On this episode of The Sauce podcast, host Lauren Healey sits down with Cory Jobe, President and CEO of Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, for a conversation about the only place in America where Route 66 and the Great River Road intersect, why Alton, Illinois, is known as the most haunted small town in North America, and everything travelers can plan into a 3-to-5-hour road trip through southwest Illinois.
Cory walks through what the Bureau covers — six counties, the city of East St. Louis, and the village of Brooklyn — and how the region’s unique geography lets visitors combine a kitschy Route 66 road trip with outdoor recreation along the Great River Road. He shares how Alton hosts thousands of Viking and American Cruise Lines passengers each season, the story behind the new Hartford Lookout Tower and its $10 million restoration, and why Cahokia Mounds and the region’s Lewis and Clark sites make it such a rich stop for history lovers.
From there, Cory and Lauren dig into Alton itself: its boutique shops and antique stores, Old Bakery Beer Company, its Underground Railroad history and the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Park, and its title as the world’s tallest man’s hometown. And of course, they can’t skip the ghost stories — Cory tells the tale of Alton’s haunted history, the McPike Mansion, and his own experience with the communication rods that left him a little spooked. Cory also previews Route 66’s Last 100 Miles — from Carlinville’s Million Dollar Courthouse to Litchfield’s century-old Ariston Cafe and the Pink Elephant Antique Mall — plus the Bureau’s fall lineup: the Craft Beverage Festival, the Last Hundred Miles Festival celebrating Route 66’s centennial, fall foliage history tours, and a first look at the brand-new Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park.
In this episode:
• Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau: six counties, East St. Louis & the only spot in America where Route 66 meets the Great River Road
• A 3–5 hour road trip region built for 39 communities, sports tourism, motor coach groups & international travelers
• The Great River Road’s 10-state journey, Viking & American Cruise Lines, Cahokia Mounds & Lewis and Clark sites
• The new $10 million Hartford Lookout Tower and its confluence views of the Mississippi, Illinois & Missouri rivers
• Inside Alton: boutique shops, Old Bakery Beer Company, the Underground Railroad & the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Park
• Why Alton is known as “the most haunted small town in North America” & the haunted McPike Mansion
• Cory’s own spine-tingling ghost story with the communication rods at the McPike Mansion
• Route 66’s Last 100 Miles: Carlinville’s Million Dollar Courthouse, the Cannonball Jail, Litchfield’s Ariston Cafe & the Pink Elephant Antique Mall
• Upcoming events: the Craft Beverage Festival, the Last Hundred Miles Festival & fall foliage history tours
• A first look at the brand-new $7.5 million Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park
A 3-to-5 hour road trip, a lot of history, and just enough haunted history to keep you guessing.
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Thank you to our sponsors SWADE Dispensary and LHM.