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)
ALTON, A large and flourishing city in Madison county, situated on the Mississippi river, 25 miles above St. Louis, on the line of St. Louis, Alton and Chicago railroad and the terminus of the Terre Haute and Alton railroad; contains several beautiful churches, nine public schools, four printing offices. There are several newspapers published here. It has five iron foundries, three large packing houses, distilleries and several grist mills. There are also a number of quarries, which give an inexhaustible supply of excellent limestone for building purposes. Coal is also found in the immediate vicinity of the city. Population, 12,000. J. L. English, Postmaster. (Hawes' Illinois State Gazetteer...,1859)