Located in southern Illinois in Alexander County, this park was, at one time, labeled "the ugliest park in America" and "the park nobody wants" due to its state of deterioration. Thanks in large part to the efforts of a concerned group of citizens in Cairo (about 2 miles north), the park has been restored to its former glory.
The fort occupied a strategic vantage point as well as providing a supply station for the North during the Civil War and was commanded by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Today, the "Boatmen's Memorial", which honors those who have lost their lives on the water, provides an awe-inspiring elevated view of the confluence of the Mississippi River and Ohio River.
