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1934 Map of Alton

Name: 1934 Topographic Map of Alton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

The confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River dominates this landscape, where heavy industry and historic settlements meet the floodplains of St Ferdinand Bottom and Chouteau. The city of Alton stands as a significant rail and river hub, with the St Louis and Alton Electric Railroad and the Illinois Terminal Railroad tracing the shoreline. Further inland, the landscape is dotted with early 20th-century rural infrastructure, including the Monticello Seminary near Godfrey and the Alton State Hospital further east.

Institutional footprints are prominent, such as the City of St Louis Bellefontaine Farm on the Missouri side and the Greenwood Cemetery in North Alton. The map reveals the intricate network of the Illinois Traction System and numerous local schools like Buckstrap School and Mason School, providing a detailed view of the region's development before major post-war suburbanization altered the character of small towns like Bethalto, Roxana, and Hartford.