Hunterstown
In 1820, Major Charles W. Hunter bought land bordering Henry Street. He planned a town called Hunterstown, which later became a part of Alton. In 1840, Hunter built a two-story brick hotel on the corner of Central and
Broadway. This building has changed ownership many times. It was used once by the Alton Marine and Fire Insurance Company. In later years, it was used as a hospital by the Catholic Sisters of Charity, the forerunner of St.
Joseph's Hospital. In 1893, the hospital outgrew the building, and it was sold to a Julius Haas, who used it as an apartment house. The building was torn down and later became a used car lot.
Upper Alton and Salu
In 1816, Joseph Meacham founded Upper Alton. It had an advantage over Easton's Alton because of the high ground. Upper Alton had the further advantage of being located on the roads from Edwardsville and Vandalia over Oakwood
Avenue to present day North Alton, and then down Hop Hollow to Smeltzer's Ferry. Pioneers going into the Louisiana Territory by land took this route. 
For a time, Upper Alton had the largest population of all the settlements, but both Upper Alton and Alton
suffered from the fact that land titles were not clear. This caused a decline in population. Because of this, in 1820, Bennett Maxey and other men planned a town north of Upper Alton, which they named Salu. Salu
Park was set aside by Maxey and his friends as a public square. Because of the natural deposits of clay, pottery and bricks were made there in the early days. According to records and stories
told by the old residents, pottery and bricks were shipped by land and water to all parts of the country.
The first post office established in Upper Alton was in 1818. The office received a mail
delivery once a week. The Upper Alton post office, on Salu Street, was on the route between Carlyle, Illinois, and St. Charles, Missouri. The mail route crossed the Mississippi River at Alton by ferry.
H. N. Kendall and John Bostwick, Sr., played an important part in the early development of Upper Alton. The Bostwicks came to Alton from St. Louis in a
houseboat in 1837. They tied their boat at the foot of Henry Street where they lived for a short time. John Bostwick, Jr., used to tell about the children of his family carrying
fresh water from a spring in town located at the corner of Broadway and Spring Streets. It is said this spring runs under the pavement today.
John Bostwick, Sr., bought eight acres of grounds in Upper Alton, which later became Western Military Academy. He began to build a large house for his family on the west
side of Seminary Street, but it was destroyed by fire. He started a second house across the street. In 1838, Edward Wyman visiting Alton on a business trip, saw the house and
liked it very much. Years later, he traded land in St. Louis for the eight acre piece of land and founded a school.
North Alton - Buck Inn
transcribed by Cale Blaine
James Strong, in 1837, built an inn called Buck Inn, located at State and Delmar. The whole North Alton settlement was given the name Buck Inn.
in 1839, a town named Altonia was planned, but the lots did not sell. Twenty years later, James Tibbit planned the town of Greenwood. The name Buck Inn outlived all the rest,
for in 1868, a post office was started under that name. Meanwhile, a settlement named Coal Branch started farther east of the coal mines. North Alton did not come into being
until 1875. The original Buck Inn was rebuilt in 1855 near the corner of State and Delmar. In 1958, this building was torn down to make way for parking space in North Alton.
Fosterburg
transcribed by Cale Blaine
In 1819, Oliver Foster came to this country and settled for a few years in Upper Alton. He moved one mile north of the present village of Fosterburg in 1825. He got this land directly from the government.
Mr. Foster, a skilled workman, built the Foster Inn, the finest home in the township. It was located on the state route from Alton to Springfield, known as the Springfield Road,
and was a popular stopping place for travelers. The inn was used as a relay station. The stage arrived in the evening, stayed overnight, and continued its journey on the following
morning. After the railroad was built, the stage was no longer used, and the inn was no longer a relay station.
The village of Fosterburg was planned in 1857. The first home was built by Ransom Chandler.
Godfrey and Clifton Terrace
transcribed by Cale Blaine
In northwestern Madison County is Godfrey Township first named Monticello, but changed to Godfrey in honor of Captain Benjamin Godfrey, one of its early settlers and largest landowners. 
Captain Godfrey made a fortune of $200,000 from
businesses in Mexico. In 1835, he spent $53,000 to build a college for girls, named Monticello Seminary. It was opened for classes in 1838. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1888.
Captain Godfrey was important in building the first railroad from Alton to Springfield in 1852.
Godfrey is rich in farmland. In its southwestern section, and along Piasa Creek, it has
limitless deposits of limestone, sandstone, and cement rock.
The cement which was used in building Eads Bridge, at St. Louis, 100 years ago was
quarried and burned at Godfrey, near Clifton Terrace. This settlement on the river was planned by D. Tolman and Hail Mason in the 1830's.
Its leading citizen for many years was Lewis Stritz, who planted a vineyard and made wine. Mr. Stritz built the Clifton Terrace Inn over 100 years ago. He built the wine cellar
there in 1865. The cellar is still intact. Additions were made to the original structure of the Inn. Clifton Terrace Inn was destroyed by fire January 8, 1968.
Clifton Terrace was a landing for boats. At the turn of the century, two of the big St. Louis Department Stores, Famous Barr and Grand Leader (now known as Stix, Baer
and Fuller) held yearly picnics for their employees. A small wooden bridge withrailings was built for the people getting off the boats. The ladies in their long skirts, high-boned
collars, big merry-widow hats and with parasols used the bridge. This bridge crossed over what is now the Great River Road to the Clifton Terrace Road, leading up to Alton
-Jerseyville Road. According to Mike Whiteford, former owner and operator of the Clifton Terrace Inn, Anheuser-Busch ran an outdoor bowling alley there at one time.
Clifton Terrace once promised to become a growing town. Later it became a colony of summer cottages. Today it is a place for water sports.
Clifton Terrace was along the line of the C. P. and St. Louis Railroad commonly called "The Bluff Line." The Bluff Line soon gave way to the automobile. A hotel was located
there for many years, but was destroyed by fire.
The Old Plank Road
Today, we hear about toll bridges, toll roads, and turnpikes; but this is not a new idea. In 1835, there was a toll road near Alton. It was known as a plank road because it was
made of rough oak planks. It reached from what is now North Alton toward Jerseyville. The road was begun in 1850, and was built from private funds. It went as far north as
Captain Benjamin Godfrey's farm north of Godfrey, Illinois, but it never reached Jerseyville. Talk of building the Alton & Jerseyville Railroad stopped the completion of this road. 
In the beginning, the road was used by many people.
It provided transportation from a rich farming area to the Mississippi River. In 1853, after six months of operation, the road was making money for its owners.
The planks soon started to rot, sink into the mud,
and twist out of shape. The tolls were not enough to keep the road in repair. A newspaper, in 1861, called the toll gates "the only things well tended."
Some people did not want a toll road. They took the owners of the toll road to court to try to stop it. The court ruled that, although the road was built on public property, the
people passing over it must pay for the use of the plank construction. By this time, the road was in such bad shape that it was declared a nuisance by the Alton Telegraph.
Time solved the problem. The planks continued to rot and sink into the mud. After 1863, the road was no longer used.
Present day Alton was once many separate settlements. Easton's Alton, Hunterstown,
Upper Alton, Salu, and North Alton started as business settlements and remained so for many years. The early pioneers stopped here to buy supplies before heading West.
Growth of Early Alton Settlement
Early Transportation
transcribed by John Cordes
The early settlers in our community followed Indian trails through the forests by the markings on the barks of trees and by using landmarks on the open prairie. Many Indian
trails led to the River's edge. Washington Avenue and State Street follow two of the most popular Indian trails.
The first roads in the new country followed the most direct routes between settlements.
In the early days, the river was the main route to the new territory. Many of the early trails and roads were built from the boat landings to the inland settlements.
The early settlers came in great covered wagons drawn by horses or oxen. At all times, the men watched for Indians. At night, they would gather around the campfire and join in
singing and storytelling. Buffalo, bear, wild turkey, and deer provided the pioneers with meat. The women baked "Johnny Cake" over the fire to complete the meals.
The women and children slept in the wagons, while the men and boys, wrapped in their blankets, slept by the campfire.
The trip from the South and East to the Illinois Country took many months. The pioneers
faced many dangers. These men and their families had great strength and courage and became leaders in the early frontier settlements.
A History of Alton Table of Contents
A History of Alton page 4
Where We Live: Alton
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