Alton Club (Current River State Park)

From 1938 - 1945, the Alton Box Board Company of Alton, Il, developed a summer retreat comprised of several buildings in Shannon County, MO, for its employees. The complex buildings' rustic design, utilizing native stones, wood, and other materials, mirrors a trend developed by the National Parks Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Alton Club idea grew out of an early twentieth-century movement to provide respites from urban life for its employees by building facilities in the "wilderness." 

The Alton Club sits along the Current River in Shannon County, MO, in a region of the Ozarks referred to as the Courtois Hills. The region's wildly rugged nature prevented good transportation routes from evolving to and from the area, leaving its sparse population almost isolated from surrounding regions. A lack of settlement and subsequent development in the area left it in a frontier-like state until after the Civil War. The arrival of the railroad and lumber industry, taking advantage of the abundance of forests in the area, spurred a slow population increase, although the area remained exceptionally rural throughout the twentieth century. However, many of those who worked in or traveled through the Ozarks, including the Courtois Hills, came to love its lakes, rivers, and overall environment, as well as the fishing, hunting, camping, and other leisure opportunities it offered. 

John W. Emerson, a relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson, assisted in developing the Ozarks as a summer retreat for wealthy businessmen during the late 1870s. Captains of industry during the Gilded Age left their city homes and headed to the Ozarks for Emerson and others' organized hunting and fishing expeditions along the Current River valley. Over time, wealthy vacationers in major cities established a collection of sportsmen's clubs, beginning with the Current River Fishing and Hunting Club in 1888. In 1909, Missouri Governor Hadley led a large entourage on a float trip down the river to promote its unique beauty. Moreover, magazines, newspapers, and promotional publications began to tout sporting activities in the Ozarks. The increased tourism provided an economic boost to Shannon County.

In that spirit of establishing sporting and social clubs in the Current River valley, the Alton Club arose in the late 1930s. Martin R. Williams and Crawford Fairbanks founded the Alton Box Board in 1910 in Alton, Illinois. After a decade of struggling, a New York company purchased the business in 1921 but retained the name. Consequently, the company significantly increased production, eventually constructing a second paperboard plant in Alton in 1928. The new plant increased output from 50 to 400 tons per day, and by 1934, the Alton Box Board Company stood as the nation's largest paper boxboard producer. Also, in the mid-1930s, the Alton Box Board Company began purchasing land in Shannon County with the intention of using the land for lumbering pulpwood for their boxboard plant in Alton, Illinois. However, the company decided instead to build a retreat for its employees, as well as its business and political associates. 

Construction started in 1938, and by 1945, the complex included a main lodge, barbeque house, billiards hall, dormitory, gymnasium, managers residence, and utility buildings. Although intended for employees and associates, Alton Box Board Company salespeople and executives eventually invited politicians. They brought clients and their families to the Alton Club to garner deals and forge agreements. Guests could stay at The Alton Club from spring to autumn (April to November). Guests enjoyed free meals and maid services and could enjoy an array of leisure activities, including hiking, exploring a nearby cave, rafting and canoeing, hunting and fishing, swimming, skeet shooting, billiards, tennis, golf, badminton, and basketball. 

The creation of the National Parks Service (NPS) Ozark National Scenic Riverways in 1964 involved the acquisition of private land near The Alton Club. However, when the NPS offered to buy The Alton Club, the Alton Box Board Company declined. Instead, the company granted the NPS 970 acres of land as a scenic easement and an agreement that the NPS would not alter the land. The establishment of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways further enhanced the region's appeal as a vacation spot, but not just for the wealthy; tourism grew into a significant industry. A boom in canoeing emerged, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year traversing the Current River. The NPS maintained the area's rugged, scenic look sot that canoeists saw very few structures on the rivers. The one prominent feature that can be seen from the river is the historic Alton Club.

The allure of the great outdoors faded by the 1990s as salespeople found wining and dining clients in Vegas, golf resorts, or the nation's largest cities more appealing and fruitful. Thus, the company decided to sell the Alton Club in 1996, with the Missouri Department of Conservation ultimately taking ownership of the historic resort. The Department of Conservation renamed the club the "Jerry J. Presley Conservation Education Center" and began using the grounds as an education center for high school science teachers. The historic club now exists as an integral aspect of the Current River State Park. 

Hoagland, Bill. "The Spirit Of The Alton Club Lives On." Traveler Publishing Company: River Hills Traveler. Accessed August 16, 2022. https://www.riverhillstraveler.com/the-spirit-of-the-alton-club-lives-on/.

Kathryn S. Love, Kathryn. "Registration Form: Alton Club." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2005. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Alton%20Club.pdf.

Missouri State Parks: Current River State Park. Accessed August 16, 2022. https://mostateparks.com/park/current-river-state-park.