Alton, Illinois

The image was described in 1673 by French missionary priest Father Jacques Marquette.

=== 19th century === Alton was developed as a river town in January 1818 by Rufus Easton, who named it after his son.

Alton was home to Shurtleff College from 1827 to 1957 and prominent military prep school Western Military Academy from 1879 to 1971.

On November 7, 1837, the abolitionist printer Reverend Elijah P.

Brown, newspaper editor, mayor of Alton 1846–47, U.S.

Alton became the seat of a diocese of the Catholic Church in 1857.

It was the site of the last Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in October 1858.

21,000 guns were secretly evacuated to Alton on the evening of April 29, 1861.

During the smallpox epidemic of 1863–1864, an estimated 1500–2200 men died.

He was succeeded by Peter Joseph Baltes from Germany (1869–1886) and James Ryan (1888–1923).

Louis 1871–75 Samuel A.

IL-6, "North Alton Confederate Cemetery, 635 Rozier Street, North Alton, Madison County, IL", 14 photos, 2 photo caption pages Illinois Glass Company, based in Alton, IL (1873-1...

The Beall Mansion, designed by notable architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger and built in 1902 and 1903.

The Mineral Springs Hotel, located at 301 East Broadway, was opened in 1914 due to the natural spring located on the property.

During its heyday, in 1918, Hollywood actress Marie Dressler spoke at the hotel on behalf of the Liberty Loan committee.

In 1923 the bishop's seat was moved to Springfield, Illinois.

=== Theater === Founded in 1934 as a community theater, the Alton Little Theater continues to produce a full season of dramatic and comedic plays and musicals.

In 1937 two commercial fishermen from Alton caught a bull shark in the Mississippi River.

In 1954, the city of Alton was named as one of three finalists for the location of the new United States Air Force Academy.

Johnson (1957–61) Craig Hentrich, NFL football player Charles A.

Alton Children's Theater, founded in 1958 by Solveig Sullivan, has provided live theater for children through the years.

Giberson, Illinois state senator and businessman David Goins, first African-American mayor of Alton Lloyd Nelson Hand, Chief of Protocol of the United States (1965–66) and assis...

The hotel closed in 1971 and became an outlet mall in 1978 and has been in operation ever since.

=== Film and television === The 1979 feature film Dreamer, starring Tim Matheson, Susan Blakely and Jack Warden, was primarily shot on location in Alton.

== Notable people == Jesse Anderson, murderer who stabbed his wife to death in 1992; murdered in prison alongside serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer by Christopher Scarver in 1994 Dav...

The flood of 1993 is considered the worst of the last century.

The current Clark Bridge, with two lanes of divided traffic in each direction, plus two bike lanes, opened in 1994.

In 2007 it was the first company to broadcast the Alton High School's sports games live online.

On January 28, 2010, Illinois was selected for a $1.2 billion federal award to bring high-speed passenger rail service to Illinois by 2015–2017.

As of 2011, the ASO was in its 66th season, and is considered one of the premier community orchestras in the Midwest.

(The Grimsay Press, 2013).

Louis to Chicago, and opened on September 13, 2017.

=== 21st century === In 2021, voters in the city elected David Goins as Alton's first black mayor.

In 2022, Big Z Media acquired AdVantage News, a free online (daily) and print newspaper, focusing on community features and hyperlocal news.