Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for December 26, 2007 SCENIC BYWAY GRANTS

Southern Illinois byway receives grants

By Codell Rodriguez, The Southern

The Ohio River Scenic Byway will get a bit more scenic thanks to funds from the Federal Highway Administration.

Grants were awarded to Southernmost Illinois Tourism, Mound City and Cairo to add new features to the Illinois portion of the tri-state byway, including a new overlook on the river and a re-creation of Fort Defiance in Cairo.

"So many of these projects have been on a national scale and add to our national history," Executive Director of Southernmost Illinois Tourism Cindy Cain said.

Southernmost Illinois Tourism received $25,000 for the Implementation of the Corridor Management Plan. This enables the byway director to work with communities to improve or create tourist sites. They would also be able to offer technical support with funding and grant writing.

The second grant was worth $252,561 and went to Mound City to design and build an overlook on the Ohio River. The project includes the overlook platform, a riverfront walkway, interpretive and directional signage, parking and landscaping. The overlook will offer a panoramic view of the river and include signs detailing Mound City's role in the Civil War, including the Marine Ways and Shipyard, the USS Red Rover, the Naval Hospital, Mound City National Cemetery and the river itself.

Pulaski County Commissioner Rex Wilburn said the overlook will be a great addition to Mound City because it will bring in tourism and also educate people of Mound City's rich history.

"This is a wonderful boost to Mound City," Wilburn said. "This town probably has more history than any other town in Southern Illinois."

Cairo will also revisit the Civil War with a $275,000 grant to re-create Fort Defiance in the park of the same name. The fort, which covered about 9,000 square feet, was built in 1861, shortly after the beginning of the Civil War, and consisted of an earthworks mound, wooden structures and cannons. The re-creation is part of a $2.1 million project to improve Fort Defiance historical park and provide tourists with a better understanding of the area's importance in the Civil War.

Cain said the projects will help bring more tourism to Southern Illinois and will be an important historical addition.

"This will add a whole new dimension of visual experience for years to come," Cain said.

Ohio River byway features multitude of attractions

By Codell Rodriguez, The Southern

The additions of an overlook to Mound City and a re-creation of Fort Defiance in Cairo will join several existing natural and historic tourist attractions along the Ohio River Scenic Byway.

Cindy Cain, executive director of Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau, said the byway is a very important part of their work of bringing in tourists.

"It has a large-scale marketing effort behind it," Cain said.

In the history department, one of the byways featured is Fort Massac in Metropolis, a structure built in the 1500s that came into American possession in the Revolutionary War. The fort became Illinois' first national park in 1908 and today features a museum, outdoor activities and historical re-enactments.

Though it doesn't have a fort just yet, Fort Defiance Park still has attractions, including a view of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Boatmen's Memorial.

Millionaire's Row in Cairo offers a look at lifestyles of the rich and famous in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Built in 1869, Magnolia Manor played host to former U.S. President and Union General Ulysses Grant several times. The house still contains some of its original 19th century furniture.

Continuing the Civil War theme, Mound City National Cemetery has more than 8,000 veterans, many of them from the Civil War. Of that 8,000, 2,637 graves are unknown because they were moved from the riverside, where the headboards washed away. It is also the only national cemetery in Illinois.

Though it doesn't seem like the kind of place Lex Luthor or Brainiac would wreak havoc, Metropolis is the home of Superman and they have the town square to prove it. The square contains a 15-foot statue of the Last Son of Krypton and museum to boot.

They may not have Superman, but Cave-in-Rock has pirates - or at least their former hideout. The 55-foot-wide limestone cave was once home to river pirates and other criminals. Now it offers picnics, lodging and a view of traffic along the river.

Garden of the Gods, located in Shawnee National Forest, offers nature trails and a view of Camel Rock and Anvil Rock, named for bearing a likeness to a camel and an anvil, respectively.

"Its geological features are some of the most unique in this part of the world," said Alan Nicholas, Forest Supervisor at Shawnee National Forest.