The southern portion of Illinois is known as Little Egypt. Maybe, the name recalls the Biblical story of Joseph and the seven-year famine, as the region supplied grain to the rest of the state during an early 19th century drought. Others say the area around the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers resembled the fertile Nile Valley. Whatever the reason, the area is rich in history, and has been inhabited for thousands of years. Place names like Mounds and Mound City, refer to the once abundant Native American burial and ceremonial mounds, which have largely disappeared because of farming. More recently, the American Civil War, racial strife, depression, flooding and abandonment all became chapters in the history of the area, especially Cairo and the surrounding countryside.
I recently spent several months working of a fiber optic project in the most southern counties of Illinois, mainly Alexander and Pulaski. Of course, I always kept a camera in the truck with me, and would snap an image or two when I had an opportunity. I would drive through places with names like Cairo, Mounds, Mound City, Thebes, Karnak, and Tamms on a daily basis.
The level of poverty and abandonment in this area is quite evident, as many of these photos show. This blog is a photography site, and does not deal with political issues, or speculate on the decline of these once thriving communities. Others have written extensively about this. I’ll leave it at that.
Cairo is located at the confluence to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. It’s a natural location for river commerce and the wealth that it can bring. Grain still goes up and down the rivers in barges. Others carry coal, building supplies and scrap, among various cargoes. These charged the economy decades ago, but today not to the same extent.
For the photographer, Cairo and the surrounding vicinity is a great place for the type of photography seen here. It’s an area where history is evident, and has contributed greatly to this great nation. Hopefully, someday, there can be a rebound and the area brought back to greatness.
