Historic Hills

“We did not see a drunken man on the grounds,” observed the Advocate (although the paper did wonder who rang the park bell at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning).

After the ox cart driver bid farewell and left us, and I began to clear away the snow where we were to lay our bed.

Railroads brought a giant step in technology to the people of these fair hills, a step that took some getting used to. Although the new technology promised commercial progress and an easier lifestyle, it came at a price.

Two hours before dawn, on November 13, 1889, the great Alton flood disaster took place when a series of dams failed to hold strong.