The American Bottom is the flood plain of the Mississippi River in the Metro East region of Southern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, south to the Kaskaskia River. It is also sometimes called "American Bottoms". The area is about 175 square miles (450 km2), mostly protected from flooding in the 21st century by a levee and drainage canal system. Immediately across the river from St. Louis, Missouri, are industrial and urban areas, but nearby marshland, swamps, and the Horseshoe Lake are reminders of the Bottoms' riparian nature.
The American Bottom region is bordered by tall bluffs such as this one, rising near Dupo, Illinois. This waterfall is called Falling Springs.
Fields in the Bottom in far southern Monroe County
1993 flooding of Kaskaskia, looking south.
The Metro East is an urban area in Southern Illinois, United States that contains the eastern and northern suburbs and exurbs of St. Louis, Missouri. It encompasses five counties in the Greater St. Louis area and constitutes the second-most populous urban area in Illinois. The region's most populated city is Belleville, with 42,404 residents.
City Hall of Granite City
O'Fallon Public Library
MetroLink in Belleville Illinois
