Tour Guide to Madison County, Illinois

Alton is an Illinois river town located north of St Louis, Missouri because the Mississippi River flows east and west at that point due to a line of bluffs on the Illinois side of the river. The largest and most important city in Madison County, it is not the only point of interest. A visit to Madison County can provide a variety of experiences.

Ghost Tours. Both Alton and Lebanon are home to a large number of haunted sites and there are tours available in each. For more on Alton ghosts read my story at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/642231/visit_alton_illinois_home_to_antiques.html?cat=16. For more on Lebanon ghosts as well as other local attractions, check my story at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/620685/visit_lebanon_illinois_where_charles.html?cat=37.

Lincoln-Douglas Monument, Alton. The final Lincoln-Douglas debate took place in Alton, where a monument has been built with lifesize figures of the two debaters as the centerpiece. It is on Lincoln-Douglas Square downtown, surrounding by a parking lot.

Statue of Robert Wadlow, Tallest Man in History, Alton. The lifesize statue is set up at the Southern Illinois University dental campus, easily visible to passing on College Avenue motorists. For more on Robert, check my story at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/301163/biography_of_robert_wadlow_alton_illinois.html?cat=49.

Piasa Bird. When Pere Marquette came down the Mississippi in 1673, he saw the Piasa Bird on the bluffs and the Indians accompanying him fired arrows at the painting on the limestone bluffs out of respect. Eventually quarried away, the Piasa was finally repainted onto the bluffs and has been a continuing presence at the north edge of Alton as well as the city's unusual trademark. The story is that the Piasa was a man-killer done in by an Indian chief's ingenious plan, who was himself honored by painting the Piasa on the bluffs. It's right off the Great River Road as you depart upriver from Alton and there's a small parking area so you can pull off the road and take pictures. For more on the Piasa, check out my story at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/250783/see_the_legendary_piasa_bird_of_alton.html?cat=37.

Confederate Prison Ruins, Alton. Only a small corner of the Alton Prison which housed Confdederate POWs remains, huge limestone blocks stacked with a historical marker. Hundreds of prisoners were housed here, many died during a smallpox epidemic and were removed to Smallpox Island in the Mississippi, never to return. The island has since been submerged by dam waters. Others were removed north by wagon along Hop Hollow Lane to the North Alton Cemtery where they were interred in a mass grave. A monument to the Confederate victims is erected there. For more details, check out my article at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/699999/see_the_ruins_of_the_alton_illinois.html?cat=37.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Collinsville. From atop Monk's Mound, where the Great Sun ruled over his city complex, you can easily see the Gateway Arch in St Louis. Only a few decades ago, this was all woods. You couldn't see the mounds for the trees. The museum was a dusty shack. Today, Cahokia Mounds is an amazing place of manicured lawns that showcase the ceremonial and the burial mounds that made up the prehistoric city center. A multimillion dollar visitor's center offeres visitors a peak into the past with movies, displays, artifacts, and a reconstruction of Cahokian village life you can walk through as speakers offer the sounds you would have heard. Cahokia was a large metropolis with outlying suburbs in St Louis and extending in other directions. Cahokia was the center of a vast trade network that stretched south to the Gulf and north to the Great Lakes copper producing sites of 1,000 years ago. There are also outlying Indian mounds in Lebanon and at Horseshoe Lake, among publicly accessible locations. For more on Cahokia Mounds, check out my story at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/235542/visit_the_mysterious_cahokia_mounds.html?cat=16.

St Louis Regional Airport, Bethalto. St Louis Regional Aiport hosts an annual Open House and Fly-In in September. Aircraft are on display, both civil and the occasional warbird from World War II and other conflicts. Classic automobiles are on exhibit as are tractors from the American Farm Heritage Museum in Greenville. Free Young Eagle flights are provided (with parental approavl) for kids ages 17. For dates and details, check the airport website at http://www.stlouisregional.com/events.html.

Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, Hartford. A multimillion dollar visitor's center and a reproduction of the original fort the Corps of Discovery used to winter over. No one knows the actual location of Camp DuBois, it is probably even in the Mississippi River now. A wonderful place to visit with numerous year-round events including Lewis-Clark arrival and departure reenactments. Check my story for more details at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/257309/visit_the_lewisclark_state_historic.html?cat=37. Nearby Wood River has its own fort as well as a justifiable claim for being the start point for the expedition West. Lewis and Clark Bridge, Alton. A beautiful suspension bridge from Alton to the Missouri shore. Across from Alton is a bird sanctuary next to the bridge and at the end of that same road, the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Eagle Viewing, Alton. During the winter months, eagles in search of open water come south to the Alton area and other locations along this section of the Mississippi. A great viewing site is the bird sanctuary next to the Leiws and Clark Bridge on the Missouri shore.

Elsah. A historic village organized in the 1850s and located in a valley opening out into the Mississippi River, north on the Great River Road from Alton. There is a Gothic-style Methodist Church built in 1874, as well as numerous other historic homes. The Principia, a Christian Science college, is located in Elsah on a bluff above and behind the village. The village also has several businesses, including the Maple Leaf Cottage Inn B&B, Green Tree Inn B&B, the pottery business Crocker and Springer, Jeremiah's consignment shop, and The Christian Science Reading Room. A beautiful place to visit on a Sunday afternoon drive. The village maintains a website at http://www.elsah.org/. For the record, Elsah is not in Madison County proper, but Jersey County.

Alton Halloween Parade. Always the biggest event of its type each year, the Alton Halloween Parade winds down Broadway on Halloween evening. The event is even televised on occasion and features more than 80 floats and bands.　

Children's Museum, Edwardsville. Located at 7702 Holyoake Road, open Tues, Fri, and Sat. Has several educational exhibits, including a medical center where children can learn what it's like going to see the doctor, a theater where children can dress up and perform plays, a house exhibit, and a hands-on art and science kitchen. The museum hosts an annual fall carnival. The website is at http://www.childrens-museum.net/index.php.