Mitchell

History

Two brothers from Chicago, John Jay and William H. Mitchell, settled in the area in 1870 and bought about of Mississippi River bottomland, which they drained to operate a cattle ranch. When the Chicago and Alton Railroad built its line from Alton toward East St. Louis, John Mitchell promoted the railroad and established a stop he named for himself, Mitchell Station. The Wabash and other lines soon laid tracks through the area, and Mitchell grew as a rail junction. When U.S. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, it ran through Mitchell along the corridor now followed by Illinois Route 203. The Luna Cafe, built in 1924, became a well-known stop on the highway and remains in business; its neon sign, later restored with help from the Friends of the Mother Road, is a local landmark. According to local legend the cafe also housed a Prohibition-era gambling room and an upstairs brothel and drew visits from the gangster Al Capone, although these stories are undocumented.

Geography

Mitchell is located in western Madison County at the junction of Interstate 270 and Illinois Route 203, part of former U.S. Route 66, approximately northeast of downtown St. Louis. It is bordered to the south and east by Pontoon Beach, to the northeast by Edwardsville, and to the northwest by the unincorporated community of Brooks. Granite City is to the southwest via IL 203. A few years ago, Mitchell tried to become an independent city, but that vote was never allowed because of court challenges from nearby communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mitchell CDP has an area of , all land. The community sits on the Mississippi River floodplain, known in the region as American Bottom. The lone school in the town is Mitchell Elementary School. Near town to the east is the Gateway Commercial Business Center, a place of trucking companies and more. Also located in Mitchell is the Luna Cafe, a historic landmark along old Route 66.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Edwardsville High School
  High · Edwardsville · 2,354 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Granite City High School
  High · Granite City · 1,805 students · 19:1 ratio
• Collinsville Middle School
  Middle · Collinsville · 950 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Liberty Middle School
  Middle · Edwardsville · 896 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Dorris Intermediate Sch
  Middle · Collinsville · 884 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Coolidge Junior High Sch
  Middle · Granite City · 871 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Grigsby Intermediate School
  Middle · Granite City · 829 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Lincoln Middle School
  Middle · Edwardsville · 818 students · 15.7:1 ratio