Heritage

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.

Children were expected to work, often in the cruellest of conditions. Destitute, abandoned or orphaned, many children survived by their wits on the street.

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

Black settlers were among the first homesteaders in the hills, but little of their legacy remains.

Norman Jewison, one of the world’s great movie directors, feels most at home when he’s down on the farm.