USS Cairo

Vicksburg National Military Park > USS Cairo Gunboat

The USS Cairo is one of seven steam-powered ironclad gunboats designed and built by James Eads for the Union Navy during the US civil war. All seven gunboats were built within 100 days.  The Cairo was sunk by a mine in December 1852 on the Yazoo River.  The wreck was discovered in 1956, and raised -- in pieces -- 102 years after she sank.

The Old Depot Museum

The Old Depot Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi, contains an eclectic collection of things related to the Mississippi River and Vicksburg.  It was recommended to us by a local as a place we should visit prior to visiting the Vicksburg National Military Park -- specifically to see the overview of the territory offered by the museum's diorama of the battlefield.

The old Vicksburg train depot houses The Old Depot Museum

The museum contains an impessively huge collection of model riverboats

A 250 square foot diorama depicts the battle for Vicksburg