U. S. S. Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park

Ah, the Cairo, something I never got to see, and neither did my now deceased father, and it was my fault lol!

Funny story, when I was 15 we went to Vicksburg, my only visit, (I seriously need to fix that), and I was enthusiastic to finally see Vicksburg, everyone else in the family couldn't care less, except for my prejudiced against the war Dad. We went to the battlefield, and rather than ride the driving route, I made a point to walk the siege lines of the battlefield, wanting to see as much of the battlefield as I could, my Dad was sick at the time, and we didn't know till after we got back to Texas he had stones in his gall bladder, making the trip miserable if anyone acted up. The main problem was, my Dad was mainly interested in seeing the Cairo, and while I wanted to see it very, very badly, I couldn't be pried away from my explorations of the trenches for anything, and when we reached near the end of the tour, I finally got back in the truck, only to find out we had passed the turnoff to the Cairo two miles back, and my Dad's ire towards me for insisting to walk the battlefield was something to see, as he had missed his chance to see the only thing he was interested in seeing at the whole park! Plus him feeling miserable only made the "chewing out" I got all the more memorable. Bright side is he cheered up when we made it to the Angola Prison Rodeo.

I need to return to Vicksburg and explore the place more, and finally see the Cairo. Great photos James!
 
How was the rodeo?

Interesting to say the least, looking back I think the odd thing was the Budweiser wagon running around and a thousand guys in orange jumpsuits being thrilled at it! I personally don't have any use for rodeos, and really hate them, but the Angola one was the best I ever saw, probably the only one I ever enjoyed to any degree.

But I think I would have been happier with those days back in Vicksburg.
 
Interesting to say the least, looking back I think the odd thing was the Budweiser wagon running around and a thousand guys in orange jumpsuits being thrilled at it! I personally don't have any use for rodeos, and really hate them, but the Angola one was the best I ever saw, probably the only one I ever enjoyed to any degree.

But I think I would have been happier with those days back in Vicksburg.
I grew up in the country and I don't recall needing a rodeo like that, although I do remember many horse and tractor pulls. That and the roundy rounds on a dirt track.
 
The ship will not be protected until it is totally in a climate controlled building. Anything else is a waste of time. Look how it has deteriorated since it was assembled for display. It has been a a debacle pretty much since they attempted to bring it up to the surface in the 60's. It just wasn't well thought out at all. All one has to do is look at the Swedish ship, the Wasa to see how you bring up and display a ship.
 
The ship will not be protected until it is totally in a climate controlled building. Anything else is a waste of time. Look how it has deteriorated since it was assembled for display. It has been a a debacle pretty much since they attempted to bring it up to the surface in the 60's. It just wasn't well thought out at all. All one has to do is look at the Swedish ship, the Wasa to see how you bring up and display a ship.


I can't agree with you more, but I reckon its around 50 years too late. I would think the smart thing to have done back then would to have had, at the very least, a few fundraisers to help with the preservation after the raising. I don't know what possessed them, or what the reasons for it were, but they screwed the pooch at the worst time back then.

But hey the canvas is better than nothing. It's the NPS game now, has been for a while, and they still haven't done what's needed, but one day they'll do something when its to little too late, and leave something of the vessel to future generations.
 
Thanks for the interesting & informative post James N. :smile:

I love ironclads, i have just this (and the CSS Arkansas) as 3D models for a game. I made them enter-able, since it's a fps game. I'm still quite uncertain how the interior of CSS Arkansas looks. Maybe there's something on this forum tho, i just joined today. So great to see there's a whole section with Siege of Vicksburg!
My thanks to you as well, and welcome to the forums!
 
The ship will not be protected until it is totally in a climate controlled building. Anything else is a waste of time. Look how it has deteriorated since it was assembled for display. It has been a a debacle pretty much since they attempted to bring it up to the surface in the 60's. It just wasn't well thought out at all. All one has to do is look at the Swedish ship, the Wasa to see how you bring up and display a ship.
I can't agree with you more, but I reckon its around 50 years too late. I would think the smart thing to have done back then would to have had, at the very least, a few fundraisers to help with the preservation after the raising. I don't know what possessed them, or what the reasons for it were, but they screwed the pooch at the worst time back then.

But hey the canvas is better than nothing. It's the NPS game now, has been for a while, and they still haven't done what's needed, but one day they'll do something when its to little too late, and leave something of the vessel to future generations.
Blame really can't be laid at the door of the NPS - it's the City of Vicksburg's fault. They laid claim to the wreck back in the 1960's and put up part of the money to salvage it; the NPS' part included mainly possession of the RELICS aboard. The city has always been looking for the "silver bullet" that was going to restore the Glory Days of the River, and at that time the Cairo was thought to be the Next Big Thing. Once that failed, they grabbed onto casino gambling which I think has also proved to largely be a bust. (As anyone should know, casinos do all they can to monopolize visitors and keep them on premises and away from everything else.) It wasn't until after the poor thing had been cut into sections and carried off to Pascagoula to be "preserved' and "restored" - but actually abandoned to its fate and the termites for the next decade! - that the city finally gave up on it and turned their share in it over to the NPS.
 
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Blame really can't be laid at the door of the NPS - it's the City of Vicksburg's fault. They laid claim to the wreck back in the 1960's and put up part of the money to salvage it; the NPS' part included mainly possession of the RELICS aboard. The city has always been looking for the "silver bullet" that was going to restore the Glory Days of the River, and at that time the Cairo was thought to be the Next Big Thing. Once that failed, they grabbed onto casino gambling which I think has also proved to largely be a bust. (As anyone should know, casinos do all they can to monopolize visitors and keep them on premises and away from everything else.) It wasn't until after the poor thing had been cut into sections and carried off to Pascagoula to be "preserved' and "restored" - but actually abandoned to its fate and the termites for the next decade! - that the city finally gave up on it and turned their share in it over to the NPS.

Just to clarify, I wasn't laying the blame for the decade of termites on the NPS, I was only pointing out the vessel itself is under a canvas roof outside instead of a climate controlled building where it should be.
Re-read my post and thought, "Huh, that can be mis-interpreted blaming the raising fiasco on the NPS".
 
I haven't been to Vicksburg in over 20 years. I heard the wooden parts are slowly rotting away from being under that awning. It sort of protects from the elements, but doesn't allow the sun to completely dry out the boat. Sad if we lose her, what will visitors to the park think 50 rears from now
 
Took these pics about 6 months ago.
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Its clear from visual observation that the original wood structure is not in good condition. I don't know but would hope that it has been treated to preserve it from further deterioration.
 
It's been over 20 years since I last seen the Cairo. Someone set me straight, is it now under canvas or was the awning a temporary thing until the metal roof over it was completed? Or was the roof dismantled to make way for the canvas?View attachment 208152
Unfortunately, the canvas awning IS the "permanent" cover.
 
When did this change take place?. And was the exhibit open to the public when the new "roof" was being installed? All through the 90's the boat was under a metal roof. Surely the canvas awning can't be too permanent​
 
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