Thebes was established in 1835. At first it was known as Sparhawk Landing. It was the county seat of Alexander County from 1846 until 1859.[4]

The Alton area was home to Native Americans for thousands of years before the 19th-century founding by European Americans of the modern city. Historic accounts indicate occupation of this area by the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy at the time of European contact.

The town was founded in 1816 by John Walter Basye and named after his daughter, Louisiana Basye.[4] Other notable early residents were Samuel Caldwell and Joel Shaw, both of whom purchased land from Basye in 1818. All three properties became the original town plat and comprised mainly riverfront properties. Many of the town's residents trace their ancestry to these town pioneers.

Marion City —- In April, 1836, a town was laid out on the river bank about six miles above Hannibal, in Marion County, and called Marion City. Within a year it had a population of 300 people, contained thirty houses, two large steam sawmills, and was important as a river shipping point. Dikes were built to prevent overflow by the Mississippi River. In 1844 high water washed the town out of existence and little remains to mark the place where the prosperous village once stood.

La Grange is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 825 at the 2020 census.[4] Since the 1960 census, the population has been dwindling.

The city of Canton, believed to be named in honor of Canton, Ohio,[6] predates the surrounding Lewis County by three years, having been founded in 1830, whereas the county would not be created from part of Marion county until 1833.[5] It was founded by Issac Bland, Robert Sinclair,

Alexandria was founded in the 1830s.[6] The community was named after John Alexander, the proprietor of a nearby ferry.[7] A post office called Alexandria has been in operation since 1840.[8]

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Indigenous peoples of varying cultures inhabited areas along the river over thousands of years, using it for transportation, water and fishing.

An announcement came in 1855 that a railroad was to cross the Mississippi, South of Lyons, at Little Rock Island. At the same time, the Iowa Land Company (ILC) was formed. The ILC purchased Bartlett's tract on the Iowa shore opposite Little Rock Island. Concurrently, the Chicago, Iowa, & Nebraska (C&IN) Railroad was formed, with the express intent of crossing the Mississippi River at Clinton.

Prairie du Chien was incorporated as the Borough of Prairie des Chiens on September 17, 1821, by the secretary of the Michigan Territory.[13] It is the only municipality in Wisconsin other than Green Bay to have been known as a borough, rather than a city, town, or village.