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Alton

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Alton , city (1990 pop. 32,905), Madison co., SW Ill., on bluffs of the Mississippi River 5 mi (8.1 km) above its confluence with the Missouri; inc. 1837. Alton is a shipping and industrial center, and there are oil refineries nearby. Food products, lime, crushed stone, lumber, crystal, paperboard, maechinery, and steel are produced. Riverboat gambling, a redeveloped riverfront, and antique stores attract tourists. The Clark Bridge across the Mississippi connects Alton with West Alton, Mo., and the St. Louis metropolitan area. Of interest are a monument to the abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy , who was killed by a mob in Alton; a tablet marking the site of the last Lincoln-Douglas debate (1858); and a cemetery where many captured Confederate soldiers are buried. Alton suffered extensive flood damage in 1993.

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"Alton." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Alton." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Alton.html

"Alton." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Alton.html

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Alton

A Dictionary of British Place-Names | 2003 | | Copyright

Alton, usually ‘farmstead at the source of a river’, OE ǣwiell + tūn: Alton Hants. Aultone 1086 (DB). Alton Pancras Dorset. Awultune 1012, Altone 1086 (DB), Aweltone Pancratii 1226. Affix from the dedication of the church to St Pancras. Alton Priors Wilts. Aweltun 825, Auuiltone 1086 (DB), Aulton Prioris 1199. Affix from its early possession by the Priory of St Swithin at Winchester.

However other Altons have a different origin: Alton Derbys. Alton 1296. ‘Old farmstead’. OE ald + tūn. Alton Staffs. Elvetone 1086 (DB). ‘Farmstead of a man called *Ælfa’. OE pers. name + tūn.

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A. D. MILLS. "Alton." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

A. D. MILLS. "Alton." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Alton.html

A. D. MILLS. "Alton." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Alton.html

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Alton

A Dictionary of First Names | 2006 | | Copyright

Alton ♂ Mainly U.S.: transferred use of the English surname, which is from any of a number of places so called in England. These have various origins; the most common is from Old English ǣwiell ‘source (of a river)’ + tūn ‘settlement, enclosure’. It was borne (but dropped) as a given name by the American bandleader and trombonist Alton Glenn Miller (1904–44).

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Alton." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Alton." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Alton.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Alton." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Alton.html

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Alton

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Alton, New Zealand, UK, USA 1. USA (Illinois): founded in 1817 by Rufus Easton and named after his son.2. There are at least nine other Altons in the USA, several in the UK, and one in New Zealand. The various English Altons are all associated with a farmstead, tūn, in one way or another.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Alton." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Alton." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Alton.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Alton." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Alton.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	BOOKS: Alton's climb to towers of fame.(Features) Newspaper article from: Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England); 11/30/2003
	BE TERRIFIED AT ALTON TOWERS FOR FREE.(Competition/Offers) Newspaper article from: Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England); 10/7/2007
	WIN annual family Alton Towers pass; Chipper Club.(Competition/Offers) Newspaper article from: Birmingham Mail (England); 5/13/2008