So it was off through Illinois. We didn’t get too far before stopping at Illini state park. We’d been there before and it’s a nice stop on the Illinois River. A place to watch the big barges go up and down the river carrying who knows what to who knows where? It was interesting to watch them go through the locks just south of the park.
After Illini we headed into corn country. Lots and lots of corn. I wondered how much was being paid in ethanol subsidies as we drove on. I figured at least enough to keep all the farmers in big new pick-ups and SUV’s. Or so it seemed. But who would blame them? After staying a few days each in two Corps of Engineer parks we crossed the Ohio into Cairo, Kentucky, at the Junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Driving through Cairo I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been. The highway and Main Street was a wide boulevard between many large and old sandstone buildings whose ‘time in the sun’ was long ago. The barges no longer stop in Cairo. Given what we saw, we would not either. Sadly, I doubt the environs knew there was ever a ‘heyday’ in Cairo. They may not have known what a ‘heyday’ was. Very sad!
A few miles south we stayed at Columbus-Belmont, a Kentucky state park overlooking the Mighty Mississippi (pictured, along with the mutt Kat just had to feed). This western tip of Kentucky is part of the ‘Purchase’ and has an interesting history. And here is just a taste!
The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until President Andrew Jackson purchased it in 1818 from the Chickasaw Indians. Kentuckians generally call this region ‘the Purchase’.
The area of the State Park also had a role in the War Between the States. It is the site of fortifications built by the Confederates and later occupied by Union forces. The 1861 Battle of Belmont, a raid fought to test the strength of this Confederate stronghold, marked the opening of the Union's Western Campaign and was the opening engagement along the Mississippi River. It was also Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first active engagement in the Civil War. Some of the artillery, which shelled the Union troops, and the six-ton anchor that held the great chain stretching across the river, meant to impede Union river traffic, are on display in the park.
For those more recently educated in the public school system, Union forces continued military action down the Mississippi and eventually took Vicksburg and New Orleans, gained control of the of the Mississippi, and eventually won the war. 2nd Great Uncle Isaac Sines fighting with the 45th Illinois was killed in a charge of a redoubt in Vicksburg when it exploded. He is buried in the National Cemetery at Vicksburg.
We kind of followed the river south into Memphis and had another good visit with Cousin Eddie. Once again we stayed at the Ag Center and made good use of the Farmers Market. And no visit to Memphis is complete without going to Corky’s for some Southern style barbecued ribs. I prefer the dry rub while Kat usually gets the combo. Some dry and some wet. Hmmm! Hmmm! Just so you know Corky’s can be ordered online.
After Illini we headed into corn country. Lots and lots of corn. I wondered how much was being paid in ethanol subsidies as we drove on. I figured at least enough to keep all the farmers in big new pick-ups and SUV’s. Or so it seemed. But who would blame them? After staying a few days each in two Corps of Engineer parks we crossed the Ohio into Cairo, Kentucky, at the Junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Driving through Cairo I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been. The highway and Main Street was a wide boulevard between many large and old sandstone buildings whose ‘time in the sun’ was long ago. The barges no longer stop in Cairo. Given what we saw, we would not either. Sadly, I doubt the environs knew there was ever a ‘heyday’ in Cairo. They may not have known what a ‘heyday’ was. Very sad!
A few miles south we stayed at Columbus-Belmont, a Kentucky state park overlooking the Mighty Mississippi (pictured, along with the mutt Kat just had to feed). This western tip of Kentucky is part of the ‘Purchase’ and has an interesting history. And here is just a taste!
The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until President Andrew Jackson purchased it in 1818 from the Chickasaw Indians. Kentuckians generally call this region ‘the Purchase’.
The area of the State Park also had a role in the War Between the States. It is the site of fortifications built by the Confederates and later occupied by Union forces. The 1861 Battle of Belmont, a raid fought to test the strength of this Confederate stronghold, marked the opening of the Union's Western Campaign and was the opening engagement along the Mississippi River. It was also Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first active engagement in the Civil War. Some of the artillery, which shelled the Union troops, and the six-ton anchor that held the great chain stretching across the river, meant to impede Union river traffic, are on display in the park.
For those more recently educated in the public school system, Union forces continued military action down the Mississippi and eventually took Vicksburg and New Orleans, gained control of the of the Mississippi, and eventually won the war. 2nd Great Uncle Isaac Sines fighting with the 45th Illinois was killed in a charge of a redoubt in Vicksburg when it exploded. He is buried in the National Cemetery at Vicksburg.
We kind of followed the river south into Memphis and had another good visit with Cousin Eddie. Once again we stayed at the Ag Center and made good use of the Farmers Market. And no visit to Memphis is complete without going to Corky’s for some Southern style barbecued ribs. I prefer the dry rub while Kat usually gets the combo. Some dry and some wet. Hmmm! Hmmm! Just so you know Corky’s can be ordered online.
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