1848.
John McPike started publication in Alton in March, 1848, though it appears to have originated in Greenville in 1845. It was devoted to Christianity, free discussion, literature, agriculture, general intelligence, the glory of God and the rights of man. On the 23rd of June, 1848, the name was changed to the Alton Monitor.
(From The History of Madison County, Illinois by W.R. Brink & Co. 1882).
