Alton, IL: a Giant, Little River Town
“You’re from Alton? I know Alton.”
I once heard those words in a bar in Taipei where a couple American businessmen actually knew a waitress at the Pasta House, a restaurant in Alton where I’d once worked. And during a CNN report on flooding on the Mississippi, I recall Anderson Cooper shocking Altonians when he told the reporter, “Oh, I know Alton well.” For a placid little river town just north of St. Louis, Alton, Illinois is a surprisingly well-known place with a big history. It has been listed on the Travel Channel’s list of “50 Most Charming Small Towns,” and if you’re in the St. Louis area, Alton is worth the short trip across the river.
Located at the foot of massive limestone bluffs running alongside the ole Miss’, Alton has been home and host to giants of all sorts. Robert Wadlow, at 8 feet 11.5 inches the tallest man to ever live, was known far and wide as “Alton’s Gentle Giant,” and the River City is also the birthplace of jazz legend Miles Davis. Visitors to Alton can appreciate statues of both these icons, with the Miles Davis statue located in the downtown area on Third Street and the colossal life-size Wadlow statue in North Alton on the campus of Southern Illinois University’s School of Dentistry. The loftiest of monuments to the giants of Alton, however, is reserved for Elijah P. Lovejoy, an abolitionist writer who is considered by many to be the first casualty of the Civil War. And that historical connection of Alton is just one of myriad reasons to visit — it’s a small town with big stories.
Once considered a potential Gateway to the West, a moniker now appropriately reserved for St. Louis, Alton has a complicated presence, just like the crooked river bend on the Mississippi where it sits. For a northern state, it featured prominently in America’s most divisive political issue, as Elijah Lovejoy became a martyr to the cause of freedom after mobs twice destroyed his printing press, throwing one in the river. Alton also hosted two giants of American politics when the last of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates was held near the waterfront. The site is now commemorated downtown with a sculpture of the two icons of the abolition debate in Illinois prior to the Civil War. Additionally, the remaining stones of the Alton Military Prison, Illinois’ first state penitentiary and Civil War prison, serve as a reminder of America’s darkest moments. To learn more details of the history and for a guide to the sites, including former Underground Railroad houses and freedom trails through an area known as Hop Hollow, visitors should stop in the Alton Museum of History and Art, located off College Avenue, near the Wadlow statue.
Simply driving through Alton feels historical, as the majestic houses along Henry Street exude the grandeur of the past with the huge Victorian mansions. Some like the Watson House, sitting high on Alby Street even have the noted “Widow’s Walk,” a relic of a time when mariners wives would anxiously wait their husband’s return. While many Alton mansions are private residences, others like Beall Mansion are now bed & breakfasts, available for private stays and events. It’s fun to simply drive and stare, but more organized driving tours can be arranged by utilizing the “Visit Alton” resources from the Alton Visitors Center and the Alton Area Landmarks Association. Visitors can drive the neighborhoods of Christian Hill, Middletown, and Upper Alton. Of course, while talking about Alton house, it must be noted Alton is also considered one of the most haunted cities in America, with the McPike mansion on Alby Street regularly drawing interest for seances and ghost explorations, especially around the time of Halloween. Ghost tours and events are available through several groups such as Alton Hauntings.
Alton is also a locale filled with myths and legends, and none is more captivating than that of The Piasa Bird, an American dragon that terrorized the Illini tribes of the Mississippi River Valley in the era before White explorers like Pere Marquette and Louis Joliet, as well as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, explored the massive waterway dividing the continent. Today, at a site along the Great River Road, visitors can view the huge portrait of the Piasa Bird painted directly onto the bluffs and learn the saga of the heroic Chief Ouatoga who hatched the plan to save his people. Of course, the area is still host to majestic flying creatures, as Alton is a primary nesting ground for the American bald eagle, so depending on the season, sightings of our national symbol are always possible, especially from the Audubon Center at Riverlands just across the river from Alton near the Clark Bridge. And the adventures continue outside of Alton for travellers heading further up the River Road with enticing stops in the villages of Elsah and Grafton on the way to Pere Marquette State Park.
Contemporary Alton holds onto its roots and maintains its history, while also updating and developing new attractions. For a town with no Starbucks, several unique spots are open to grab a latte and some pastries, starting with The Post Commons located in the old post office, a massive granite building on Alby street, overlooking the river and downtown. Described by one local as “a living room for Alton,” The Post Commons offers nearly 12,000 feet of room to hang out while enjoying the coffee of Seeds Coffee, Co., and it offers a wide range of breakfasts including numerous quiches. They serve their products in, and also sell, beautiful, handcrafted coffee mugs from Mississippi Mud Pottery, a local craft institution offering pottery and unique stoneware. Following breakfast at the Commons, it’s worth a visit just down Broadway to the store and studio of Mississippi Mud, where owners/artisans Felicia Breen and Chad Nelson craft vases, bowls, mugs, and more. And don’t forget to check out the art gallery upstairs. Another place for a cup of java and some delicious pastries, as well as more Alton quiche, is Maeve’s Coffee Shop, located in uptown in the old Milton schoolhouse, a location being reimagined as an eclectic entrepreneurial hub and innovative art space. And the Germania Brew Haus on Broadway now offers specialty coffees, pastries, and self-pour craft beer selections.
There’s certainly no shortage of places to get adult beverages in Alton, which is home to Fast Eddie’s Bon-Aire, old-fashioned road house bar that is nationally known for its history and proximity to old Route 66. At the other end of town, the 3rd Street area hosts numerous bars and restaurants along the riverfront, including the classic Tony’s Restaurant, an Alton institution of more than sixty years, famous for its “Tony’s Special” pizza with a sweet marinara and the renowned pepperloin steak, an Alton original. Bossa Nova is a newer innovative bistro with artisan pizzas, and a relative newcomer to town is the Old Bakery Beer Company, a certified organic craft brewery located in the renovated Colonial Bakery building down on the riverfront. All these places are just a skipping stone’s throw from the Argosy Casino, formerly known as the Alton Belle, the first operational riverboat casino in Illinois.
If you go for longer than a day-trip, several B&Bs in Alton are there to welcome you, including the impressive Eagle’s Nest Penthouse, located in the old Alton Cracker Factory, as well as the aforementioned Beale Mansion. Alton is a truly historic and engaging river town, just a quick jaunt from St. Louis, and for visitors it’s definitely worth planning a few days in Alton.
