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We are the southernmost County in Illinois, at the major confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
About Alexander County
Finding Alexander County will show the Shawnee Forest Areas, Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Horseshoe Lake, and Fort Defiance State Park at the confluence, along with the historical homes and buildings in Cairo, such as Magnolia Manor, Riverlore, the US Customs House, and Safford’s Cairo Public Library.
The author Mark Twain showcases Cairo in ‘Life on the Mississippi’ and ‘Huckleberry Finn’ in a positive light in 1883-84. The author Charles Dickens, however, visited Cairo in 1842 as “a breeding-place of fever, ague, and death… A dismal swamp, on which the half-built houses rot away: cleared here and there for the space of a few yards and surrounded by dense chokes of timber…”
Whichever story you prefer, please visit Alexander County, Cairo, Thebes, and Tamms, from our flat farmland area to the Shawnee National Forest, from the Cache River swamps to our mansions.
You will visit the people, the area, the history, and all of our stories.
Very Complex, Very Historical, and Very Current.
We Love Our County, and You Will Love It Soon.
For questions, concerns, or assistance, connect with the appropriate County Department. Our staff is here to help and will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
Where We Are
7 major roadways, including IL-3, IL-37, IL-127, US Highway 51, US Highway 60, US Highway 62, and Interstate 57, have noted Alexander County and Cairo as the ‘Gateway to the South.’ The ‘City of New Orleans’ Rail runs through Cairo on Amtrak. Cairo Regional Airport (CIR) has 2 runways: 4,001 feet and 3,200 feet.
Find out recent news and interesting articles.
Alexander County History
Alexander County was organized from Union County, IL, on March 14, 1819. The county honors Dr. William M. Alexander, who practiced medicine in the early ‘town’ of America and later became Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Located at the southernmost tip of Illinois, this area is at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River. The first settlers arrived in the early 1800s and established homesites along the floodplains.
Alexander County History
The County seat changed four times before settling on Cairo.
Alexander County History
Thebes was established in the early 1800s by two Sparhawk Brothers who traveled up the Mississippi River from New Orleans and were attracted to land along the river and the notable bluff. First known as Sparhawk Landing, it became the county seat of Alexander County from 1843 to 1859.
Alexander County History
In Alexander County, with its rich river soils, farmers cultivate corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton.
Alexander County History
In 1911, Sears and Roebuck had a 40-acre factory site where they built ‘cut and fitted’ houses. Over 60,000 homes, with over 350 home designs, were assembled and shipped by train to various cities and towns in the USA. Sears sold to their employees and sold crates for shipping B-17 and B-29 bombers for WW2.
Various stories of the Area, Cairo, Horseshoe Lake, and East Cape Area can now be enjoyed by the public via Google, Facebook, and Historical Pages.