Time Zone
Central
Latitude/Longitude
38.90° /-90.15°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 52
LOW: 36
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In 1673, Pere Jacques Marquette described an image of a man-eating bird painted on the bluffs near this Mississippi River town. Today, a recreation of the Piasa Bird welcomes travelers to Alton, a history-laden town of handsome 19th-century homes and buildings. The Alton Museum of History and Art describes the often turbulent events that occurred here prior to the Civil War. The Elijah Lovejoy Monument commemorates the crusading abolitionist editor killed in 1837 while protecting his press from a pro-slavery mob. Lincoln-Douglas Square marks the site of the final debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858.You can also see a statue of Robert Pershing Wadlow (1918-1940), the world's tallest man. Here also are the Alton Belle Riverboat Casino, bed-and-breakfasts, and more than 50 antique shops.
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