Rock Island is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Rock Island County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called

Arsenal Island An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

cities of

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta ** District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of about 380,000. The city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people. The Rock Island–Milan School District, Rockridge School District (southwest portion of city) along with private schools, serve the city. The District (Downtown Rock Island) has art galleries and theaters, nightclubs and coffee shops, and restaurants of all flavors. Golf courses, parks, a casino, botanical center, marina, historic tours, bike paths, and festivals offer entertainment opportunities.

History

European-American Settlement

The original portion of what is now known as Rock Island was called Farnhamsburg – after the original two homes were built by Colonel George Davenport and Russell Farnham in 1826. Davenport and Farnham were business partners, trading with the local Native Americans. The original city plat was filed on July 10, 1835, and was named Stephenson. It was renamed Rock Island in March 1841. This area has been a fortuitous place first for settlement and then for steamboat traffic, bridges, and railroads.

Railroads and development

The

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

(RI) was founded here in 1851, known informally as the Rock Island Line; over the next century, the railroad grew to serve fourteen states but ended in bankruptcy in 1980. As part of later nineteenth-century development, two first-class hotels: the Harper House (built by Ben Harper and opened in February 1871) and the Rock Island House were built in town. The Rock Island Arsenal has manufactured military equipment and ordnance for the U.S. Army since the 1880s. The Rock Island Southern Railway was an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

line that ran from Rock Island to

Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Wa ...

, then onward to

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistic ...

. It was built between 1906 and 1910. A portion of the trackage, from Rock Island to Preemption, Illinois, was shared with the CRI&P line that served the coal mines in Cable, Illinois, and Sherrard, Illinois. The line finally folded in 1952.

Bridges

Due to its geography, Rock Island has a rich history of bridge building, including the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi (now gone), an unusual two-track railroad bridge, and the largest roller dam in the world. The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built between Arsenal Island and Davenport in 1856. Many steamboat pilots felt that the bridge had been intentionally positioned to make it hard for them to navigate, and this conflict reflected a larger rivalry: St. Louis and its steamboats against Chicago and its railroads. Tweet, Roald D. The Quad Cities: An American mosaic. East Hall Press. 1996. Two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat '' Effie Afton'' collided with the bridge, caught fire, and damaged the bridge. The owner of the ''Effie Afton'' sued the bridge company for damages, and

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

was one of the lawyers who defended the railroad. This test case was appealed to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, which ruled in favor of the railroad in 1872. Although the original bridge is long gone, a monument exists on Arsenal Island marking the Illinois side. On the Iowa side, the bridge was located near where 4th and Federal streets intersect with River Drive. Rock Island System Map

The

Lock and Dam No. 15 Lock and Dam No. 15 is a Lock (water transport), lock and dam located on the Upper Mississippi River, Upper Mississippi River. It spans the river between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. Lock and Dam 15 is the largest roller dam in the ...

and the Government Bridge are located just southwest of the site of the first bridge. The Government Bridge, completed in 1896, is notable for having two sets of railroad tracks above the car lanes. There are only two bridges in the world with this feature. Three other bridges span the river between Rock Island and Davenport. The Crescent Rail Bridge is a railroad-only bridge, completed in 1899. The Centennial Bridge was completed in 1940 for autos only. The newest bridge is the Interstate 280 bridge, completed in 1973. Lock and Dam No. 15, completed in 1934 as a federal

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) project during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, is the largest roller dam in the world. The dam is designed for navigation, not flood control. During flood season, the rollers are raised, unleashing the full flow of the water. On the south side of the city, overlooked by the Black Hawk State Historic Site, are auto and railroad crossings of the Rock River to

Milan, Illinois Milan ( ) is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,099 at the 2010 census. The village is located near the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. History The village is on the Rock River in northwest Illinois ...

. This set of bridges also crosses the historic

Hennepin Canal The Hennepin Canal State Trail, also just called the Hennepin Canal, is an abandoned waterway in northwest Illinois, between the Mississippi River at Rock Island and the Illinois River near Hennepin. The entire canal is listed on the National R ...

and Sears Dam (this was named after the entrepreneur David B. Sears, who previously built the Sears Dam between Arsenal Island and Moline.) In 2007 a new bridge was completed between 3rd Street Moline/southeast Rock Island and Milan. It expedites the trip to Milan, the airport, and points south on U.S. Route 67.

Geography

Rock Island is located at (41.489083, -90.573154). According to the 2010 census, Rock Island has a total area of , of which (or 94.28%) is land and (5.72%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race''

2010 Census

In 2000

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, there were 39,684 people, 16,148 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,542 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.13%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 17.17%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.41% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 5.90% of the population. There were 16,148 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97. The city's population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,729, and the median income for a family was $45,127. Males had a median income of $32,815 versus $23,378 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,202. About 10.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Largest employers

According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Development

Construction will begin in April 2017 for a new Rock Island County courthouse. The 46,000 square foot building will have three stories that house four courtrooms, judges offices, a law library, and both the Circuit Clerk and States Attorneys offices. The $28 million project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018. The old courthouse is expected to be torn down upon completion of the new building.

Education

The majority of the city is served by the Rock Island–Milan School District with portions of the southwest area falling under the Rockridge School District. The Rock Island–Milan School District is currently home to 13 public schools, with one high school, two junior high schools, nine elementary schools, and one alternative education center. Several private schools also serve Rock Island, including Jordan Catholic Elementary School and Alleman Catholic High School.

High schools

Alleman High School Alleman Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Rock Island, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria. It is the second largest Catholic high school in the Quad Cities. School history Alleman ...

* Rock Island High School *

Rockridge High School Rockridge High School, or RHS, is a public eight-year high school located at 14110 134th Avenue West in Taylor Ridge, Illinois, an unincorporated area in Rock Island County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. RHS is part of Rockridge ...

( Taylor Ridge, Illinois)

Colleges

* Augustana College *

Bible Missionary Institute The Bible Missionary Church, founded in 1955, is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan tradition aligned with the Conservative Holiness Movement. It is headquartered in the United States. History Prior to its existence, a multitude of conservat ...

Former schools

Villa de Chantal Catholic school closed in 1978, and the building was destroyed by fire in 2005. Schools that were closed and demolished include Franklin Junior High School, Central Junior High School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Audubon Elementary School.

Points of interest

* Augustana College (Illinois) * Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel * Black Hawk State Historic Site * Broadway Historic District *

Chippiannock Cemetery Chippiannock Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on 12th Street and 31st Avenue in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The word “Chippiannock” is a Native American term which means “place of the dead”. It was listed on the National Regi ...

* Hauberg Civic Center * Longview Park Conservatory and Gardens * Quad City Botanical Center *

Rock Island Public Library The Rock Island Public Library is located in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. The Rock Island Public Library traces its beginnings to 1872, making it one the oldest public libraries in Illinois. However, fee-based public libraries started in 1855 i ...

* The Historic Rock Island Courthouse * Rock Island Arsenal is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

* The District * Boetje's Mustard Factory Rock Island, Illinois is the site of the Quad City Hindu Temple, a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

shrine dedicated chiefly to the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology Venkat ...

''. The temple opened in 2007. Prior to its construction, Hindu worshippers had to travel to St. Louis or Peoria to participate in Hindu festivals and worship.

Cultural organizations

Ballet Quad Cities Ballet Quad Cities is a ballet company located in Rock Island, Illinois. It was founded in 1996 by Joedy Cook. The company performs both classical and contemporary dance at various venues in the greater Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iow ...

* Genesius Guild * The

Quad City Symphony Orchestra The Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Davenport, Iowa, and representing the Quad Cities area. The current music director and conductor is Mark Russell Smith. Established in 1916, the orchestra has a ...

plays part of its Masterworks Series' concerts at Centennial Hall on the Augustana College campus. * Quad City Arts

Sports

The first football game in what was to become the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

was played at Rock Island's Douglas Field in September, 1920. It was hosted by the Rock Island Independents (1907–1926), who were a charter NFL franchise in 1920. The Rock Island Islanders were a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

baseball team that played for 37 seasons between 1901 and 1948. The Islanders played at Douglas Park and were affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds and

Philadelphia A's The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

. The Rock Island Legion Post 200 baseball team won the 4th State Championship in its history in 2011 in Galesburg, Illinois. Post 200 would finish 4th that year in the Great Lakes Regional. Karters flock to Rock Island every year for the prestigiou
Rock Island Grand Prix
on

Labor Day weekend Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United S ...

, which attracts competitors from across the United States and the world. With exception to 1997, when the annual race was canceled due to legal liability issues, the Rock Island Grand Prix has been held every year since 1994. Rock Island High School has won state championships in basketball, girls and boys track, softball, and wrestling. Additionally the football and basketball programs are perennial powerhouses. Rock Island Public Schools Stadium has an artificial surface and has a seating capacity of over 15,000.

Media

Rock Island is the location of television station

WHBF-TV WHBF-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Quad Cities area. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Burlington, Iowa–licensed CW owned-and-opera ...

. Until 1963, WHBF was one of only two television stations in the Quad Cities area. (The other is WOC-TV on the Iowa side of the river.) Rock Island was also the longtime former home of WHBF-TV's former sister radio stations, WHBF and WHBF-FM, although it does remain the licensed city of those stations. Also,

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

member station WVIK is licensed to and located in Rock Island on the campus of Augustana College, and WGVV-LP, which is also licensed to the city of Rock Island. Rock Island is the home base for

NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Servi ...

WXJ-73, the Quad Cities' area NWR station, programmed by the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Film, theater, and literary references

* '' Around the World in Eighty Days'' ( Jules Verne, 1873) has

Phileas Fogg Phileas Fogg () is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel ''Around the World in Eighty Days''. Inspirations for the character were the American entrepreneur George Francis Train and American writer and adventurer William Perry Fogg. ...

crossing the Mississippi River at Rock Island. * The song " Rock Island Line" was first recorded in 1934. Its many recorded versions include ones by John Lomax,

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scot ...

, Johnny Cash and Bobby Darin. A version is sung by

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

in his film of Darin's life, '' Beyond the Sea''. * In the 1936

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel, published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel '' Gone with the Wind'', for which she wo ...

novel '' Gone with the Wind'', Ashley Wilkes was imprisoned on

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

. * '' Rock Island Trail'' (1950), starring Forrest Tucker, was a Republic Studios production related to the building of the Rock Island Railroad across the Mississippi River. * The opening 'railroad train' number in Meredith Willson's '' The Music Man'' (1957) is titled "Rock Island", although the words "Rock Island" never appear in the song. The song takes place on a train journey from

Brighton, Illinois Brighton is a village located mostly in Macoupin County and partially in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 2,221. The village's current mayor is Matthew P. Kasten. Brighton is a part ...

to the (fictional) River City, Iowa, and the title suggests the journey includes the train's crossing though Rock Island. * Rock Island is one of the markers of the outer edge of the range of Project X in Ayn Rand's novel ''

Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her ''magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. ''Atlas Shrugged'' includes elemen ...

''. * Rock Island is mentioned several times in Jack Kerouac's book '' On the Road''. Sal (Jack Kerouac) says that it was in Rock Island "for the first time in my life that I saw my beloved Mississippi River dry in the summer haze." * ''Rock Island Line'' is the title of a 1975 novel by David Rhodes. * In the 1977 episode "Breaker, Breaker" of ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...

'', where Nathan Bookman hides a CB radio in the Evans' apartment, during a scene where

Willona Woods ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

gets on the CB with a man who says he's coming back into Chicago from "that Rock Island town" and wanted to know if she and Millicent "Penny" Gordon Woods could meet up. * The Blues Brothers are from Rock Island. * In the 1996 film '' Hard Eight'', John, played by

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in '' Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...

, says that they are staying in Rock Island, Illinois. * In the 2001 film '' America's Sweethearts'', Larry King takes a call from a viewer in Rock Island, Illinois. * Part of the film '' Road to Perdition'' (2002) takes place in Rock Island. The first track of the soundtrack is entitled ''Rock Island''. The movie was based on the 1998 graphic novel, which was in turn based on the life of Rock Island gangster John Looney. * In the 2006 film '' Death of a President'', Al Claybon, the character behind the assassination of George W. Bush, resided in Rock Island. * In the 2016 film ''

War Dogs Dogs in warfare have a very long history starting in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military ...

'', the US military interviews main characters David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli at the Rock Island Arsenal.

Notable people

* David Ackles, singer-songwriter, pianist, and child actor * Eddie Albert, Oscar-nominated actor and activist, known for television series, '' Green Acres'' and '' Switch'', and films *

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...

, leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe * Ken Bowman, Ken Duncan and Herm Schneidman, players for NFL's

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

* George Davenport, American frontiersman, trader, U.S. Army soldier, and Indian agent * Steve Decker, catcher with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Anaheim Angels * Frederick Denkmann, lumber mogul and partner of Friedrich Weyerhäuser *

Pony Diehl Charles "Pony Diehl" Ray (possibly "Deal") was an Old West outlaw in the New Mexico Territory and Arizona Territory. He was accused by Wyatt Earp of having taken part in an attempt to kill his brother, Virgil Earp. Diehl was not tried due to a lac ...

, Wild West outlaw *

Booker Edgerson Booker Tyrone Edgerson (born July 5, 1939) is an American former professional footbal player who was a cornerback in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Illinois Le ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

Lane Evans Lane Allen Evans (August 4, 1951 – November 5, 2014) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 until 2007, representing the 17th District of Illinois. Ev ...

, former United States Congressman (Illinois 17th District); born in Rock Island * Russell Farnham, one of the first settlers of the area, and a partner of George Davenport * Virginia Frederick, Illinois state representative * Daniel G. Garnsey, former U.S. Congressman * Aaron H. Grout, son of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Josiah Grout Josiah Grout Jr. (May 28, 1841July 19, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician in the US state of Vermont. Born in the British Canadian Province of Lower Canada to Vermonter parents, he served in the American Civil War as a Union Army offi ...

and Vermont Secretary of State * June Haver, screen and radio actress; wife of actor Fred MacMurray *

Chase Hilgenbrinck Father Chase Michael Hilgenbrinck (born April 2, 1982) is an American retired soccer player who played as a defender. He is notable for walking away from his professional career to become a Catholic priest. Early life His parents, Mike (a reg ...

, former professional soccer player with the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...

* Roger Imhof, actor and performer in motion pictures, vaudeville, burlesque and the circus * Jesse Johnson, musician, guitarist for group "The Time", as well as solo artist * Mark Johnson, Olympian and winningest wrestling coach at the University of Illinois * Madison Keys, professional tennis player *

Lou Kolls Louis Charles "Lou" Kolls (December 15, 1892 – February 23, 1941) was an American professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1933 to 1940. Kolls umpired in one All-Star Game and one World Series. Kolls was released by th ...

, MLB umpire * Kari Lake, news reporter and politician in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

* Helen Mack, screen and stage actress; born in Rock Island * Jerry Mansfield, NFL player *

Elisabeth Maurus Elisabeth Corrin Maurus (born November 21, 1982), known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, ''Catching a Tiger'', was released in June 2010. Her second stu ...

(aka

Lissie Elisabeth Corrin Maurus (born November 21, 1982), known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, ''Catching a Tiger'', was released in June 2010. Her second stu ...

), folk-rock singer and songwriter; born in Rock Island * Tim Moore, stage, screen and television actor; first black TV star *

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

, forward and head coach with several NBA teams, most all-time wins as a head coach * Greg Norton, former bassist of the hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü * Col. Gary Payton, astronaut *

Chasson Randle Chasson Randle (born February 5, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. As a senior in 2014–15, he was considered one of the t ...

, basketball player and all-time leading scorer at Stanford * Paul E. Rink, Illinois judge, lawyer, and politician * Harry Sage, catcher with the Toledo Maumees * Bobby Schilling, U.S. Congressman from

Illinois's 17th congressional district The 17th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Cheri Bustos. It includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peor ...

* Dred Scott, American slave who sued for his freedom * J. Clinton Searle, Illinois state representative and lawyer'Illinois Blue Book 1951-1952,' Biographical Sketch of Clinton Searle, pg. 212-213 * Michael H. Sexton, Minor League Baseball executive * Tom Sexton, shortstop with 19th century's Milwaukee Brewers * Thomas P. Sinnett, Illinois politician and lawyer *

Charles A. Spring Charles A. Spring (July 25, 1800 – January 17, 1892) was an American merchant and religious leader. He had a profound impact on Presbyterianism in the Northwest Territory, helping to establish at least six churches in Iowa and Illinois, a ...

, Presbyterian leader and son of Samuel Spring *

Henry Strasak Henry Jindrich Strasak (January 8, 1901 – May 16, 1985) was an American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. Early life Henry Strasak was born in Rock Island, Illinois. He was a son of immi ...

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

(FBI) and

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

(CIA) officer * Lefty Taber, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies; born in Rock Island *

Jason Tanamor Jason Tanamor (born April 25, 1975) is a Filipino-American author, writer, and entertainment interviewer. He and his books have been featured in many publications such as Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Yahoo!, Esquire (Philippines), CNN Phi ...

, writer and author; part-time resident of Rock Island *

Hiram Truesdale Hiram Calvin Truesdale (February 8, 1860October 28, 1897) was an American jurist who served as Chief Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from July till October 1897. Biography Truesdale was born to Calvin and Charlotte (Haynes) Tru ...

, lawyer and jurist * Jonathan Tweet, game designer, author, blogger * Samuel Rinnah Van Sant, Civil War soldier, Governor of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

1901-05 *

Henry Cantwell Wallace Henry Cantwell "Harry" Wallace (May 11, 1866 – October 25, 1924) was an American farmer, journalist, and political activist who served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1921 to 1924 under Republican presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvi ...

, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 1921-24 * Friedrich Weyerhäuser, lumber mogul * Bill Zies, catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals * Lester Ziffren, journalist and Hollywood screenwriter

References

Footnotes

General references

* Spencer, J. W. and Burrows, J. M. D., ''The Early Day of Rock Island and Davenport'' The Lakeside Press, 1942 * Tweet, Roald D., ''The Quad Cities: An America mosaic", East Hall Press, 1996 * Wickstrom, George W., ''The Town Crier'' J. W. Potter Company, 1948

External links

City website

QCOnline.com
– Rock Island Argus/Moline Dispatch Newspaper
''Quad-City Times''
* {{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Rock Island County, Illinois Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River County seats in Illinois Cities in the Quad Cities Populated places established in 1835 1835 establishments in Illinois