Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route
Alton, IL

The city of Alton was first plotted on January 1, 1818, and was incorporated in 1837 when its population had reached 4,000 people. The city has played a significant role in the history of our country, but the community's history actually precedes Rufus Easton by centuries. In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette, recording his famous journey down the Mississippi River with Louis Joliet, recorded a description of the "Piasa," a bird-like monster painted on the bluffs along the river where Alton now stands.

A hundred years later in 1783, Jean Baptiste Cardinal selected the site of Alton for his settlement where he remained until being taken prisoner by Indians. It was just south of Alton at the mouth of Wood River Creek that Lewis and Clark built their first camp and spent the winter of 1803-1804 before making their historic expedition into the Great Northwest. Today, Alton is a stop on both the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway and the Great River Road. Travelers will be able to find a visitor center and a town full of riverside attractions.

Alton was built on the bluffs, and one neighborhood called "Christian Hill" is a miniature San Francisco where Victorian-style homes climb steep and winding streets. The Middletown neighborhood is elegant and stately, with Federal and Victorian-style homes. Downtown Alton is dotted with antique districts, restaurants, and shops. Wonderful parks and memorials accent the residential and business areas. Visitors come to the city's riverside park to watch the steady stream of river traffic pass by.