Alton, IL

Alton, Ill., city, Madison co. Situated on the east bank of the Mississippi, 82 miles W. by S. from Springfield, the capital of the state. This place has an excellent steamboat landing, and is advantageously situated for trade.  It extends along the river about 2 miles; and back, from half a mile to a mile. The streets, which are laid out with regularity, are from 60 to 180 feet wide. The place has had a rapid growth. There are churches here of the Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, and Unitarian denominations. Two or three weekly newspapers are published here. There are several large commission houses, a great number of stores, a flouring mill, a brewery, saw mills, &c.  Quite a number of steamboats doing business on the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers, are owned here. The surrounding country is rich in fine timber, limestone, and bituminous coal. (Gazetteer of the United States of America, 1854)
Place Unit Type
City or Town
Containing Unit
Name Type
City Hall, Alton, IL Location or Site
Date Title
Seth Concklin to William Still, February 18, 1851
Charleston (SC) Mercury, "The Difference between a Free Negro and a Fugitive Slave," October 7, 1851
Stephen Douglas to Abraham Lincoln, July 30, 1858
Ozias Mather Hatch to Abraham Lincoln, August 17, 1858
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, "Great Debate Between Lincoln and Douglas At Ottawa," August 23, 1858
Lyman Trumbull to Abraham Lincoln, August 24, 1858
Recollection by Joseph Medill, Freeport Debate, August 27, 1858
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, "Who Furnishes the Audiences?," September 23, 1858
David Davis to Abraham Lincoln, September 25, 1858
Abraham Lincoln, Seventh and Final Debate with Stephen Douglas, Alton, Illinois, October 13, 1858
Recollection by Edmond Beall, Alton Debate, October 15, 1858
Recollection by Gustave Koerner, Alton Debate, October 15, 1858
Recollection by Jeriah Bonham, Alton Debate, October 15, 1858
Seventh Debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas at Alton, Illinois, October 15, 1858
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, "The Last of the Series," October 15, 1858
Quincy (IL) Whig, "Disappointed," October 16, 1858
Chicago (IL) Times, “The Campaign – The Last Joint Debate,” October 17, 1858
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, "The Alton Debate," October 18, 1858
New York Evening Post, “Political,” October 20, 1858
Cleveland (OH) Herald, “Terrible Catastrophe,” February 27, 1860
How to Cite This Page: "Alton, IL," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/9444.