.

@lloydclaussen3925

Жыл бұрын

I watch video's until ads then I'm done. See ya

@lloydclaussen3925

Жыл бұрын

⁹

@theblacksheep5226

Жыл бұрын

You are so right. I once lived in a relatively prosperous block in Cairo while a couple of blocks over was nothing but collapsing abandoned houses. Cairo once had close to 20,000 people and was the hub of the region. The confluence of the rivers is an amazing and beautiful sight. I think it needs to be some sort of national park based on its importance and key role it played in westward expansion. Nearly everybody moving west passed by and/or stopped in Cairo.

Cairo, and most of southern IL, has been overlooked by Springfield and Chicago for decades. Sad. It was Jesse Jackson I believe that has a big to-do in Cairo back in the 60’s... it’s went steadily downhill ever since. I hope the new Port will breathe new life into this area, it’s in dire need. IL isnt a business friendly state... businesses leave IL all the time. Taxes are high here. 😞

@Neal_only1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks to the Democrats that run this state remember in November vote red

@mrs_frank

Жыл бұрын

SENATOR PAUL SIMON WORKED TIRELESSLY TO IMPROVE RACE RELATIONS IN CAIRO AND DESEGREGATE THE TOWN. RACISM IS WHAT DESTROYED CAIRO. WHITE BUSINESS OWNERS LEFT RATHER THAN SERVE BLACK RESIDENTS. AND HOUSING DEPT STOLE MONEY FROM POOR PEOPLE LEAVING THEM TO LIVE IN SQUALOR.

@ohcrapwhatsnext

Жыл бұрын

Dont hold your breath... The way Biden is destroying america its just a matter of time till this place is done.

@markd9130

Жыл бұрын

Correct. The taxes in IL help to kill these border towns. Living by the river must be beautiful. But, why would anyone choose the more expensive IL side?

@douglashurd8652

Жыл бұрын

Blue state mentality. The governor can't and wouldn't do it , stuck in the code blue remission of democrats. Capitalism creates innovation and motivation

Great commentary. Thanks for the excellent info and tour

What a great job thanks for discovering this place

You can look forward to most of the towns in Southern Illinois to be ghost towns. Taxes are too high for the majority of the people who live there. The state of Illinois is the most drastic in terms of income disparities between the north and south. So sad. There are so many little towns just like this all over that area.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

It's true. I drove 10 miles north to Mounds and it looked just as bad.

@kevinmoore4807

Жыл бұрын

If you ask me? Illinois is dying a slow death..

@theblacksheep5226

Жыл бұрын

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Mounds may even be worse. At least Cairo has plenty of activity on the rivers and the huge Bunge plant. Overall it's pretty impoverished south of Anna-Jonesboro.

@Blatsen

Жыл бұрын

The only way to save Illinois is to split Chicago off from the rest of Illinois or for parts of Illinois to break away from Illinois and join neighboring states. This is especially true for Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois’s economy can’t withstand the high Illinois taxes that are set by state lawmakers from Chicago where incomes tend to be higher. The only part of Southern Illinois that is still economically viable is the part that is within commuting distance of St. Louis. There are Southern Illinois towns near St. Louis like Edwardsville and O’Fallon that are actually even wealthy, but that is rare for Southern Illinois. Cairo would be better off in Missouri or Kentucky than in Illinois.

@juliemanarin4127

Жыл бұрын

Got that right...and I live in Chicago area...Chicago is a garbage dump crime ridden filth pile and all of Illinois sucks because of the politics.

This was a very interesting video. I expected Cairo to be far different than it turned out to be. Yes, it is ghostly and there are few businesses. Many houses are abandoned. But I looked really carefully all the while, and there was NO trash. The streets, including the main street, were clean and there was no dumped garbage anywhere. Next to abandoned crumbling houses were well-kept and maintained ones. Every residential street was clean and many yards mowed. The many extremely fancy old houses seemed occupied and well preserved. There were no hoodlums or thug hanging about. The cleanliness of the place amazed me. Compare this to East St. Louis or Camden NJ.

@wildflowerwind6941

Жыл бұрын

You are right.

@chrisanthony7552

Жыл бұрын

Wonder why it's so clean compared to ESL? Different type of residents maybe.

@jamest4659

Жыл бұрын

Good observation, you're right.

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree!

@Folsomdsf2

Жыл бұрын

Dude, there was no one there to really put trash anywhere.

All my relatives on my fathers side were from there! The James ‘Panny” and Lulu Johnson family and he worked on the railway, lived in a 2 story house before and after the depression! I have never been there, thanks for the tour!

This is so educational thanks so much 👏👏👏