The 90 foot Fort Jefferson Memorial Cross, financed by donations from individuals in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and many other states serves as a beacon for the hundreds of ships that supply the two rivers.

At old Fort Jefferson, near Wickliffe, Kentucky, once stood a Revolutionary War stronghold at the intersection of confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. It was built in 1780 by George Rogers Clark to protect the area from British led Indian attacks.

In 1781, The Chickasaw besieged the fort for five days, killing many settlers. When reinforcements arrived with supplies the Indians withdrew, but the fort was afterwards abandoned.

Later the site was used by Lewis and Clark on their Corps of Discovery Expedition, and used again during the Civil War for a Union Supply Base. Though there is nothing left of the old fort today, historic markers tell its history, as a huge cross looms over them. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.