The Carbondale area is referred to as “Little Egypt.” Theories about the nickname's origins range from the region's supplying grain to northern and central Illinois during an 1800's famine to comparing Illinois' southern tip to Egypt's Nile delta region.
How did Little Egypt get its name?
The name “Little Egypt” came from the early settlers of the region, who thought the area resembled the Nile in Egypt due to the low lying topography, fertile marshes, and flooding from the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
Why is part of southern Illinois called Little Egypt?
Southern Illinois has long been referred to as "Little Egypt." This nickname may be the result of the practices of early settlers from Northern Illinois who traveled to Southern Illinois to buy grain after a series of bad winters and droughts. ... In Egypt, the king was thought of as a living god.
Is there a pyramid in Cairo Illinois?
The Mounds in Cahokia are the biggest pyramids in North America, she said. They were built by the Mississippian people who lived in the area, but they had ceased to exist as a civilization by the time the Europeans got here.
When was Little Egypt founded?
Founded in the 1880s by former slaves, the community flourished until the 1960s. From the 1880s to the early 1960a, the African American Freedmen's Community called Little Egypt was in this neighbodhood, at the corner of Thurgood and Shoreview in Dallas' Lake Highlands. It spread across 35 acres.
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