On a hot summer day, we got these 6 cakes in and around Alton.
69. Fort Belle Fontaine
In the years since sometime prior to 1804 until now, Fort Belle Fontaine has been: a fort of the Spanish military, a Native American fur trading post, a US military fort, Department of Louisiana HQ, US Army HQ for the war of 1812, and is now a St. Louis County park. This was the last place Lewis and Clark stayed on their return trip. At that time, it was a US military installation, run by Colonel Thomas Hunt. It is a nice view of the Missouri river (this photo looks north; on the other side is St. Charles county, also in Missouri) from the top of this fort. Old stone work in the fences and steps lines the hillside.
70. Lincoln-Douglas Square
On October 15, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas met here for the last of seven debates leading up to the election for US Senator from Illinois. Lincoln won the popular vote with 50.6%, but was defeated in the legislature with a vote of 54-46. The widespread media attention on these debates lifted Lincoln's profile, and resulted in him running for and winning the presidential election in 1860. (source: Wikipedia)
71. Alton Visitors Center
This cute little visitor's center has a wide selection of trinkets and tourist information. Alton is a nice place for a staycation. We'll be back!
72. Alton City Hall
This city of Alton, IL was founded in 1837. Rumors were that this cake would be locked up inside on a Saturday. We are glad it wasn't!
73. Robert Wadlow Statue
Robert Pershing Wadlow (standing behind the cake, and shown below), 1918-1940, is known as the Alton Giant. He holds the title of (verified) tallest person ever. When he died at 22, he was 8' 11.1" (2.72 m) tall and weighed 439 lbs (199 kg). At Cakelet's age, he was 5' 6.5". Below is Cakelet, her dad (a normal-sized adult male human), and an actual-sized sculpture of Wadlow. On the right is a replica of a chair Wadlow had custom made.
74. Piasa Bird
The legend of the Piasa Bird is that the creature depicted by the painting was a huge bird that lived in the cliffs. Professor John Russell (1836) claimed that this creature attacked and devoured people in nearby Indian villages shortly after the corpses of a war gave it a taste for human flesh. The legend claims that a local Indian chief, named Chief Ouatoga, managed to slay the monster using a plan given to him in a dream from the Great Spirit. The chief ordered his bravest warriors to hide near the entrance of the Piasa Bird's cave, which Russell also claimed to have explored. Ouatoga then acted as bait to lure the creature out into the open. As the monster flew down toward the Indian chief, his warriors slew it with a volley of poisoned arrows. Russell claimed that the mural was painted by the Indians as a commemoration of this heroic event. (source: Wikipedia)
176 to go.