About Alton, IL
The city of Alton is an industrial port city named after Alton Easton, the son of the founder, Rufus Easton, and is located in Madison County, Illinois, in the Saint Louis metro area. It is near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and was the site of the final debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. Major attractions include the Alton Museum of History and Art and McPike Mansion. The largest employers here are Alton Steel, Inc. and the American Water Company. The biggest school here is the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. One of the best places to visit when you are in Alton is the nearby, Horseshoe Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area - Madison. Well-known residents of Alton have included jazz musician, Miles Davis; singer, Luther Ingram; writer, James Phelan; once known as the world's tallest human being, Robert Wadlow; assassin of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray and conservative columnist, Phyllis Schlafly.
