As you can see on the map above, Alton is about 30 or so miles north of St.Louis. I actually live between the towns of Godfrey & Brighton.

Below are some of the historic places and things in the Alton, Illinois area. I took these pictures myself, so if they suck, you'll just have to visit to see them for yourself!

The first thing you should see coming into Alton, if your crossing the Mississppi River, is the new Clark bridge. This and a bridge crossing the Missouri River nearby are named after explorer's Lewis & Clark. They started their journey west in 1803 from Wood River, a few miles to the south. The new clark bridge was completed in early 1994, a bit late due to the great flood of 1993. The construction of this bridge was featured on a PBS Nova special Super Bridge. This picture was taken from Riverfront Park in Alton.

The Con Agra flour mill has been a fixture in Alton for many years. The red line painted on the bottom of the mill serves as a reminder of the great flood of 1993. The flood crested at over 42 feet on August 1st. That mark eclipsed the previous high water mark from 1973, which was over 35 feet.

A newly reconstructed Lincoln-Douglas Square commemorates the 7th and final debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for the Illinois Senate in 1858. Douglas won the election for Senate.

The Piasa Bird has been a legend since the 1600's, when explorer Jaques Marquette first saw a painting of the mythical beast on the river bluffs. This is the most recent reproduction of the bird, completed early in 1999.

The Lovejoy monument serves as a reminder to the way Elijah P. Lovejoy died. He was a publisher of the Alton newspaper in the mid 1800's, when he was killed by an angry mob, because he printed non-slavery beliefs. This monument was built in the 1890's.

Robert Wadlow grew up to be the tallest man ever recorded, at 8'-11 1/2" tall. This lifesize statue was created and dedicated in october 1985.

To find out more information about the area I call Home, please visit riverbend2000. They can fill you in on the items i've listed, as well as the surrounding area.