Cairo, IL

jayegirl

Revisiting some of my first digital shots before I knew there was post processing! (taken in 2000) Sad how this town died the way it did. I took several nasty blue trash cans out of this picture.

photocat

jayegirl wrote:

Revisiting some of my first digital shots before I knew there was post processing! (taken in 2000) Sad how this town died the way it did. I took several nasty blue trash cans out of this picture.

How did this town die? You took this shot without post processing?
I would like to see more, love shots taken of old towns...

jayegirl

photocat wrote:

How did this town die? You took this shot without post processing?
I would like to see more, love shots taken of old towns...

Oh, no this is the post processing of the original shot I took in 2000. I have several early shots that I did nothing with because I didn't know you could!
I switched to digital Christmas 1999.

schmoo

Very cool street shot! The only time I've heard of Cairo, IL was in the children's book Curse of the Blue Figurine when they found the mummy was manufactured there (and not Cairo, Egypt).

I can see where you took the trash cans out, but otherwise I think the PP and the vignetting is great for the scene.

I edited the above comment to remove the quoted photo.

1pocket

Where's the people?

photocat

1pocket wrote:

Where's the people?

At the newspaper, we used to call shots like that Atom bomb shots... no people!

Moni

Cairo looks like it is right up your alley Schmoo.
From Wiki:
"The population of Cairo has declined from a 1920 high of 15,203 to 3,632 in 2000."

and this picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CairoIL_Abandonement.jpg

I'm putting it on my "Places I'd like to explore" list.
Thanks for sharing!

photocat

Moni wrote:

Cairo looks like it is right up your alley Schmoo.
From Wiki:
"The population of Cairo has declined from a 1920 high of 15,203 to 3,632 in 2000."

and this picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CairoIL_Abandonement.jpg

I'm putting it on my "Places I'd like to explore" list.
Thanks for sharing!

What happened there that the population went backwards so much?
I am curious now... Is it a ghost town?

schmoo

Moni wrote:

Cairo looks like it is right up your alley Schmoo.

Yes, it looks like a nice place to visit for a long weekend. It's now on my list!

jayegirl

I grew up close to there and never really knew the history. There is a lot on google, including the late 1990's discovery of underground railroad passages at the river banks. It is true that the bbq is great. My favorite BBQ place is on the old HWY 60 in Kevil, KY called Leigh's. It has limited operating hours and I don't recall what they are.

There is supposed to be a haunted mansion in Cairo as well. That story I remember from my teen years but I never went. I think it is Magnolia Manor..but not sure.
Magnolia Manor is a 14-room, Italianate-style structure that was built in 1869. The house is five stories high and contains the original bed in which General Ulysses S. Grant slept back in 1880. The double walled house has many original 19th century furnishings.

photocat

jayegirl wrote:

I grew up close to there and never really knew the history. There is a lot on google, including the late 1990's discovery of underground railroad passages at the river banks.

That is all so interesting Jayegirl... And a haunted house too... with maybe the ghost of U. Grant... ;o)))
Fascinating!