David Sears was one of the founders of Moline. In 1838 he built a dam between Arsenal Island and the Moline mainland (across Sylvan Slough) and opened a mill. He eventually became a major landowner on Arsenal Island, at least until the federal government purchased his holdings in 1865. Sears used the money buy land south of
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
On Labor Day weekend, the streets of downtown Rock Island are converted into a race track for souped-up go karts.
In North Dakota, artist Gary Greff built monumental metal sculptures and placed them along a desolate county road that connects the village of Regent with the rest of the world via Interstate 94. He dubbed this 30 mile stretch of road The Enchanted Highway. Even if you don’t see the magic in his creations,
A few random thoughts from the road: A big boat Fun Fact #1: Last week I visited a marina that, like many marinas along the Mississippi, is home to a lot of boats that have more bedrooms than your average suburban house. What I didn’t know is that most of those big boats
