Fort Defiance Park (Mississippi/Ohio confluence, Cairo)
Illinois
4.4 million gallons of water merge here every second -- the Ohio and Mississippi visibly run side by side in different colors before mixing, viewable from a 1960s observation tower at the literal southern tip of Illinois, the lowest point in the state at 279 feet.
Why Roamward picked it
The dramatic southern-corridor bookend to Fort Snelling's northern confluence -- a High Potential Historic Site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (they spent six days here in 1803) and the natural stop where a Great River Road trip could hand off toward the Natchez Trace or continue south. Flagged needs_pin pending a precise tower/overlook coordinate.
Sources
Hours, admission, and access change — confirm with the official source before you plan the detour.
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