This week in Altoona
Nothing on Altoona’s calendar for the next two weeks yet.
About Altoona
Altoona began in 1881, when the Omaha railroad picked flat land beside the Eau Claire River, about three miles east of Eau Claire, for a new rail yard. The town was first platted as East Eau Claire, but the two station names were too easy to mix up, so in 1882 the railroad renamed it Altoona, after Altoona, Pennsylvania. It became a city in 1887 and is still a rail terminal today, with Lake Altoona along its north side. Families now gather at River Prairie Park on the river for its splash pad, trails, kayak launch and three outdoor stages, and the high school teams are the Railroaders.