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Alton
Author(s): Cheryl Eichar Jett
ISBN: 9780738561141
# of Pages: 128
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
On Sale Date: 03/23/2009
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 Price:
$21.99
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Book Description:
The river bend near the confluence of three great rivers—the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois—was founded by Rufus Easton between 1814 and 1818 for land development and a ferry service between Illinois and St. Louis. Named for one of Easton’s sons, Alton developed into a bustling river town. In 1837, Alton’s economy was hurt by financial panic and its reputation blotted by the murder of abolitionist newspaper publisher Elijah Lovejoy. But by the 1850s, Alton had caught “railroad fever,” which, along with plentiful natural resources, fueled its growth as a manufacturing city. Fortunes were made, and by the 20th century, Alton boasted fine churches, schools, and millionaires’ mansions. On the other end of the social scale lived the workers in their neighborhoods. The river, the railroad, and the diverse people they brought to the river bend shaped Alton’s history and culture.
Author Bio: Cheryl Eichar Jett, a freelance writer and historian, is a lifelong resident of Illinois. She holds a master’s degree in history. Follow the stories of Easton, Lovejoy, the developers and the politicians, the entrepreneurs and the workers, and the famous and the infamous through vintage images from Madison County Historical Society, Hayner Public Library, the Telegraph, and other collections.
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