View from KFVS Tower

I’ve seen Cape Girardeau from the ground and from 1,500 feet in a small plane, but I had a chance to see it from the 11th floor of the KFVS Tower recently. That’s a nice height to pick out landmark buildings.

This view is looking west down Broadway. You can click on any image to make it larger. The building at bottom left is the old Federal Courthouse. The tall building with yellow brick in the foreground is the Marquette Hotel. The pink building with a mural is where the old Idan-Ha Hotel stood before it burned. The nearest intersection is Broadway and Fountain.

Broadway to the east

This photo looks in the opposite direction – east on Broadway toward the Mississippi River. The Missourian is on the bottom right. The metal roof in the foreground is the N’Orleans. On the right is the First Presbyterian Church. The rusty steeple near the top of the photo belongs to the former General Baptist Church.

Common Pleas Courthouse

A view to the southeast picks up the corner of the First Presbyterian Church, the red tile roof of The Southeast Missourian, the Common Pleas Courthouse and old library, the steeple of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and the Bill Emerson Bridge.

Cement plant in distance

This photo is similar, but it shows a bit more of the neighborhood and gives a glimpse of the cement plant way off in the distance.

 

 

 

 

Flood Pits Neighbor vs. Neighbor

The controversy over breaching the Bird’s Point levee that’s putting Missourians against Illinoisans isn’t anything new.

A dam erected by farmers in 1967 pitted neighbor against neighbor.

My film envelopes were slugged “Dutchtown Dam 6/22/67,” and I thought the photos were taken south of Hwy 74 between Cape and Dutchtown. The newspaper story, however, describes it as “south of Cape Girardeau and east of old Highway 61 between that highway and the Mississippi River.”

Bits and pieces of the story ran for days. You can read the one that ran with my photo in the June 23, 1967, Missourian.

Farmers on the “wet” side of the dam contended that the structure would cause water from the Diversion channel to back up on their land earlier than it would have normally.

Threats to blow up the dam

The Cape County Sheriff’s office received at least two threats to blow up the dam. Some of the farmers stood guard over the earthen structure at night. At least one of the men in this photo had a rifle or shotgun. I’m going to surmise that it was probably more for snakes than potential bombthrowers.

A story on June 26, said the Little River Drainage District had ordered the dam removed. A flood story on the 27th said it was still standing. A story on June 28 said that attorney Jack O. Knehans was contemplating filing a suit seeking $50,000 to $75,000 in damages from the dam builders.

I scrolled through papers for the next few days and never did find how the issue was resolved.

N’Orleans Stands Empty

Tables in the N’Orleans Resturant sit covered with white tablecloths for customers that won’t be showing anytime soon. The landmark eating establishment is closed.

Built as hostelry in 1806

I’m not even going to try to rehash the history of the place.

One marker says that it was the “site of the first hostelry in Cape Girardeau, built in 1806 by Capt. Wm. Ogle, one of the first west of the Mississippi River. In 1868, the Turner Society erected the present building as turnverein or a community center. Masonic Order owned the building from 1888-1891. Later became known as an opera house and many famous personages appeared on its stage.”

Opera house, Masonic Lodge, newspaper office

The building has been used for many things over the years.

A marker posted by Old Town Cape says, “Royal N’Orleans: Turner Hall, as this building was once known, was built in 1868 with contributions from members of the community. Designed by Nicholas Gonner, an architect, civil engineer & contractor in 1888, the Mason’s purchased Turner Hall & it became the opera house and Masonic Lodge. In 1904, the Naeter Brothers started and published the first issue of The Daily Republican on these premises. In 1954, the Royal N’Orleans was opened.”

Dead plant in the window

I shot this the day before seeing the screaming plants at the Plaza Galleria. If it had been the other way around, I wouldn’t have given this a second glance.

Protest in the 60s

SEMO students picketed the N’Orleans in 1967. See more photos of the rowdy group here.

Photo gallery of the N’Orleans

The place has been called the Royal N’Orleans, the Petit N’Orleans and is now just N’Orleans. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.

 

Follow the Bouncing Balloons

After we finished in Dutchtown Sunday, I wanted to drive down to the Diversion Channel to shoot the water levels there. Just before we got to the bridge, Robin or Brother Mark spotted this amorphous blob rolling and bouncing across a wet field.

It was a cluster of green and black balloons that could shape-shift around any obstacle. I pulled over and backed up. It was the strangest thing I’ve seen in a long time.

There would be more video, but the last big gust of wind carried with it driving rain. Discretion and dryness being the better part of valor, I made a beeline for the shelter of the car. You don’t pay me enough to get wet.

Video of the bouncing balloons.

No telling where they came from, nor where they ended up.

A lot has changed

A lot has changed since this photo was taken Sunday. By Monday afternoon, the wet field had several feet of water on it. I don’t know how much is on it Tuesday night. I heard that both 74 and 25 are closed at Dutchtown.

Obligatory goodbye photo

I hit the road about noon Tuesday and made it to just north of Atlanta. I didn’t get hit by a single raindrop all the way. I didn’t know what to make of blue skies.

See y’all sometime this summer.