Fort Defiance (Illinois)

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This article is about the Fort Defiance near Cairo, Illinois. For others see Fort Defiance.

Fort Defiance Park is the brown colored rectangular area at the tip of the peninsula.

Fort Defiance, known as Camp Defiance during the American Civil War, is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers near Cairo in Alexander County, Illinois. The strategic significance of the site has been known since prehistoric times with archaeological evidence of warfare dating to the Mississippian era. It is the southernmost point in the state of Illinois. Fort Defiance Park, formerly a State Park, is owned and maintained by the city of Cairo. At 279 feet elevation, Fort Defiance Point is Illinois' lowest point.[1]

[edit] History

Frenchman Pierre Laclede on his trek up the Mississippi, was among the first Europeans to land on the southern tip of what is now Illinois.

[edit] See also

• Archaeology of the Americas
• Mississippian culture
• American Civil War
• Columbus-Belmont State Park
• Fort Snelling

[edit] External links

• Civil War Harper's Weekly, June 1, 1861

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 36.9864411° -89.1459038°
  • Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth

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