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CAT Tracks for August 5, 2011
TOMB RAIDERS |
Back on July 18th, CAT Tracks boldly unearthed and exposed the grand plan for Cairo's future as a tourist attraction rivaling The Wickliffe Mounds or Branson.
I left it for you...to let your imagination run wild, to contemplate a future in which the Mounds of Cairo, IL (in the land known as Little Egypt) would invariably be compared to the Pyramids located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt.
Sadly...
That comparison will now include stories of desecration, yea, stories that will eclipse the plundering of the ancient pyramids.
The grave robbers of ancient Egypt looted the Pyramids (tombs of the Pharaohs) of the wealth of the ages...gold, silver, precious gems, and mummies too.
Like those thieves in the night, Cairo was raped and pillaged yesterday...in broad-damn-daylight. I witnessed it with mine own eyes...even captured a couple of grainy pictures of the plundering of the opulent Mound #2 at 6th and Halliday. (More about that later.)
Uh, Ron...
PLEASE!
We sat through your movie opus "Groundhog Day", but enough is enough.
PLEASE!
Cut to the damn chase!!!
But...
...enough about that.
In light of what has happened - IS HAPPENING - speculation of what might of been is fruitless. That ground was plowed in the aforementioned posting.
Of what do I speak?
You thought the looting of the pyramids was bad...at least ancient Egyptian grave robbers left the tomb behind, something at which successive generations could marvel...a memorial in themselves.
Lowly Cairo, Illinois...
...can't catch a break.
The Rodney Dangerfield of cities, towns, villages...wide spots in the road.
In short, the evil bastards have swooped into town and instead of simply looting our Mounds, are plowing them under...leaving nothing to mark our glorious past. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't salt the earth before they leave.
Oh, they're not done yet...a few Mounds remain.
However, see for yourself what has happened in one day to Mounds #1, #2, and #5. Then, ask yourself:
"Can the others be far behind?"
Sigh...
The end of an era...before it even got started!
No "Walk Like a Little Egyptian" for us...
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
And, I promise, I will be brief!
NOT to belabor the "Groundhog Day" theme, I have kept some of the original dialogue (in italics) from the original post to provide transition to the desecration and destruction...reducing it to a "Before & After" presentation.
'Nuff said...
All right, enough with the intro...
...just what are, where are the Cairo Mounds?!
Rather than save the best for last, I will begin our tour with my personal fave:
It possesses a simple, understated eloquence. It provides a smooth transition from the fabled Cairo ruins (once touted in a newspaper ad for Fat Boys Bar & Grill) and the future...the Cairo Mounds.
This "Mound" is located on the west side of Commercial Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets.
Talk about an "in-your-face" statement:
No subtlety here!
BTW...
To complete the "transition" BACK...the destruction crew sprinkled the dirt (ashes?) of Cairo Mound #1 over the vacant lot between Cairo Mound #3 (which still remains) and the remains of Fat Boys' beer garden which was "taken out" when authorized/unauthorized scavengers torched the building that formerly occupied the lot while cutting steel beams with a blowtorch.
All...
...now, nothing but a memory.
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
Always the optimist...maybe we could salvage a short-term profit out of this situation to help offset our long-term loss. If we could coax the Vandals to move their "Mound Eater", maybe we could make a play for the "crop circle" crowd. I mean, look again at the "after" picture. Especially in Cairo...with all the weeds...a bare circle in the middle of a (landing) field! Doo, dee, doo, dee, doo, dee, doo dee...
For tourists who demand nothing less than get-your-hands-dirty excavations, direct them to 6th and Halliday:
"Doesn't look like much", you say?
Ahhh...
...as they say, looks can be deceiving.
(CAT Tracks Editor's Note: Actually, as of yesterday evening...this view remains. In Cairo, we STILL like our weeds!)
Join me on a leisurely stroll around to the other side of "Mound 2":
View Cairo Mound 2 (Excavation View)
I mean...couches, tables, tires, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam! There is absolutely no telling what lies among the various layers. Hell, some lucky excavating tourist may be able to lay claim to finding the remains of Jimmy Hoffa!
Okay, flash forward to yesterday afternoon...
A dwindling pile of treasure:
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
A couple of "caught-in-the-act" pics of the plunderers in action.
View Cairo Mound 2 (Destruction in Progress)
I apologize for the distant, grainy shots, making detail hard to discern. As you know, looters tend to be a surly lot...not very amenable to "Say Cheese" moments.
However, in the top photograph, you can see the weapon of mass destruction hard at work, ravaging that which was ours...along with our hopes and dreams of the future. In the bottom photograph, you will note the big blue dumpster into which the plunderers stashed their ill-gotten gain.
Behind Fat Boys Bar & Grill...immediately to the south of "Mound 4" is the future site of "Mound 5":
CAT Tracks Editor's Note: The sad, sad irony of the following paragraph in light of yesterday's dastardly deeds. Sigh...
Actually, I would have recommended bulldozing this one as substandard, except for the view that lies beyond...the 8th Street Levee opening, where media captured the little child perched precariously on the ladder looking over the wall at the rising Ohio River! I mean...THAT was a classic photo.
And, now...
...Cairo Mound 5 as it is today:
In closing...
I feel compelled to "sign off" as did that renowned CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite:
"And that's the way it is, August 5, 2011."
POSTSCRIPT:
To the original post, I attached a "disclaimer" establishing my right to be pessimistic.
I mentioned the "do-gooders" who wanted to beautify Cairo with brick planters.
Knowing Cairo as I do, I stated bluntly:
In revisiting Cairo Topix a few days later, I discovered that one of the posters had informed the thread that an example of "Cairo's Planters" still existed...in front of the old Cairo Citizen building.
My pessimistic self just knew what I would find, but in the words of former President Ronald Reagan..."Trust, but verify."
Grabbed my trusty cell phone, drove down to 8th and Washington, and snapped the picture below that says it all:
DISCLAIMER:
Since I called the folks working to clean up Cairo "bastards"...
...I was kidding!
In all seriousness, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
I don't know who these folks are, what agency/grant is funding their effort, but, oh, happy days.
Living in Cairo, we get very few opportunities to get excited about something. Guess it's a sign of our plight when the excitement invariably means tearing down what once was. However, a short drive through almost any part of Cairo clearly demonstrates that it is a never-ending project that is long overdue.
Once again, my personal thanks to one and all responsible for the latest efforts to wash our face and cut our hair!
Who knows...
...someday, maybe we will go shopping for some lipstick!
So, trust me on this...when the glow wears off the planters up and down Sycamore/Washington Avenue, they will revert to fertile beds for weeds and/or trash receptacles.
