In the 1830s, two towns sprang to life on the Iowa bank of the Mississippi River. The village of Rockingham was settled in 1835 across from the mouth of the Rock River. The village seemed ideally located—except for the inconvenient fact that flooding turned the town into an island every year. In spite of its
Introduction Welcome to the Quad Cities, where the Mississippi River flows from east to west—to get from Iowa to Illinois you have to go south! The Quad Cities consist of the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf and the Illinois cities of Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline. Yes, around here “Quad” actually
In honor of Election Day, I offer three short stories of nineteenth century political games in Mississippi River towns. As new areas were settled, communities fought contentious political battles over the location of the county seat, like these places did. Enjoy! Rock Island County (Illinois) In 1833, Hampton and rival Farnhamsburg (now Rock Island) competed
Places along the Mississippi from Quad Cities south to northern Missouri experienced near-record flood levels in the summer of 2008.
Most people understand that the River Road is a great drive in the summer. Few are willing to drive its northern reaches in the winter, however. What a shame. Last week I spent a few days driving around sections that I explored in balmier times. Even though some tourist sites are closed for the season,
Continuing with the religious theme, let’s talk about churches. I am not a religious person (hard to believe after the last two posts, huh?), yet I never get tired of visiting churches. In many small towns, the church is the most impressive structure. In the mid- to late-1800s the Upper Miss Valley was the frontier, the edge of
