How Alton, Illinois Got Its Name
Land Speculator Rufus Easton Named River Town for One of His Sons
Feb 17, 2009 Cheryl Eichar Jett
As early as 1814, Rufus Easton of St. Louis, Missouri, eyed the river bend area of Illinois just 30 miles up the Mississippi River from St. Louis as a prime spot for land speculation and a ferry service. Aiming to capitalize on passenger and cargo travel between Illinois and Missouri, Easton acquired title to land along the river. He platted the town on Sections 11, 13, and 14 in Township Five North, Range Ten West of the third principal meridian. Easton's Alton extended from the river to 9th Street running parallel to the river and from Henry Street through Alby Streets perpendicular to the river.
Communities near Alton Were Established
Although Rufus Easton is acknowledged as the founder of Alton and is probably the best known of the area's founders, other individuals played a significant part in shaping the surrounding communities. At the same time that Easton was platting Alton, Joseph Meacham arrived in the area and laid out Upper Alton northeast of Easton's "Lower Alton." Meacham touted his community as being dryer and healtheir than Lower Alton because of its location on higher ground. Major Charles Hunter bought land just east of Alton's Henry Street and called it "Alton on the River." However, it soon became known as Hunterstown. Also north of Lower Alton, the community of Godfrey was established by Capt. Benjamin Godfrey. Near Upper Alton was a settlement called Salu, and on Wood River Creek was yet another small settlement known as Milton. The national bank collapse of 1819 coupled with land sales failing to progress as briskly as anticipated caused major financial difficulties for both Easton and Meacham. Clear title to properties could not always be given, and several years of litigation followed.
Competing Ferry Services Were Begun
An early ferry was established at the mouth of the Wood River by Eli Langford; this ferry service was later moved further up the river and became known as Smeltzer's Ferry. As stated in the 1866 Gazetteer of Madison County, "...a man in the interest of Col. Easton established a ferry at this point, which he named Fountain Ferry, and carried it on in opposition to Smeltzer's, located some distance up the river." Joseph Meacham and Samuel Gilham began a ferry in 1817 from Piasa Creek.
Alton and its surrounding communities were built on and around limestone bluffs. In addition to being extremely hilly, the area was also covered with trees and brush, leading settlers in the area to often remark, "you can't get there from here." To its advantage, Smeltzer's Ferry was located on the main route to Upper Alton, circumventing gullies and brush.
Rufus Easton Named Alton Streets for His Children
Besides naming the new city Alton after one of his sons, Rufus Easton named the first series of north-south streets after his daughter and sons - Alby, George, Easton, Langford, Alton, and Henry Streets. These streets are still known by the same names, and run from near the riverfront up the steep hillside.
Interestingly, Rufus Easton never lived in Alton. He served variously as federal judge, postmaster, and territorial delegate in St. Louis. But his and his children's names live on in Alton.
SOURCES:
Hair, James T. Gazetteer of Madison County. New York: The Compiler, 1866.
Stetson, Charlotte. Alton: A Pictorial History. St. Louis: G. Bradley Publishing, Inc., 1986.
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