Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CAIRO

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 957 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

CAIRO , a See also:

city and the See also:county-seat of See also:Alexander county, See also:Illinois, U.S.A., in the S. See also:part of the See also:state, at the confluence of the See also:Ohio and See also:Mississippi See also:rivers, 365 m. S. of See also:Chicago. Pop. (1890) 10,324; (1900) 12,566, of whom 5000 were negroes; (1910 See also:census) 14,548. Cairo is served by the Illinois Central, the See also:Mobile & Ohio, the See also:Cleveland, See also:Cincinnati, Chicago & St See also:Louis, the St Louis, See also:Iron See also:Mountain & See also:Southern, and the St Louis See also:South-Western See also:railways, and by See also:river steamboat lines. The city, said to be the " See also:Eden " of See also:Charles See also:Dickens's See also:Martin Chuzzlewit, is built on a See also:tongue of See also:land between the rivers, and has suffered many times from inundations, notably in 1858. It is now protected by See also:great levees. A See also:fine railway See also:bridge (1888) spans the Ohio. The city has a large See also:government See also:building, a U.S. marine See also:hospital (1884), and the A. B. Safford memorial library (1882), and is the seat of St See also:Joseph's Loretto See also:Academy (See also:Roman See also:Catholic, 1864). In one of the squares there is a See also:bronze statue, " The Hewer," by G.

G. See also:

Barnard. In the N. part of the city is St See also:Mary's See also:park (30 acres). At See also:Mound City (pop. in 1910, 2837), 5 M. N. of Cairo, there is a See also:national See also:cemetery. See also:Lumber and See also:flour are Cairo's See also:principal manufactured products, and the city is an important hardwood and See also:cotton-See also:wood See also:market; the See also:Singer Manufacturing Co. has See also:veneer See also:mills here, and there are large See also:box factories. In 1905 the value of the city's factory products was $4,381,465, an increase of 40.6% since 19o0. Cairo is a See also:shipping-point for the surrounding agricultural See also:country. The city owes its origin to a See also:series of commercial experiments. In 1818 a See also:charter was secured from the legislature of the territory of Illinois incorporating the city and See also:bank of Cairo. The charter was soon forfeited, and the land secured by it reverted to the government. In 1835 a new charter was granted to a second See also:company, and in 1837 the Cairo City & See also:Canal Co. was 957 formed.

By 1842, however, the See also:

place was practically abandoned. A successful See also:settlement was made in 1851-1854 under the auspices of the New See also:York See also:Trust Co.; the Illinois Central railway was opened in 1856; and Cairo was chartered as a city in 1857. During the See also:Civil See also:War Cairo was an important strategic point, and was a military centre and See also:depot of supplies of considerable importance for the Federal armies in the See also:west. In 1862 See also:Admiral See also:Andrew H. See also:Foote established at Mound City a See also:naval depot, which was the basis of his operations on the Mississippi.

End of Article: CAIRO

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
CAIRNS, JOHN (1818–1892) 		[next]
CAIRO (Arabic Misr-al-Kahira, or simply Misr)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries