Clifton Terrace Park

Clifton Terrace Park. .

"I am certain of one thing: My work has taken me from one end of the Mississippi River to the other - from the crest of the watershed above the Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the mouth of Southwest Pass a hundred miles down from New Orleans. And in all those 2,500 miles of river, there is nothing else like the 13 miles between Alton and Grafton. Nothing!...nowhere are there such palisades as ours, and nowhere is a lovelier stretch of the Mississippi so accessible and beloved by so many people. It belongs to the nation and is in our trust. We must not betray that trust.", John Madson , Godfrey, Illinois , October 6, 1989

, In 1994, an organized effort was made to purchase the present Clifton Terrace and convert it to a park. The effort was initiated by the Alton Lake Heritage Parkway Commission and was carried out by Great Rivers Land Preservation Association, Inc., a local land trust organization. With the help of the Village of Godfrey, funding was acquired from the Illinois Department of Transportation to purchase the property and to construct the first phase of Clifton Terrace Park., Preservation of scenic and culturally significant properties such as Clifton Terrace was recommended in the Land Management Plan developed by the Alton Lake Heritage Parkway Commission (ALHPC). The Commission was established by the Illinois General Assembly to "preserve and enhance the quality" of the Great River Road., Situated in the heart of magnificent bluffs, river, and natural forest. Clifton Terrace Park is one of the few places along the Great River Road that is accessible to the public. Clifton Terrace Park, dedicated on September 1, 1996, retains its traditional land use as an area where visitors can pause, rest, and absorb the grandeur of the bluffs and the Mississippi River.