Architectural Historic and River Trails
Alton
is located 25 Miles north of St. Louis amid the confluence of three navigable
rivers, the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri, as a river trading and
industrial town whose waterfront features concrete grain silos and railroad
tracks for the shipping of grains and produce. Once the site of several brick
factories, Alton’s streets are paved in brick along with many commercial
buildings located downtown. The Great Rivers Region is accessible from six
interstates, an international airport and an Amtrak station.
Historic
Trails Alton’s Civil War and Lincoln Legacy Trail features costumed
docents at sites throughout the city revealing Alton’s legacy through personal
tales along with the Underground Railroad, where runaway slaves were hidden in
caves, barns and basements. The Alton Museum of History and Art has special
exhibits relating to Alton’s connection to the Civil War era.
The Legendary
Piasa Bird Painted on the Bluffs above the Mississippi River
Industrial Museums learn
refinery operations and how products such as gasoline, jet fuel, propane and
asphalt are made at the Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery and Museum. The Mississippi
Mud Pottery features artists as they demonstrate the molding of their unique pottery.
At the National Great Rivers Museum and Melvin Price Locks & Dam feature
the importance of the river system to America’s economy.
River
Trails where great rivers converge with great moments in history at the
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Confluence Tower; learn how they
planned their journey west.
Hartford is at
the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and point of departure
for Lewis and Clark.
Elsah continuing up the Great River Road and marvel at the numerous buildings that still exist. Most of the houses and building in the village were built in the mid- to late 1800s
Elsah continuing up the Great River Road and marvel at the numerous buildings that still exist. Most of the houses and building in the village were built in the mid- to late 1800s
.
The Entire
Village of Elsah is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Grafton’s
riverfront was packed with manufacturing companies, mills, quarries, loading
docks, and riverboat traffic in the 1800s. Today, it is a tourist destination
with its specialty shops and wineries.
Architecture
Trails many blocks of housing in Alton were built in the Victorian Queen
Anne style during the prosperous period in the river city's history at the top
of the hill in the commercial area, several stone churches and city hall.
The Middletown Historic District
was the center of wealth in the early days of Alton with homes reflecting the
wealth of families and their descendants that led Alton society for more than a
century. Brick sidewalks connect a park with a Victorian playhouse and an area
called Insuranceville.
Upper Alton Historic District a
cultural and educational center, Upper Alton was once a separate town anchored
by a former military academy and the oldest continuously used educational
buildings in Illinois.
