Alton

by Cheryl Eichar Jett

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738561141
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	03/23/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 The Beginnings 9

2 The River 19

3 The Railroad 33

4 The Civil War 49

5 The Industries and Their Workers 63

6 The Gilded Age 77

7 Religious Life 85

8 Education 95

9 The City 103

10 The 20th Century 117

Bibliography 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: New book documents Alton flood through images

Author: Larry Ingram

Publisher: Suburban Journals

Date: 4/28/09



Vivid black-and-white images of the 1903 flood in Alton bring to life the magnitude of the event.



These photos are among more than 200 images in a newly published book, "Alton," by local historian Cheryl Eichar Jett.



A freelance writer and a lifelong resident of the area, Jett, of Cahokia, said she talked to the Midwest editor for Arcadia Publishing, John Pearson, about possible topics for a book last year.



"We talked about several different towns in the Metro East," she said. "He suggested doing a story on Alton."



To "apply" for the project, the publisher required Jett to submit 20 sample photos, with lengthy captions, along with an essay about the topic.



Published in March, the photo essay book on the river city took Jett about four months to write.



The book about Alton is part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series.



Already, Jett is working on a second book to be published by Arcadia Publishing - on Edwardsville postcards from the turn of the century.



As a history consultant and grant writer, Jett said her background in historical research helped her with the project.



"I've had some (historical) articles that have been published nationally," she said.



The majority of her research for the book took place at the Madison County Historical Society and Museum in Edwardsville.



Many of the photos used in her book were found there.



"I know the people at the society and they know me, so (the research) was easy," Jett said. "I did some research in Alton as well, at the (Hayner Public) library."



Jett received help from Donald Huber, Alton Township supervisor, who lectures locally on Alton history.



Huber is an avid historian who offered his photo collection for Jett's book on Alton.



"I've collected photos, books and documents over the years," Huber said.



He also provided some expertise and photos on the federal military prison that held Confederate soldiers in Alton during the Civil War.



"I owe him a big debt of thanks," Jett said.



Jett's second book will focus on the "postcard craze" that hit the nation from about 1890 to World War I.



Jett said Cindy Rinehardt, a member of the Edwardsville Historical Preservation Commission and the Friends of Leclaire, a local Edwardsville preservation group, helped connect Jett with June Nealy, an Edwardsville resident with a "huge" post card collection.



The book on Edwardsville is scheduled to be published in the fall.



'Alton'



Author: Cheryl Eichar Jett



Price: $21.99, 128 pages, softcover



Online: www.arcadiapublishing.com

From the Publisher