A Changing Waterfront

Historical marker location:

1 Riverfront Drive, Alton, Illinois

( Marker is on Riverfront Drive west of Boat Launch Road, on the right when traveling east.)

The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. The restaurant was designed to be a drive-in, but it quickly became popular with families and eventually evolved into the fast-food chain we know today.