ALTON - On June 10, 1924, Illinois Art Extension Committee member Katherine V. Dickinson requested in the Alton Evening Telegraph newspaper that Altonians submit photographs of the area’s native beauty to the “Beauty Spots of Illinois” committee. Dickinson specified that amateurs’ photos were welcome. “There are so many unusually beautiful and picturesque spots in and near Alton that the young photographers should be able to bring one or more of the prizes to Alton.” The purpose of the contest was to create a collection of 100 photographs of the beauty spots to be placed in a permanent collection at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. By this time, the committee had received 2,000 submissions and Cahokia Mounds had already been chosen as one such site, but the committee was still searching for 40 more contenders.
The chairperson of the “Beauty Spots of Illinois” committee, Mary E. Aleshire of Plymouth, Ill., noted in an October 1922 Quincy Whig Journal newspaper article that attractive markers would be placed along the highways to mark the beauty spots and that automobile road maps and guides published by Rand, McNally & Co. and the Inter-State Auto Guide Company would mark the spots in their publications. “The appreciation of our citizenry for the beauty of the state will be increased, and the possibility of preserving our native flora realized so that both present and future generations may enjoy the inspiration of our natural heritages,” Aleshire concluded. At the time, only a few Illinois state parks existed (five by 1924), and the focus was more on history than natural beauty.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
A happy present day note: as of June 2024, there are over 130 Illinois state parks, state recreation areas, state forests, state natural areas, and various nature preserves and historic sites. Several years ago, Outdoor Illinois magazine published a fascinating history of Illinois State Parks that is available here: https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/oi/documents/oct08stateparkhistory.pdf
Sources
“Photographs of Alton’s Beauty Spots Wanted.” Alton Evening Telegraph, June 10, 1924.
“All Parks.” Illinois Department of Natural Resources. State of Illinois, 2024. https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/allparks.html
“Receive Photos in Contest for Beauty Places of Illinois.” Quincy Whig Journal, October 13, 1922.
Pelc, Cory. “History of State Parks.” Outdoor Illinois, October 2008: 2-5. https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/oi/documents/oct08stateparkhistory.pdf
Reid, James Allan. 1912. Alton, Illinois; a Graphic Sketch of a Picturesque and Busy City. Its Leading Points of Interest and Some Characteristic Phases of Its Life .. Saint Louis, Mo.: J.A. Reid.
More like this:
