Alton is a town on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles (24 km) north of St. Louis. Louis, Missouri. The population is 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Metro-East area of ​​the Greater St. metropolitan area. Louis. The city is famous for its limestone cliffs along the river north of the city, for its role before and during the American Civil War, and as the home town of jazz musician Miles Davis and Robert Wadlow, the most recognizable person in history. It was the last place of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in October 1858. Former state jails at Alton were used during the Civil War to hold up to 12,000 Confederate war prisoners.
Video Alton, Illinois
Histori
Although Alton had grown faster than his twin cities, St. Louis, Coalition of St. Louis plans to build a competing city to stop expansion and bring business to St. Louis. Louis. The result is Grafton, Illinois.
Many of the housing blocks in Alton are built in Victorian Queen Anne style; they represent a prosperous period in the history of the river city. At the top of a hill in a commercial area, some nice stone churches and city halls also represent the city's wealth during its beautiful times based on river traffic, manufacturing and shipping. It is a commercial center for a large agricultural area. Many residences in the hills have views of the Mississippi River.
Initial history
The Alton area was home to Native Americans for thousands of years before the 19th century founded by European Americans in a modern city. Historical accounts show the occupation of this area by Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy at the time of European contact. The original settlement was previously shown by archaeological artifacts and famous prehistoric Piasa birds painted on cliffs nearby. It was first written about 1673 by the French missionary pastor, Father Jacques Marquette.
19th century
Alton was developed as a river city in 1818 by Rufus Easton, who named it after his son. Easton runs a passenger ferry service across the Mississippi River to the Missouri coast. Alton is located in the middle of a navigable three-river meeting: Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri. Alton grew into a river trading town with an industrial character. The city rises sharply from the shore, where large concrete grain silos and railways were built in the 19th and 20th centuries to aid in the delivery of grain and crops. The brick commercial buildings are located in the city center. After the site of several brick factories, Alton has an unusually high number of streets still paved in brick. The lower levels of Alton are subject to flooding, many of which have flooded the historic downtown area. Different date flood levels are marked on large grain silos, part of Ardent Mills, near the Argosy Casino by the beach. The flood of '93 is the worst in the last 100 years.
This became an important city for the abolitionists, because Illinois is a free country across the Missouri slave country. Pro-slavery activists also live there and the slave catchers often invade the city. The escaped slaves would cross the Mississippi to seek refuge at Alton, and proceed to safer places through Underground Railroad stations. During the years before the American Civil War, some homes were equipped with tunnels and hideouts for stations on the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to the North. On November 7, 1837, the abolitionist printer Pastor Elijah P. Lovejoy was killed by a pro-slavery mafia as he tried to protect Alton-based press from destruction for the third time. He has moved from St. Louis because of the opposition there. He has printed many abolitionist tracts and shared them throughout the region. When one of the gangs moved to burn the old warehouse, Lovejoy, just with a gun, came out to try to stop it. Pro-slavery men shot him dead (with rifles, five rounds through the center of the body); the gang raided the barn and threw the Lovejoy press machine into Mississippi. Lovejoy thus became the first martyr of the removal movement.
Alton became the center of the Catholic Church diocese in 1857. His first bishop was Henry Damian Juncker, born in France. The new diocese has 58 churches, 18 priests and 50,000 Catholics. When he died, 11 years later, the churches were 125, the priests were over 100, and the Catholics 80,000. He was succeeded by Peter Joseph Baltes of Germany (1869-1886) and James Ryan (1888-1923). In 1923, the bishop's seat was moved to Springfield, Illinois. The diocese of Alton, no longer the diocese of housing, is currently registered by the Catholic Church as a titular throne. The bishops appointed to see are John Clayton Nienstedt and Josu Iriondo.
Congressional representatives came to Alton when they drafted the Third Amendment of the Constitution, to end the slavery permanently throughout the Union. Alton and US Senator Lyman Trumbull, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, co-authored the Thirteenth Amendment. Her Alton house, Lyman Trumbull House, is a National Historic Monument. On October 15, 1858, Alton was the seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate. A memorial on the site in downtown Alton displays the large statues of Lincoln and Douglas, as they will appear during the debate.
Just two weeks after the American Civil War, Alton played an important role in the famous Camp Jackson Affair, which largely led to the eviction of Missouri Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson from his post. Missouri State Neutrality tested in conflict over Arsenal St. Louis. The Federal Government strengthens the small garrison of Arsenal with several detachments, especially the strength of the 2nd Infantry under Captain Nathaniel Lyon. Concerned by the widespread report that Governor Jackson intended to use the Missouri Volunteer Militia to attack Arsenal (and capture 39,000 small arms), War Secretary Simon Cameron ordered Lyon (at that time in acting order) to evacuate the majority of ammunition to Illinois. 21,000 weapons were secretly evacuated to Alton, IL on the evening of 29 April 1861.
The first prison in Illinois was built at Alton. While only the angle is left within a few blocks of the river, it once extended almost to the "Hill of the Church". During the American Civil War, Union forces used it to hold prisoners of war, and about 12,000 Confederates were held there. During the outbreak of smallpox in 1863-1864, an estimated 1500-2200 people died. A Confederate mass grave on the north side of Alton holds many dead from epidemics and site warning alerts. Often when Confederate prisoners flee, they try to cross the Mississippi River back to a slave state in Missouri.
20th century
Robert Pershing Wadlow, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest man with a height of 8 feet 11.1 inches, 2.72 m, is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in an area known as Upper Alton. The earth above his grave is raised so that the visitor can compare its length with other graves. A warning to him, including a life-size statue and a replica of his chair, stood on College Avenue, across from the Southern Illinois University Dental School.
The Sisters of Saint Francis of the Martyrs St George own their provincial American host house in Alton.
In 1937, two commercial fishermen from Alton caught a bull shark on the Mississippi River. Late that summer they realized something was disturbing the wood and their trap. Concluding that it is a fish, they build a strong wire trap and lure it with a chicken stomach. The next morning, they caught a 25-foot shark, which they showed at Calhoun Fish Market, where the fish attracted many people for days.
In 1954, the town of Alton was named one of three finalists for the new United States Air Force Academy location. Alton lost to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Because of Alton's location on the Mississippi River, the 1993 Great Flood with high water levels caused severe damage to the city. Alton's water supply was cut off due to flooding, and the townspeople had to be provided with bottled water for over three weeks. Many local businesses, including Anheuser-Busch from St. Petersburg Louis, donated funds to help the Altons.
The original bridge connecting Alton to West Alton, Missouri, is a two-lane bridge (one in each direction) that has become a danger to motorists and obstacles to emergency vehicles. The northernmost bridge in metropolitan St. Louis, it was torn down in the 1990s. The current Clark Bridge, with two lanes of traffic divided in every direction, plus two bike lanes, was opened in 1994. Work has taken place during the 1993 Great Flood. The award-winning cable-live design was conducted by Hanson Engineers of Springfield, Illinois. Pieces of cable identical to those on the bridge are provided in educational settings throughout the city to allow city kids "to take home a piece of bridge". The construction work of the bridge complex, where engineers have to deal with strong river currents, barge traffic and the 1993 flood, is featured in the Super Bridge documentary in Nova.
Maps Alton, Illinois
Geography
Alton is located on the Mississippi River above the mouth of the Missouri River. Most of Alton is located on a cliff overlooking a river valley. The Great River National Scenic Byway meeting runs along the edge of Alton. A monument and observatory tower, Confluence Tower, located next to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near Hartford, IL, has been built to provide an overview of the Great Rivers region. This point also marks the beginning of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. Also on the river at Alton is Lock and Dam 26, the newest and busiest dam and dam complex on the main channel of the Mississippi River. Adjacent to it on the Illinois side is the National Rivers Rivers Museum, which features a tour of the dam itself several times per day. On the Missouri side is the Audubon Center in the Riverlands, one of the best places in the world to see birds, as it is located near where Mississippi Flyway brings together Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri flight routes. Also adjacent to Audubon Center is the Jones-Confluence Point State Park, where you can stand at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
According to the 2010 census, Alton has a total area of ​​16.736 square miles (43.35 km 2 ), which is 15.47 square miles (40.07 km 2 ) (or 92, 44%) is ground and 1.266 square miles (3.28 km 2 ) (or 7.56%) is water.
The National Great Rivers Museum is located at Lock and Dam No. 26, or Melvin Price Locks and Dam. Locks and dams open for sightseeing. Locks are a favorite place to watch bald eagles, which feed on fish that appear in the waters below the dam. A large bird sanctuary is located in the flood plains and wetlands on the west side of the river.
The River Road goes right next to the river north to Grafton. Above it is often diverted to floodplain. It provides a dramatic contrasting view between the high cliffs of the Illinois side to the vast, flat, green farmland of Portage des Sioux, Missouri. The Great River Road is a popular bike tour route. Hidden away atop a cliff is the small town of Elsah, Illinois, once a bustling, liquor-filled retreat, now with renovated properties and antique shops in historic homes.
Economy
In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Alton became a city of heavy industry and manufacturing. Laclede Steel established a major steel manufacturing operation in the city. The local industry also includes Cope Plastics and Hanley Industries. Alton is home to an ever growing industry, now dying, such as Owens-Illinois Glass Bottle Works and Alton Box Board Company (makers of all types of cardboard boxes for all types of uses).
The restructuring in the industry in the mid-20th century made Alton create a new future. It has facilities for corporate and leisure retreats and has been diverted to a popular tourist destination. The location of Alton and heritage makes it a popular destination for antique shopping, historic area tours, and gambling on the Argosy Casino. Other Greater Alton attractions include Alton Marina; nine golf courses, including Spencer T. Olin, the only course designed and managed by Arnold Palmer in Illinois or St. Louis Metropolitan; dining and nightlife; and a wide selection of bed-and-breakfast and guest houses. These include Beall Mansion An Elegant Bed & amp; Breakfast Inn, voted "Best Illinois Bed and Breakfast" in Illinois Magazine Reader Poll. Placing itself as "the Midwest wedding capital", Alton has become a popular venue for weddings, receptions, and honeymoon.
Many visitors come to explore the natural beauty of the area. A designated bikeway extends for miles north of the city along the Mississippi River and under a limestone cliff; its relatively flat class and parts through the shaded area make it an easy journey for the family. During the migration season, Alton is a destination for birdwatchers along the Mississippi Flyway; winter visitors come to see many bald eagles perched on the limestone cliff of Illinois and eat fish in the river. This is the Great River National Scenic Byway meeting area. A few miles north is the PÃÆ'¨re Marquette State Park, with WPA-era cottages and attractions including miles of lanes for pedestrians and riders, and horses for hire.
On January 28, 2010, Illinois was selected for a $ 1.2 billion federal award to bring high-speed passenger train services to Illinois in 2015-2017. Alton has been chosen as a stop station on the path that flows from St. Louis to Chicago, and construction on the track is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2017.
Alton also won the Small Town Revolution contest and earned $ 500,000.
Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 30,496 people, 12,518 households, and 7,648 families living in the city. Population density is 1,949.3 people per square mile (752.8/km ²). There are 13,894 housing units with an average density of 888.1 per square mile (343.0/km²). City's racial makeup is 72.32% White, 24.72% African American, 0.18% Native Americans, 0.38% Asia, 0.01% Pacific Island, 0.68% of other races, and 1.71 % of two or more races. Hispanic or Latin of any race is 1.49% of the population.
There are 12,518 households where 29.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% are married couples living together, 17.4% have unmarried female households present, and 38.9% is not family. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.02.
In cities, the population is spread by 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% years or more. The average age is 35 years. For every 100 women, there are 88.4 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there are 83.1 men.
The average income for households in the city is $ 31,213, and the average income for families is $ 37,910. Men have an average income of $ 33,083 versus $ 22,485 for women. The per capita income for the city is $ 16,817. Approximately 14.7% of families and 18.7% of the population are below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those aged 65 and older.
Culture
Art
Alton is home to the Jacoby Arts Center (JAC), a nonprofit organization that supports local art and arts education and is partly funded by the Illinois Arts Council. It's on Broadway between Henry and Ridge Streets in the building where Jacoby Furniture Store has been for nearly 100 years. JAC is a regional arts center, serving 17 counties throughout southern Illinois, providing public art galleries, art classes in various media for adults and children, a strong performing arts program including monthly live music performances and outlets to literary arts, through programs such as high-level competition "Poetry Poems" and support from the Alton Writers Guild.
Alton is also home to the Alton Symphony Orchestra (ASO). In 2011, ASO was in its 66th season, and is considered one of the major community orchestras in the Midwest. Musicians range from young adults in their teens to the elderly. It holds four regular-season concerts, stylish pops concerts, and children's concerts; Symphonies offer performances to entertain and educate various sectors of society.
Theater
Founded in 1934 as a community theater, Alton Small Theater continues to produce a season full of dramatic dramas and comedies and musicals. All of his volunteer members brought Alton quality theater productions in an intimate setting. Alton high school offers all theater production throughout the school year as well.
Alton Children's Theater, founded in 1958 by Solveig Sullivan, has been providing theater for children for many years. The drama is now held at Lewis and Clark Community College Hathaway Hall. Over the years, the company has made up to 10,000 children every year. Membership of all these volunteers employs a professional director, who works with members for a week of annual performances.
Media
Alton has a daily newspaper, The Telegraph , formerly Alton Evening Telegraph . The Telegraph provides local news coverage, as well as relevant sports and national news.
AdVantage News, free online (daily) and print (weekly) newspapers, focusing on community features and hyper-local news. It is distributed to all residents and is a locally owned newspaper for the Alton area.
The radio station, WBGZ 1570 AM, broadcasts the format of news/talkshow. It has been serving Alton and the surrounding area for decades.
Alton offers one Internet-based resource, Riverbender.com. Named for the local bend in the Mississippi River, Riverbender is a portal that serves local and national news, classifieds, event calendars and Alton guides to restaurants, shopping and attractions with coupons. In 2007 they were the first company to broadcast an Alton High Schools sports game directly on the website.
Education
Alton High School is a new public school, complete with a three-court gymnasium and six tennis courts. Based on 2006 district data, Alton Community Unit School District 11 registration stands at 6,480; the average number of teaching years in the district was 13.5; high school graduation rate is 97.7%; Primary Teacher Teacher Ratio - 18.9; and Secondary Student-Teacher Ratio - 22.3. Alton High School has a team of award-winning mathematics and music programs. Alton High School offers honors programs.
Alton Middle School is housed in the old Alton High School complex. Alton Middle School serves classes 6-8. The school consists of three buildings: the main building, the attachment, and the Olin House. The Main Building is the oldest. This is the architectural interest for his Romanesque design. Alton Middle School is Illinois's largest high school, with about 1,500 students.
The school system has an "exceptional" student program for grades 1 through 8, which includes Secondary Schools. The program provides participating students access to broader knowledge as well as special projects.
Marquette Catholic High School, named after the French explorer, Father Jacques Marquette, serves the area as well. The sports team is called Explorers.
Alton was home to Shurtleff College from 1827 to 1957 and a prominent military preparatory school of the Western Military Academy from 1879 to 1971. The Shurtleff campus is now home to the Southern Illinois University Dentistry School.
Landmarks
- Painting of the Piasa Bird, the original reproduction on the northwestern cliff face of the city.
- Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument, a 110-foot-tall monument to renowned speech and speech advocates killed by pro-slavery masses. The monument is in Alton Cemetery on the cliff.
- Monuments for 1354 Confederate soldiers who died in Alton prison, at Alton North Confederate Cemetery
- The Franklin House, which came to be known as the Lincoln Hotel and now the Lincoln Lofts. Lincoln dined here and probably spent the night at Alton for his seventh debate with Stephen Douglas on October 15, 1858. The Lincoln and Douglas statue marks Lincoln Douglas Square, on the corner of Landmarks and Broadway. This is where their final debate was before the 1858 Illinois Senatorial Election.
- The Beall Mansion, designed by renowned architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger and built in 1902 and 1903. This is the private residence of Edmond Beall, Alton's four-time mayor and state senator.
- St. Roman Catholic Church of Peter and Paul; over 150 years old, it served as Alton's Diocese Cathedral under three bishops (1857 to 1923). In 1923, the place of the cathedral in the diocese was moved from Alton to Springfield.
- The statue of Robert Pershing Wadlow, the highest documented man in recorded world history.
- Clark Bridge is still wired (1994)
- The Scenic National Byway River meeting, across the city adjacent to the beautiful Riverfront Park. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful drives in the Midwest.
- Argosy Casino Alton, owned by Penn National Gaming.
- National Great Rivers Museum - including the daily tours of Melvin Price Locks and Dam, the keys and the newest and busiest complex dams on the main channel of the Mississippi River.
- Audubon Center at Riverlands - on the south side of Melvin Price Locks and Dam, includes a small museum and is a popular spot for birding enthusiasts.
- Alton Riverfront Amphitheater - at Alton's Riverfront Park, overlooks the Mississippi River, Clark Bridge and Alton Marina
Famous people
See also
- Alton (Amtrak station)
- Alton Township, Madison County, Illinois
References
Further reading
- Eliza Oddy, A Mississippi Diary: From St. Paul, Minnesota to Alton, Illinois, October 1894 to May 1895 . Edited by Andrew Hook, with Closing Word by Heather Eggins. (The Grimsay Press, 2013).
External links
- Official website for Alton City
- Sir. Lincoln and Freedom: Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Alton
- 1994 Demonstration of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Alton broadcast by C-SPAN (Debate Preview and Debate Review)
- American Historic Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. IL-6, "Alton North Confederate Cemetery, 635 Rozier Street, North Alton, Madison County, IL", 14 photos, 2 pages photo caption
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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