Talk:Rock Island, Illinois

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[edit] Rock Island, not an island

Rock Island isn't an island per se, but parts of it are, I believe, considered to be an island on the Mississippi River. The Rock Island Arsenal is located on an island (Arsenal Island) and only accessible via bridges. At least, that's how I remember it.  :) corey 18:58, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Information detailing how Rock Island got its name would improve this article. Was one of the islands considered Rock Island Proper? Was it a mistake on the part of early explorers traveling up the Mississippi river? The true history of the name should be detailed if it is available. --12.217.104.215 04:56, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
Adding information from this link to the article: http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/rockislandhistory/intro.htm --DavidGC 05:03, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

The above link is interesting, but omits some important intermediate information. A more complete history of Rock Island would explore the following:

  • The use of the area now known as the Black Hawk State Park, then called Saukenuk, by the Sauk and Fox indians as a winter destination between 1720 and 1832, (though the area had seen human presence for centuries before),
  • The all important relationship between Chiefs Black Hawk and Keokuk, and Keokuks controversial land deals,
  • The battle of Campbell's island (which is some miles upstream from Rock Island), and subsequent arrival of the British to the area now known as Spencers Square (in downtown Rock Island) in 1814,
  • The beginning of the building of Fort Armstrong on what is now Arsenal Island, but then called Rock island, in 1816,
  • Colonel Davenports influence,
  • The arrival of settlers in the 1820s - with an area around the current 28th street known as Farnhamsburg,
  • The Black Hawk War in 1832,
  • In 1832 - 1833, the town was platted as Davenport, but instead got named Stephenson at the last minute (after Colonel Benjamin Stephenson - a War of 1812 veteran and Illinois statesman),
  • The renaming of the town to the current Rock Island in 1841

--Wws 15:19, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] TV Stations

 You forget that WQAD was the Moline TV station, you erred in saying on 2 TV stations in Quad Cities, Jim King was the longtime Anchorman and All Star Wrestling host in studio, Acri Creature was a fave of mine, featuring shorts with Vincent and Emmet. WQAD was the ABC affiliate.


Harold Stewart

Through the 1950s and early 1960s, WOC-TV (now KWQC-TV) and WHBF-TV were the only two TV stations in the QC area. WQAD came came later - in the mid-1960s.

Wws 05:10, 26 June 2007 (UTC) (who was also an ASW and Acri Creature Feature fan...)