A Forgotten Mississippi River Town
A Forgotten Mississippi River Town -Driving along the Mississippi River, we stumble upon a forgotten town. This town's turbulent past resulted in an exodus of most of its population, rendering it a modern day ghost town. Find out what happened to this Mississippi River town. Not everything from the past should be forgotten!
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• Abandoned, Not Forgotten
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My father was born in Cairo in 1921. He said that the town did not foster upward mobility; if someone (regardless of race) wanted to make something of himself, he had to leave. Dad saw this attitude as early as the 1930s. The town DID have a trolley line. The building at the 9:30 mark was an office building by 1940; Dad worked for the telegraph company there. The building at the 12:50 mark had been the location of the town newspaper, the "Cairo Evening Citizen." Google drive-bys in different years show some of the overall deterioration. A cousin who lived in town until her death in 1990 explained that more generous welfare benefits in Illinois versus Kentucky or Missouri contributed to the localized poverty.
More equaled less?
Yep 👍 I lived in that time by the areas as it progressed. Great way to destroy a state.
There's also a feature-length documentary on this topic called "Between Two Rivers." It's available on YT.
@@OnkelPHMagee I’m going watch that tonight. Thanks for the information.
@@virginianatalie2879 You're very welcome.
Back in the 50s there was a man who lived in Cairo, by the name of Ray Butts. Ray designed and built a guitar amplifier that he called The EchoSonic. In about 1953-54, his customers included Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Grady Martin and Scotty Moore. The amplifiers were special in the fact that they had a tape echo unit built in to the bottom of them, providing the 'slap echo' sound we hear on those old records by Chet Atkins, Elvis with Scotty Moore, etc... So, I guess whenever we hear one of those pre-1957 records by any one of those stars, we're hearing a little bit of Mr. Ray Butts and a little bit of Cairo history, too... Because all of those recordings feature one of the EchoSonic amplifiers. Mr. Butts also invented the first hum-cancelling guitar pickup in about 1956, it later went on to be used in Gretsch guitars and known as the Filtertron. He was a brilliant engineer. Hey... Thanks for the tour. You guys showed me a few buildings that I never noticed there before.😊
When I was a child in Illinois back around 1960, my family would go through Cairo and cross the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau . Even then my dad would tell us Cairo was a ghost town. I thought he meant there were real ghosts there. It was years later when I learned that wasn't what he meant.
Who you gonna call ?( On your pre paid phone card.)....ghost busters!...that's who.
@TheTRUTHmatters! TTF !
Sad to see so many small towns being abandoned as well as the historic businesses...
Yeah, there’s a lot of that happening across America.
My aunt lived in a small town in IL fairly close to Quincy. He town had all kinds of small businesses, grade school, high school and library. It's economy was based on agriculture and some people worked at the munitions plant in Burlington, IA which was about 20 mi. away. Since corporate farming has taken over the farms and the munitions plant closed, it's now ghost town. I've seen You Tube videos of it and can't believe how fast the town declined to nothing. Really a shame. People want to point the finger at one political party or the other, but it's really just times changing.
the thought of historical buildings being torn down or just sitting to decay is sad I would have loved to seen this town in it's glory day this video is nice to see what's left of this town
What a amazing little place. All those old buildings really do tell a story. This town once had 15000 people in it. Now it’s down around 2000. 😀
I am glad that you are doing this as a couple because I will never go there alone. Nice tour. Stay safe!!
Thanks, you too!
My grandparents and my mom grew up there. My grandpa worked in the fire station. He was the ladder truck driver. His brother was on the police dept. they both played baseball for the Dodgers farm team that was in Cairo. We still have family that lives there(both sides).
I found this very interesting. Thank you for sharing your family history!
I was born in Marion, Illinois, and I remember going through Cairo as a child, with my parents, in the late 40's. I also visited in the mid 60's, with my wife, and we stayed at a hotel on the main drag.
Your vlogs are wonderful with these abandoned old towns. Please keep going and I'll keep watching. You're doing a excellent job of sharing your experiences. Thank you!
That bar that's still open must have some sad stories that are told there. 😕
I imagine it would.
Such a sad sight to see. That was a beautiful old clock at 4:56 and the Gem theatre looked like it was quite a place at one time. I would like to have seen this town back in its heyday. The architecture of the buildings, the lamp posts, it all must have been pretty at one time. It must have been a prosperous town at one time to have had trolleys. Very interesting tour, thank you for sharing!
American explorer, well said!👍
A teacher of mine, Allison Joseph, an excellent poet, referred to this region as "The Reconstruction Fly-Over Zone." There are more and more seeking out places like this to escape. There's nothing crazy about them, well, maybe a few are, but, bless them all just the same!
I often thought about Cairo Illinois because I knew about it from my childhood I never thought it was a deserted town even today it doesn’t seem real
614 Commercial Avenue in Cairo next to that club was the building that housed Ray Butts Music. Ray Butts was an electronic wizard who patented guitar pickup designs and built the famed Echosonic amplifiers in that shop, played by Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore.
Check your history books. If I am not mistaken, Cairo was a organize crime town during prohibition. I heard Al Capone visited Cairo many times on business.
Nice video of the town. Sad to see many towns have gone this way. Thanks for sharing. First video by you I've seen.
Thanks for watching Glad you enjoyed it!
This video reminds me of the movie “Children of the Corn.” I really enjoyed this video but please be careful in these abandoned areas. You could find yourself unwelcome visitors.
Good job Sally. Keep making videos!
Another gem of a trip down a new memory lane...
So many empty buildings is some towns and cities yet so many homeless in others - the whole thing is messed up.
Kind of makes you wonder why the homeless haven't occupied abandoned buildings. If these buildings were truly abandoned who would care if the homeless squatted in them? True they might not have amenities like electricity or running water, but they don't have them now living outside, and at least they would be inside out of the weather.
@@Mike-im5bo - they could put partitions in a warehouse - shower and bathroom facilities and would still by 100x better than what they got right now.
@@nomorewar4189 "They"? Who is "they"? No one has done anything for the homeless in the past. Why would "they" do it now? Maybe the homeless need to quit waiting around for a helping hand from "they" and the government, and be pro-active and occupy these abandon buildings. The politicians use these poor people as "tools" to get elected and re-elected. God forbid the homeless problem be solved! If the problem was solved it would make it harder for these politicians to get re-elected.
@@nomorewar4189 I am sorry if my lack of faith in "they" and politicians offend you.
@@Mike-im5bo no need to be sorry Mike.
Thank you for the video and the story about Cairo.
A sad story that has repeated across many American towns. Thanks for your narrative. I liked it.
The theater is amazing.
Love this type of video! Awesome!
Thanks Benjamin, glad you enjoyed it!
New Sub here! I loved your video! What a cool town ! It would be so cool if someone could renovate some of these beautiful old buildings.
Cool love your videos just started watching 👀 😀
Thanks for the video good job thanks for the history lesson
It was the people of that town that destroyed it.
I think Walmart whated to open a story in the 70s. The city fathers were prominent business men,they didnt want the compation said no. Walmart moved to caped greed made Cairo what it is today.
“Nightboat to Cairo” that’s madness.
The big supermarket came to my town...of 17,000 in the uk..and shunted all the local trader royalty out..only the ironmonger survived...but I can avoid him by mostly net surfing..
With the homeless population at where it's at, and places like this exist at the same time. I mean, problems like these are more fixable than people let on.
What will they do for goods ans services?
Economic as re not that simple. People need to live near jobs, food, liquor stores, functioning schools hospitals etc.
@@ViceCoin yes they really need liquor stores..
You need people to fix the roof...or the place becomes soggy and you can’t live in it..
@@david-lt9wj : That was when I learned to fix the roof.
I used to drive a delivery truck in 1980 and made many deliveries to Cairo. It was a bustling town back then. I've crossed the Cairo bridge countless times going into Wickliffe, Kentucky.
To be honest, I'm waiting for the zombies to come out. LoL
The 4 story building was the second Bondurant Hospital, later the board of trade building. Built 1912. There was a Sun Parlor, and an elevator to the roof.
A few years ago a rash of arson broke out in Cairo and if I remember correctly the arsonists turned out to be firemen.
Interesting.
This is true. Same thing happened in East St. Louis.
They must have been collecting overtime payments..
First Responders.
That levy gate was big when you drove into town at the beginning of this video. Neat old theater there too.
I wish we could have seen inside the theater. Unfortunately, we only got to see the outside.
The decline of the importance of river and rail traffic combined with geography doomed Cairo. The area is notoriously flood-prone, which makes people reluctant to invest in the area. The high flood risk means that banks won't loan and insurers won't insure, and with the river ports and railways gone, the town no longer had a reason to exist. Conditions were already going sour well before the 1960s. Racial tension only accelerated the decay.
Thank you, Sally. The town where I live in Oklahoma is thriving. But I've lived here for over 60 years. And little by little, they tear down all your memories. That's necessary, of course.But when they haul away some old building, they haul away your memories. You begin to feel like a hollowed out hulk waiting to be hauled away yourself. But, when this town was built, it displaced the Indians who lived here before. So it goes.
Why is it ‘necessary’ to tear down things? What a weird thing to say.
You have a way of putting it in a clear way.
Wow! How sad and true.
I am enjoying your videos!
Thanks Rodney!
Enjoy your adventure. Great vid. I am now watching Between Two Rivers,a Cairo documentary. In case you forgot, it's still cold in Wisconsin!
Thanks! Lol, I forgot that as soon as we left.
@@SightseeingSally Well done
Bricks with holes in them are not old. Solid bricks are the old ones...
Thanks for clarifying, appreciate it.
This is the first Cairo video I've seen where someone got out and walked around the town.
This is so interesting, yet so sad . I look at these buildings and think of the families , lives that happened here .
Yes, people laughed and cried here. Hardships and good times. Those are things that I think of as well.
@@SightseeingSally , ❤
Hello Sally always a nice video can you imagine taking a few tours of some of them old buildings if it was possible are even doing a overnight challenge just to see if there's any Spooks in there to get the heart racing thank you for the video Sally stay safe 👍🌺✌️
Yeah, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity to tour one of those old buildings! You’re welcome Duane, happy to share this w/y’all. ✌️☀️🦩
Awesome exploration
Thanks Mike!
@4:45 and 5:55 I would love that old clock and cobble stone on my street : )
7 of us rode through that town on Motorcycles coming back from a trip we took. The place is scary as hell one place as I was riding through I said bike don't break down now. I remember seeing a police car sitting on the side of the road. Very interesting nice video. Thanks
The reason most of the town is abandoned was the flooding that occurred many years ago when they had to blow the leves in the Missouri side of the Mississippi River.
Cairo was evacuated but was not flooded; farmland was flooded instead. The reasons for its abandonment were changes in transportation routes, racism, and racial discord.
@@cedrins racism. Lol. Cant be the usual - riot and destroy your own friends homes and businesses. Then wonder why people leave and take the jobs with them. The way of all meatheads that think they are protesting about rights
@@xr6lad The racism that destroyed Cairo was a little more complicated than that. My opinion is both sides were in the wrong for what happened there in the 60s.
Love youre commentary 😊would be nice to save any possible 😊
The building that burned down appears to be this. According to the Mound City Fire Department, the building used to house the operations for the old Cairo Evening Citizen newspaper. Now, it’s used as a beauty salon.
Fascinating and sad. So many people grew up and lived and worked and raised families in this town and this is what it's come to. And Cairo is only one example of many forgotten small American towns. Be very careful about poking around inside abandoned buildings in any depressed area; it's very likely that homeless people could be living in them and not appreciate the intrusion. An explorer was stabbed by a homeless person living in an abandoned hospital in my area years ago. Keep up the great videos though. I subscribed.
That wasn't a homeless person. That was a sick homeless person. There is a difference.
Politicians leave these things in their wake.
Such a shame. I love old historical towns and buildings. Way to much of this all across America.
Agree!
Facinatatin
Wow, too bad , such a booming town at one time ! Very interesting sally ! How are we doing today !
Back to phase 1 , here in Washington ! Hope everything stays open on your road trip !
Thanks Glenn, we’re doing good. So far, we haven’t run into any problems with places closing up. Only time will tell.
@@SightseeingSally that is great ! see you on your next video !
Hello Sally. I came across your video on this and I appreciate your great eye and your great history you give. I just subscribed to your channel and making a point to binge watching all your videos on a cold Sunday here in New York. Thanks again. Be safe 👍👏👏😎👊
Binge watching Sightseeing Sally, I can relate!
You pronounced the name of the town like a native. Karo, like the syrup.
This is where they can film the zombie and post apocalyptic movies.
I can imagine people walking around in town,seeing a movie or shopping or the gal that used to clean those motel rooms rushing to work ,it's a shame those simple days are over 🙀 Thanks for the tour Ms.Sally have fun and be safe 😸
So true! I sometimes wish for the simpler times, too. Modern conveniences don't always equate to less stress. I think they sometimes cause more, lol. So glad you enjoyed the tour Miss Barbara, thank you 💖
My grandmother DID work as a motel housekeeper in Cairo. She was middle-aged divorcee supporting a few children in a time and place where job options for women like her were very limited.
*Loved the video!* Awesome old buildings! Thank you for giving its history. Sad about the man that was killed. *Safe travels!* 🌷
Thanks Bonnie! I think it’s important to share the history whenever possible, rather than just focus on the abandoned buildings. Sure, the buildings are cool and all, but the history is what makes a place. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
@@SightseeingSally Absolutely!! 💕
Very cool! What was that atlas you referred to? I have a motorcycle travel channel but just expanded my content to include abandoned places. Like you, I try to include a bit of history with my vids.
A lot of the old commercial building facings/columins are cast iron decorations. A lot of the old brick were very soft due to insufficient heat treating, so to salvage is a tricky situation. Cairo's population when I lived not far from there in the 60's was declining rapidity.
I grew in that area and where you were on commercial Street it had big buildings on both sides of the road with many businesses now their all gone and torn down
I imagine it looked quite different back then. Thanks for sharing, I always enjoy hearing from the people who live(d) there.
Does anyone know what happened to the Cairo Egyptian adult center located on commercial ave.? I taught welding there from 78 to 85 and would be interested in any info about it or students that attended the school.
Above the shops with the green windows I would think that it was either more shop or factory space such as sewing factory etc.
Now that you say that, it reminds me of an old factory building.
A major problem for Cairo, pronounced with a long "I", was that each year the city would flood. I remember driving through the city in 1970 on my way to Arkansas and seeing streets and streets with sand bags all up and down getting higher the closer you got to the rivers. Many of the businesses closest to the rivers were boarded up.
Yes when my family and I would travel from Chicago to Mississippi we were detoured a few times because of flooding.
You are wrong. She is pronouncing it correctly.
I really like this channel...
Thank you David 😄
@@JohnShinn1960 tell me about one with a great personality to warm to...?
@@JohnShinn1960 is yep a channel ?
@@JohnShinn1960 I’m a very complex character...but sally is one in a million ain’t she?
@@JohnShinn1960 when I don’t understand someone....I just glaze over...
What a depressing little town. I'm very much surprised that it has even 2000 residents.
How sad! They should make some big RV parks or something
Cairo= ki-ro, as in Egypt. Enjoyed the video. Thanks
Cool, thanks
I grew up on the edge of the Ozarks, and my father worked on river barges, so we'd go pick him up and drop him off around Cairo. It was past its prime even then (in the late '60s), but this was a bit jarring. I moved away from the area years ago.
Cairo is mentioned several times in Huck Finn. Anyway sad. Back in the 1990 s I worked volunteer at the GEM theatre they were going to try to restore it. Guess it didn’t work out. Other fact: Cairo has its own style of bbq which is very different from St. Louis and Memphis I wonder if Cairo still has any open bbq places?
fantastically interesting! I love the way the vines all move in to claim back the buildings and land, it really adds to the ambience. Looking on google maps you can see it was quite a bustling town in 2008
Way cool, thanks for watching! From what I read, quite a bit has been razed since 2005.
peter heighes Love me some clippers!
I live 6 hours north of there. Is it worth to drive for the day to look around? I've always wanted to go there and just explore.
That’s like me driving to Paris,to have a look at the battered side ...gosh..that’s crazy.
I thought the demise of this town was caused by a bridge and people didnt have to go through the town anymore.
I-57 also takes transiting through traffic well outside of the area.
There were a lot of reasons. It wasn't just one thing. The first railroad in Cairo was the Illinois Central. More railroads came and Cairo was a major shipping hub. A fort was built there during the Civil War and a portion of the transportation business was shifted to Chicago. There were no bridges, so all rail cars and eventually passenger cars had to be moved by ferries. As years went on several bridges were built ending the ferry business and the jobs they supplied. Rail traffic dropped off and more jobs were lost. There had been racial tensions all along that escalated in 1909 and came to a head in the 1960s. Businesses were boycotted and in 1969 several were burned. The city continued to dwindle in population due to employment and racial issues.
This town had its own reasons and history... But in general, it makes me really angry and it's National DISGRACE how Boomer Politicians from BOTH Parties Abandoned Middle America!! Two very promising YOUNG Politicians who have done Great Efforts to REVITALIZE Rural America are: * PA Lt Gov John Fetterman (formerly Mayor of Braddock, PA) * Presidential Candidate: Andrew Yang Did extensive work with small towns Americans give up on RIGGED 2Parties -- and start holding them accountable! Let's hope that New Young Leadership can bring back BELIEVING in America!!!
It is now Senator Fetterman.
@@kenkunz1428 Did you see they've made a Bobblehead of Fetterman and now taking orders? John & Giselle in WH in 2024!!!
In European cities business is in bottom of building an apartments above. I saw McDonald's an banks on the bottom and apartments above in Germany
Do more. Thanks
The major highways bipassed Cairo.
Like most other smaller towns, the interstates helped kill their economic base.
Cairo could be a major tourist destination, but stupid causes folks to leave...sad.
Its hard not to take cool stuff from abandoned places. Bike parts seem to end up in them
Im betting the old building was shops below and some sort of lodge upstairs. Maybe Masonic or Odd Fellows. Lots of towns have that set up.
9 15 15 6 Bluelsand I'll Old Burnham I'll Harvey I'll) odd ball
@Roberta Mckiski - Interesting, I didn’t know that was a common setup.
That was originally the Bondurant Hospital built in 1912.
Roberta Mckiski See that Masons helped out a lot of businesses!😍😜
Some of these places you can jusr waltz right into, I bet its a different world at night...........
I remember Cairo as a decent small city when I was a kid. I also recall the stories of the problems there. Sad to see what has become of it. I was through there about a year ago and was shocked at the difference from my childhood days. The results of racism and a bad business climate put it in a downward spiral. Sad indeed.
Racism destroys everything eventually. It benefits nobody.
Racism? Or corrupt DEMOCRAT politicians
@@troymcclure681 there are corrupt republican politicians also don't lie to yourself
@@jessecarbajal8932 illinois is a DEMOCRAT controlled state majority of DEMOCRAT controlled areas are in shambles
@@troymcclure681 do you know the history of each party Dems didn't start out what they are now.the same with the Republicans.research their histories
Man... Cairo Illinois, Gary Indiana or Benton Harbor Michigan... you can't hardly tell them apart anymore. And don't you remember advertising for Carter's Little Liver pills back in the 50's or 60's? I do but I have no idea what they were supposed to be for... probably for draining your wallet. :)
Don’t forget Camden NJ and Chester PA both those cities are largely decayed, impoverished, and largely abandoned.
The buildings @10:25 are Italianate Revival. They would have been built between the 1870s and 1880s.
Saloons... first to open last to close
From what I'm seeing watching videos like these, the difference between abandoned "modern" towns/cities and older ones is that the older towns were mostly constructed of wood and the "modern" towns are made of concrete and asphalt. Wood deteriorates. Concrete remains for a long, long time, blocked the ground, and deposits harmful chemicals into the soil and ground water. Would be really helpful if the concrete was torn up and moved somewhere so the soil could breathe and be used again for food production. These areas are wasteful as is. Yes, they're relics of the past, but with so much good agricultural land being destroyed by development, the US needs more food producing areas somewhere or we're going to be in a world of hurt.
10:45 Perhaps they were stealing the bricks off the wall?
There used to be, truck stops, north of town
You mentioned a race problems there I heard about that when I was a child growing up in St. Louis it was still fresh on my mothers generation.
I've watched 2 informative videos today, the first presenter looked like mac from its always sunny, the other is this one and you look like sue heck from the middle 😀
Lol in middle school I probably was just as geeky Sue Heck. Btw, I love The Middle.
@@SightseeingSally me too 😁 in fact, maybe even a slight crush 😊
Maybe not exactly a trolley line. Cairo was a great commerce Port for Ohio and Mississippi rivers, back in the day. Trains eventually became a prevalent manner to transport goods away from, and coal - to the steamboats.
Yes! That’s probably more likely.
I think the style of building is called "Brownstone".
Even if it's not, it seems to be an accurate description of it!
I’ve heard for over 50 years that in Cairo, Illinois - there are underground passages that were utilized for Underground Railroad in the 19th century. Did you find them Sally?
No, I wasn’t aware of the underground passages until now (with your comment). It would have been really interesting to find them.
The correct enumciation for the town Cairo = CHI - ROW.
Sad thing to see a town that has died this way. The government should come in and slowly demolish these old building. It would be better for the area and Mississippi.
Or enact a homesteading act to allow people to come in and claim abandoned property for free as long as they fix it up and make it livable, and couldn't sell it for, say, 15 yrs if a residence. They'd also have to move or start a business there to support themselves and help rebuild the local economy and the government could provide a small business grant and loan for this purpose, at 1% interest.
At least its kept up cleaner and neater than gary,indiana!!!
better winters
Sally is pronouncing it correctly, the one in Egypt is Kai-Ro but here in IL it's Care-O. Fans of the graphic novel and TV series American Gods, significant events and characters live in Cairo. Sadly the racial ugliness goes back much further than the 60s. In 1909 2 lynchings occurred in town. Though surprisingly progressive for a lynch mob, one of the victims was a white man.
Do You pronounce spelled the same way capital of Egypt the same? I know how the news presenters in USA pronounce this name - same as in most of Europe. I became interested how arabs pronounce it and used Google Translate service: very differently, but In arab I've heard both european prononounciatian and also how russians pronounce it - different sound sensitivity became dominant in different cultures. It's obvious the first settlers thought the place might look like the delta of the river Nile - very popular theme in late 18th - early 19th century after the Napoleon campaign. It doesn't look forgotten to me at all - dimised, sure. And if not for the scraping of old buildings for materials it will stand there for many centuries after last people leave it, unlike typical american suburb made of wooden frame houses. I live in the Balkans and here it's not uncommon to stumble upon stone buildings in the woody hills on a Sunday stroll and it's a favorite mind game to guess are they 50-70 years old, or 100-200, or 1000, or 2000 - if not for construction methods and architectural features they all look more or less the same.
It's pronounced Kayro. (The Illinois city).
deepblueskyshine and commercially beginning to look more so!🙃
Didn't the Rivers flood here?
Carter's little liver pills. Victorian style. Housing basements were large (if any). And had verry large sump pumps. +For flooding). We removed one to put on display. It was a 2 cylinder engine afair. To be fired up when flooding came.
That's a LARGE sump pump!
@@SightseeingSally the building was raised. And the pump was offered for scrap. And was thought to be a auto engine except when we looked at the out put it was a turbine like afair it had in cast iorn "intake, the other said output. To drain caution. . That's the last I saw of it ...wonder if any more were sold. ??this one had a hand crank. Ps: it had a magneto. Ignition. So it could be dated back as far as say 1920s??