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History · Alton

Alton dates to 1865, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1900.

1865founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Alton began

When was Alton founded?

1865

Alton dates its founding to 1865 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 106 in 19002020 census: 118161 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1908.The full story ↓

What stands out about Alton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Alton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 239 in 1940; 118 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Alton, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 239

Peaked at 239 in 1940; 118 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alton’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Alton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Alton.

Read it all →

Alton was first settled by Lorenzo Wesley Roundy in 1865 and was originally called "Roundys Station". Roundy's family was forced to leave due to conflicts with the local indigenous tribes. The community was later called "Graham", after Graham Duncan McDonald, a local pioneer. Over the years, many names have been discussed, but a consensus could not be reached. In 1912, a drawing was held at a community event to determine the community's name. Charles R. Pugh, who had been reading about the Alton Fjord in Norway, suggested the name, and it was pulled from the hat by a two-year-old child.

Dustin Cox currently serves as Alton's Mayor and has been in the position for some time. He will likely run unopposed in the town's next election.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Alton, 1865 to 1976

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865
    FoundingAlton is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1908Post officeThe Alton post office opens
  5. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 239
  6. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1976Post officeThe Alton post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Alton on the map, 1966 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Alton on the 1966 USGS mapAlton on the 1980 USGS map1966Alton sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alton.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Alton had its own post office from 1908 to 1976.

Alton
1908–1976
19001960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Alton’s history

What year was Alton founded?

In 1865, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Alton’s post office opened in 1908, and the census of 1900 counted 106 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.