Bowling Supply St Louis
Bowling Supply St Louis
Coordinates: 38°54′2″N 90°9′35″W / 38.90056°N 90.15972°W / 38.90056; -90.15972
Alton is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 29,393 at the 2008 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.
History
The Alton area was home to Native Americans for thousands of years before the 19th-century founding of the modern city by European Americans. Historic accounts indicate occupation of this area by the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy at the time of European contact. Earlier native settlement is demonstrated by archaeological artifacts and the famous, prehistoric Piasa bird painted on a cliff face nearby, first written about in 1673 by French priest Father Jacques Marquette.
1800s
Alton was developed as a river town in 1818 by Rufus Easton, who named it after his son. Easton ran a passenger ferry service across the Mississippi River to the Missouri shore. Alton is located amid the confluence of three important navigable rivers: the Illinois, the Mississippi, and the Missouri. A monument and multilevel observatory, located at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi near the levee in Wood River, is under construction to provide an overview of the area.
Alton grew into a matter-of-fact river town with an industrial character. Its steep-sloped streets led to massive grain silos and railroad tracks along the waterfront, and brick commercial buildings throughout downtown. Once the site of several brick factories, Alton has an unusually high number of streets still paved in brick. The lower levels of Alton are subject to floods, many of which inundated the historic downtown area. The flood levels of different dates are marked on the large grain silos near the Argosy Casino at the waterfront.
On November 7, 1837, abolitionist printer Elijah P. Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob while he tried to protect his Alton-based press from being destroyed for the third time. After killing him, the mob threw the press into the Mississippi. Lovejoy was the first martyr of the abolition movement. As a consequence, representatives came to Alton when they drafted the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution, to end slavery. During the years before the American Civil War, several homes were equipped with tunnels and hiding places for stations on the Underground Railroad to aid slaves escaping to the North.
On October 15, 1858, Alton was the site of the seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate. A memorial at the site in downtown Alton features undersized statues of Lincoln and Douglas, as they would have appeared during the debate.
Although Alton once was growing faster than its sister city of St. Louis, a coalition of St. Louis businessmen planned to build a town to stop its expansion and bring business to St. Louis. The result was Grafton, Illinois.
The first penitentiary in Illinois was built in Alton. While only a corner of it remains, it once extended nearly to "Church Hill". During the American Civil War, Union forces used it to hold prisoners of war, and some 12,000 Confederates were held there. During the smallpox epidemic of 1863-1864, thousands of men died. A Confederate mass grave on the north side of Alton holds many of the dead from the epidemic. A memorial marks the site. Often when Confederate]] prisoners escaped, they tried to cross the Mississippi River back to the slave state of Missouri.
Many blocks of housing in Alton were built in the Victorian Queen Anne style, which marks a more successful period of the city's history. At the top of the hill in the commercial area, several stone churches and a fine city hall mark the city's pride. Numerous residences on hills have sweeping views of the Mississippi River.
1900s
Robert Pershing Wadlow, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest documented man at 8 feet 11.5 inches tall, is buried in Upper Alton Cemetery. The earth over his grave was raised so visitors can compare its length to other graves. A memorial to him, including a life-sized statue and a replica of his chair, stands on College Avenue, across from the Southern Illinois University Dental School.
The Sisters of St Francis of the Martyr St George have their American province motherhouse in Alton.
According to the Illinois Department of Conservation, in 1937 two commercial fishermen from Alton, Herbert Cope and Dudge Collins, caught a bull shark in the Mississippi River. Late that summer they had realized something was troubling their wood and mesh traps. Concluding that it was a fish, they built a strong wire trap and baited it with chicken guts. The next morning, they caught the 5-foot 84-pound shark, which they displayed in the Calhoun Fish Market, where it attracted crowds for days.
In 1954, the city of Alton was named as one of the three finalists for the location of the new United States Air Force Academy. Alton lost to the winning site of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Flood of 1993
Because of Alton's location at the Mississippi River, the Great Flood of 1993 with its high water level caused severe damage to the city. Alton's water supply was cut off due to flooding, and townspeople had to be supplied with bottled water for more than three weeks. Many local businesses, including Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, Missouri, donated funds to help the people of Alton.
Clark Bridge
The original bridge connecting Alton, IL with West Alton, MO was a 2-lane (one in each direction) bridge that had become a hazard for motorists and a hindrance for emergency vehicles. It is the northernmost bridge in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It was torn down in the early-mid 1990s. The current Clark Bridge, with two lanes of divided traffic in each direction, plus two bike lanes, opened in 1994, following work through the Great Flood of 1993. The award-winning cable-stayed design was done by Hanson Engineers of Springfield, Illinois. Pieces of cables identical to those of the bridge were handed out in educational settings all over the city to allow the city's children to "take home a piece of the bridge".
Geography
Alton is located at 38°54′2″N 90°9′35″W / 38.90056°N 90.15972°W / 38.90056; -90.15972 (38.900438, -90.159844). This is on the Mississippi River above the mouth of the Missouri River. Most of Alton is located on bluffs overlooking the river valley.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6 square miles (43.0 km²), of which, 15.6 square miles (40.5 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²) of it (5.78%) is water.
The National Great Rivers Museum is colocated at the new Lock and Dam #26, or Melvin Price Locks and Dam. The lock and dam are open for tours, and the lock is a favorite spot to eagle watch. There is a bird sanctuary across the river.
North along the river, the River Road stretches to Grafton. It provides views of the dramatic contrast between the high cliffs of the Illinois side to the broad, flat, green agricultural countryside of Portage des Sioux, Missouri. The Great River Road is a popular bicycle touring route. Hidden in a notch of the cliff is the tiny town of Elsah, Illinois, once a down-and-dirty, liquor-soaked tugboaters' retreat, now reborn as a quaint antique center whose houses have trimmed front lawns.
Economy
Alton was once a town of heavy industry and manufacturing. Laclede Steel established major steel manufacturing operations in the town. Restructuring in the industry forced Alton to create a new future. Alton has transformed itself into a popular tourist retreat.
Alton's location and history make it a popular destination for antique shopping, touring historic areas, and gambling aboard the Argosy Casino. Other Greater Alton attractions include Alton Marina; nine golf courses, including Spencer T. Olin, the only Arnold Palmer-designed and -managed course in Illinois or the St. Louis Metropolitan area; fine dining and night life; and a large selection of bed-and-breakfasts and guest houses. These include the Beall Mansion, voted "Best Illinois Bed and Breakfast" in the Illinois Magazine Readers Poll. Billing itself as "the wedding capital of the Midwest", Alton has become a popular venue for weddings, receptions, and honeymoons.
Many visitors come to explore the natural beauty of the area. A designated bikeway extends for miles north of town along the Mississippi Rive
Bowling in St Louis, MO on Yahoo! Local
Save for later Send to phone Write a review: 7. Gran Prix Bowling Supply (314) 432-8477 1248 Andes Blvd, St Louis, MO Get Directions granprixbowling.com
Vantage Bowling -
Bowling Parts, Inc. Tulia: TX: 806-995-3635: Bowling Supply Company: Nashville: TN: 800-251-3522: Celucoat Bowling Supply: St. Louis: MO: 800-325-8983: Classic Products Corp.
Saint Louis bowling | Find bowling in Saint Louis, MO Page 1
Saratoga Lanes in St. Louis, MO Bowling the way it used to... more info | Enhance this listing ... Discount Bowling Supplies; Free Shipping Lower 48 States. Big Discounts Everyday.
St. Louis Bowling - StLouis.com
St. Louis Bowling ... Archway Bowling & Trophy Supply
St. Louis Bowling - StLouis.com
Lots of fun for the whole family. Bowling, billiards, video games and sports lounge. The new bowling automatics are great. The... More about Arnold Bowl
Ray Orf's Bowling Supply - Saint Louis, MO, 63123 - Citysearch
St. Louis, MO Metro >Ray Orf's Bowling Supply
Bowling St Louis, MO - Intuit Business Directory
Bowling St Louis, MO ... Camping Equipment & Supplies; Cycling; Equestrian; Fencing ... 101 N Oaks Plz St Louis (map ...
Bowling in St Louis, MO on Yahoo! Local
Save for later Send to phone Write a review: 6. Gran Prix Bowling Supply (314) 432-8477 1248 Andes Blvd, St Louis, MO Get Directions granprixbowling.com
OnTheBallBowling MLB St. Louis Cardinals Bowling Ball
OnTheBallBowling MLB St. Louis Cardinals SKU: OTBBMLB0026 Brand: OnTheBallBowling ... Books & Videos Kids Bowling Supplies Gifts & Certificates Closeouts Top Sellers Just Added
St. Louis Bowling Centers | Bowling Alleys in St. Louis, MO
Increase the number of new bowlers at your Bowling Alleys in St. Louis with ... rare products, bags to carry shoes and equipment, bowling alley lanes, game merchandise, ball supply ...
