Blue Pool

[Ginod]

Seeking information about the "Bottomless Pit" or Blue pool located just north of downtown Alton off the Great River ROAD.

[OBXer]

As a kid there I heard story after story after story about Blue Pool. I was never much of a swimmer and no diver, but I went there a couple times and the braver souls climbed up and dove in. Stories of trains going in and never being found were rampant in schools, I suppose to try and dissuade us from playing in it.

What is it you want to know? Where it is? I recently saw a Google map of the area and it looks like there is a parking lot there now. I explored the caves behind it a few times.

Wow, I just pulled this map and now it looks like they put a roof over it.
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx...

[B-Town]

that link for map is not of blue pool blue pool is up road about mile or two

[Billy]

Well at one point in time, prior long before the EPA, the city of Alton did try to "Fill it" with everything from rail cars, to cars, massive amounts of rocks. As well as it is believed to be the dumping ground for countless items that no one wants to find. It is believed that is a more than just a bottomless pit, but just the vertical shaft of a series of underground caves (remember the bluffs were formed by water). There has been some speculations as to what it is or not. I would like to see someone of the scientific community conduct a research to reveal the actual truth. My mother as a child went with numerous friends there when it was clean and crystal clear. She did on a number of occasions jump off into the pool itself as did my aunt's. I guess someone could pitch the idea of a scientific investigation to National Geographic or similar organization. It would require a lot of funding alone. Not to mention some with enough guts to do it. The water is very black in color and i am sure the possibility of seeing anything would be very limited.

[Chase Wilson]

Ginod wrote:

Seeking information about the "Bottomless Pit" or Blue pool located just north of downtown Alton off the Great River ROAD.

What do you want to know? I grew up there and hiked those woods regularly from age 5 on with my dad and eventually by my self or with friends. The pool was originally a quarry and when they hit a spring it filled in and became useless. It has been drained with pumps and yes there were items at the bottom, including a missing car and other junk left from the mining days, when I was a kid they pushed trees into it to try to stop the older kids from skipping school and swimming, diving etc. a few kids drowned etc. The property is now protected and open to the public. It is one of my favorite places in the world, to this day. I addition to that is a great story of the property and its history, it was originally some kind of hunting club, and then a girl scout camp and eventually, from the late 50's or so until 83 when the nature institute was founded the land sat and nobody ever went there, thats why it was so cool. there are even a whole train of waterfalls back there, I hope you go and visit.

[Chase Wilson]

http://maps.google.com/maps...

[Chase Wilson]

Sorry that link is not what I wanted, although you can zoom in and see the pool, the old piasa bird location is just up from that "west 1/4 mile" and above that on the bluffs is the old girlscout lodge, now the T.N.I. camp lodge or tahilli lodge or some crap like that. lol

[OBXer]

http://maps.google.com/maps...

Here it is and it still looks like it did in 1966.

[chase wilson]

I went over there yesteday,, and hiked up to the falls and no it does not look like it did in 1966, the water is awful looking and you can still see the trees that were pushed in 25 years ago laying there rotting away. Prior to that the pool was beautiful. now its littered with barbed wire and signs warning everybody that it is dangerous to dive in etc.etc. what a shame.

[James Wisa]

Does anyone know who owns it and if they would allow a group to go in and try to clean it up? I am a scuba diver and this place would be great being so close home.

[former resident-thank god]

James Wisa wrote:

Does anyone know who owns it and if they would allow a group to go in and try to clean it up? I am a scuba diver and this place would be great being so close home.

don't hold your breath....LMAO

[Bill]

I remember hearing stories of bodies floating up to the surface of blue pool with weights tied around them. Anyone else recall that?

[Wendy]

Yes, Bill, when I was in high sch in the early 80's there was always rumors of bodies being thrown in the Blue Pool, mafia style. My friends from Alton always talked of wild parties there and I too heard of the supposed train car(s) and automobiles that were dumped or driven off into the pool. Seems like there was a car with a body still inside recovered from the Blue Pool. I remember kids saying they dove into the pool and swam at the parties. I hiked up that path in the Nature Institute last summer and there was a sign that said "No Trespassing" beyond this point, so I did not get to actually see what I think is the Blue Pool, I did see a small pond, but that surely couldn't be it. I'm going to try again this summer, someone that I spoke to told me to go beyond the sign and I would see it and that it was legal to do so. There is much mystery & intrigue surrounding the Blue Pool, it would be enjoyable to have someone investigate it.

[um no]

the caves are nowhere near the pool and the pool is not open to the public. theres a ran down fence "stopping" people from going in the area i suppose if you wanted to you could hop the fence and see whats back there i never have.

but i assure you the pool is not open to the public the caves which are fenced off now unless you follow the trail to the back is. and that is where the path begins for the bicycle trail. i actually live in the area not in st louis or st charles

[Bill Hemphill]

Yeah Wendy, It's beyond the fence. The brother of a friend of mine said he was there when a body floated to the surface and said he believed that another person who was present knew about it beforehand. He said the guy gave him the creeps or something like that.

But the pool cannot be seen from the road. You would need to walk over the fence like someone else stated.

[Friend Lost]

U ALL r idiots for wanting to know whwere it is r go in it one of my very good friends died a couple years ago thinking it was ok to go in it so stfu find sumtin better to do with ur time than b idiots

[Beautiful Day]

There is alot of truth to the stories. There has been more then one death at the "blue pool" I have lived in the Alton area all my life and its always been a There to the right as you go down the river road. And its always been a wonder to all the kids hearing the stories. Sorry that people have died at the site. But its still intriguing to all that hear of it and they would like to see the pool. I climbed up the land around it and sat at the top,that was back in the 80's. The hard part was going down on my behind! I would like to hear about the "Castle" that use to be down off route 3 all those years ago.

[Ivana B]

From wikipedia:

Hartford Castle is the ruins of a 19th century residence located near Hartford, Illinois. It is located on private property at 38°48′2″N 90°5′4″W  / 38.80056°N 90.08444°W / 38.80056; -90.08444 (38.800600,-90.084600) approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

The mansion, known as "Lakeview" at the time of its construction in 1897, was built by a French immigrant by the name of Benjamin Biszant. Prior to construction, a moat was dug around the property, and the excavated soil was used to elevate the construction site, which is located on the Mississippi River floodplain. Biszant built the residence for use by himself and his English bride. He sold the property and moved away after she died in the early 1900s.

The mansion passed through many hands over the years, reportedly serving at various times as a boys' military school, a school for unwed mothers, a resort, a speakeasy, and finally as a private residence until it burned to the ground on March 21, 1973.

Although the ruins provide scant evidence of the one-time grandeur of the mansion, the triangular moat with 1,000-foot (300 m)-long sides remains distinct and visible from the air.

This is private property and you will be prosecuted for trespassing!! Don't ask how I know.

[edit] Sources
Taylor, Troy (2005). Weird Illinois. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.. pp. 232-233. ISBN 076075943X.

Taylor, Troy. "Hartford Castle". http://www.prairieghosts.com/hartford.html . Retrieved on 2007-01-26.

[edit] External links
Hartford Castle at the Legends and Lore of Illinois
http://dailyabuse.typepad.com/odd_midwest/200...

Hartford Castle is at coordinates 38°48′02″N 90°05′05″W  / 38.800600°N 90.084600°W / 38.800600; -90.084600 (Hartford Castle)Coordinates: 38°48′02″N 90°05′05″W  / 38.800600°N 90.084600°W / 38.800600; -90.084600 (Hartford Castle)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford_Castle&... ;
Categories: Madison County, Illinois

[mike]

does any1 hav pics of the pool or bottomless pit plz share

[Josh Disher]

Beautiful Day wrote:

I would like to hear about the "Castle" that use to be down off route 3 all those years ago.

I went there back in the mid 90's... Nothing much to look at, but there are quite a few concrete structures and walkways that tell of something massive from the past.