Alton, IL (ALN)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$1,313,613

Station Ridership

FY 2011

50,220

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Alton depot is a red brick structure built by the Chicago and Alton Railroad (which later merged into the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio) in 1928. The C& A line from Alton to Springfield opened in 1853, and was the first railroad to use George Pullman’s sleeping cars, which became immensely popular on lines throughout the country. The “Alton Route” nickname for the railroad has survived several owners (now Union Pacific).

The current station, originally built in the 1970s as a restaurant, is constructed of cinder blocks and wood. In the late 2000s, building owner Geoff Leany undertook renovations that included replacing sections of flooring; improving bathrooms; applying stucco to the back wall; mounting new railings; and installing granite countertops at the ticket counter.

In 1992, Amtrak moved out of the adjacent historic station due to its continued deterioration. Designed in the French Renaissance style and constructed of buff brick with terracotta detailing, the older depot opened in 1906 under the ownership of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the historic station changed hands numerous times, but none of the owners were able to raise enough funds for a full rehabilitation. In 2009, a local bank foreclosed on the property. In response, a group of civic advocates and preservationists formed the “Friends of the Grand Junction Depot” to promote restoration and reuse of the building. While the station was under bank ownership, the Friends helped repair holes in the roof, held open houses so that the public could view the interior, and hired a landscape architecture student to prepare a study of the depot to explore how it could be better integrated into the downtown.

Most importantly, the Friends assisted the city and the Grand Junction Development Authority in winning two important grants: $10,000 from the Colorado Historic Society for a structural feasibility study and $135,000 from the Colorado Historic Fund for the rehabilitation of the station exterior. When taking into account local matches, the total potential investment amounted to $285,000, but a committed developer was needed in order for rehabilitation work to move forward. In October 2011, the former station was purchased by Grand Junction Railroad, Inc., which plans to eventually renovate the structure although a timeline has not been set.

The first settlers in Alton were the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy Native Americans. Evidence of an early Native American settlement manifests itself in the legendary Piasa bird, a petroglyph on a cliff above the Mississippi River. The painting was first seen by Father Jacques Marquette in 1673. The Piasa bird was said to have the body of a calf covered in scales, horns on its head, a lion’s beard, and red eyes. Unfortunately, the painting was destroyed in the 1960s to make way for the Great River Road, yet visitors can see a replica painting created in 1998. The Piasa bird has become the symbol of Alton.

Alton is located at the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri, and the Illinois Rivers. It was developed as a river town in 1818 by Rufus Easton, who named the town for his son. Alton was once growing faster than St. Louis due to its prime location. Mark Twain once referred to Alton as “a dismal little river town,” yet his description seems far from accurate. Today the city attracts many visitors with its numerous museums, outdoor recreational activities, and vibrant history.

The city of Alton played a large role in the abolitionist movement. On November 7, 1837, the abolitionist printer Elijah P. Lovejoy was murdered by a mob of slavery supporters while trying to protect his press from being destroyed for a third time. Lovejoy became the first martyr of the movement. The Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution was drafted in Alton in his honor. Also, many of Alton’s historic Queen Anne-style homes provided assistance to the Underground Railroad.

Alton was the site of the seventh and final Lincoln-Douglas debate on October 15, 1858. A statue in downtown Alton depicts Lincoln and Douglas as they would have appeared during the debates.

Alton calls itself “the wedding capital of the Midwest,” as it has become a popular venue for weddings and receptions. Attractions include the Piasa bird painting, the cable-stayed Clark Bridge, a monument to Elijah P. Lovejoy, the Franklin House (where Abraham Lincoln once dined), and a monument to the Confederate soldiers who died in the Alton Union prison. Alton was also the home of jazz musician Miles Davis and Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man and namesake of the town center development that will contain the new Regional Multimodal Transportation Center.

Between 150 and 450 American bald eagles nest in the limestone cliffs lining the Mississippi River around the city, making the Alton a popular spot for bird watching in the winter and spring. Alton was also the home of jazz musician Miles Davis and Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man.

Wadlow was a pituitary giant, someone who grows enormously due to an overactive pituitary gland. When he was born in Alton on February 22, 1918, he was a completely normal baby, 8 ½ pounds. However, by the time he was a year old he weighed twice normal, 44 pounds. By nine years he'd reached 6', 2", by sixteen he hit 7', 10", and weighed nearly 400 pounds. At the time of his death in 1940 he was 8', 11.1" tall and weighed 439 pounds making him the world’s tallest person in history, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Known as “Alton’s Gentle Giant,” his gravestone at the Upper Alton Cemetery simply reads "At Rest." A life-size bronze statue of Wadlow was unveiled in 1985 on the grounds of Southern Illinois University Dental School, about ten minutes west of the station.

Amtrak provides ticketing and limited baggage services at this facility.

Alton is served by 10 daily trains.