100 topographic sheets cover 32 settlements here, and 29 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
29 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark · the county-history sources tell 3 stories and name 4 people · people the book names include General Gaines Makes A Demonstration (Moline Township, 1908) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: William A Meese; Historic Rock Island C O'U N T Y; The Illinois Soldiers. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
in covered boats, and while distracting the attention of the Indians, ojK'ned fire on them from the water, at the same time that his Menominee allies attacked their village from the banks in the rear. Those who snrvived the slaughter removed to the Mississippi River. On arriving there they foimd that country inhabited liy the Sauteaux, a branch of the ("hippewa tribe.
While Black Hawk and his Indians were dancing over their scalps, sex'eral boats passed down the river, among them a large boat, "carrying big guns." These boats were the "Governor Clark'' and the contractor's and sutler's barges from Pi-airi(> du Cliieii, wliieh garrison Campboll's cxiu'dition \\as intending to strengthen, but \\liich had been attacked by the British under Colonel McKay, on the seventeenth, two days ])revious.
Governor Reynolds in defending his position in calling out the militia said: "If I did not act. and the inhabitants were murdered after being informed of their situation, I would be condemned from Dan to Beersheba; and if I levied by raising troops, when there was no necessity for it, I would also be responsible." Governor Reynolds knew that the settlers had applied to the Indian agent and the military officers of the United States and had obtained no relief, and lie says: "I considered it my duty to call on the volluiteers to move the Indians to the west side of the Mississippi." It was but seventeen years after the close of thc^ war of 1S12 and these same Sacs and Foxes had fought the Americans in that war.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 68 of them, burning about 295 acres. 2 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31 |
| Debris and open burning | 22 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 acres | Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge | GAMEFARM FIRE |
| 14 December 2020 | Debris and open burning | 40 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | CB-2 |
| 14 December 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | CB-1 |
| 27 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 18-063 |
| 16 August 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | MM15 |
| 6 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 17-090 |
| 12 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 18-057 |
| 24 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | CONT BURN DITCHES |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 629 reports for this county, causing 4 deaths, 25 injuries and about $16,824,370 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 301 |
| Hail | 152 |
| Flood | 71 |
| Tornado | 41 |
| Flash Flood | 38 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 |
| Lightning | 8 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1999 | Lightning | Milan | 2 killed | A man and woman fishing along the Rock River just east of the U.S. 67 bridge in Milan were struck and killed by lightning. The couple were fishing underneath a tree when the storm rolled in. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Rock Is | 1 killed | The Mississippi River remained above its major flood stage of 18 feet through the month of April. The river crested at 20.68 feet on April 8th. Preliminarily this would be the 10th highest crest of record.|On April 29, a man drowned when his car went off Illinois 92 between 18th and 31st Avenues in Rock Island, and into a ditch flooded with water from the Mississippi River. The car was overturned in 6 to 8 feet of water in a normally dry ditch. |
| April 1999 | Flood | Rock Is | 1 killed | Two to three inches of rain fell in one hour to cause localized flooding of streets and houses from 3rd Street andRiver Drive in Davenport to 9th Street and 17th Avenue in Rock Island. A fatality occurred when a 39 year old male drove from dry ground into the flooded intersection of 5th Avenue and 40th Street in Rock Island. The victims car began floating and became lodged underneath a railroad viaduct, at which time he left his vehicle and was swept away. The water depth underneath the railroad viaduct was estimated at six to seven feet. |
| March 2016 | Tornado (EF2) | Barstow | 10 hurt, $750,000 | An EF-2 tornado tracked north then curved to the east through upper Rock Island county. An estimated 40 homes were damaged with the most severe damage to a neighborhood in rural East Moline where 10 homes were completely destroyed. Ten people reported minor injuries. The maximum wind with this tornado were estimated at 130 mph. |
| April 1981 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 4 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Byron | 3 hurt, $20,000 | A roof was torn from a building and tossed onto nearby power poles, causing one of the poles to fall and smash the attached transformers into a passing van and setting the van on fire. The occupants of the van escaped without major injury. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Illiniwek Park | 3 hurt, $20,000 | Several vehicles at a campground suffered damage from falling tree limbs. |
| April 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 2 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| March 1990 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Milan | 1 hurt | Four adults were shocked by a nearby lightning strike at the KOA campground in Rock Island, IL at 454 pm CDT June 23. The Boy Scout leaders were attempting to hold down an awning when the lightning struck. One person complained about a difficulty hearing and was transported to a hospital. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coal Vly | 1 hurt | Window blown out of a residence. Flying debris injured a woman. |
| May 1974 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $550,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Illinois City | $500,000 | Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding across much of Rock Island County during the evening of June 12. In Andalusia, IL, ten inches of flood waters covered all the streets in town. The town received about 3.5 inches of rain in an hour. In Moline, IL, flash flood waters about two feet deep stranded some concert goers in the parking lot of the I Wireless Center. Also, the 500 block of 1st Street and the 500 to 1100 blocks of 4th Street were closed due to sink holes. In downtown Rock Island, IL, most of the streets were flooded with the flood waters about 1 foot deep. Near Illinois City, IL, County Road 59 was washed out downhill from the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve entrance. In Milan, IL, flash flooding forced the closure of numerous roads, including Route 67 and 4th Street W between 1st Avenue and 10th Avenue. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Oak Grove | $500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flood | Rock Is | $400,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Mli) Quad City Arpt | $300,000 | Measured gust from KMLI ASOS that was confirmed by FAA backup equipment. A Hampton Inn under construction on the northeast side of the airport was demolished and a nearby interstate highway sign was blown over.NWS survey concluded a microburst occurred on the west edge of the airport. Considerable damage was done to a group of homes, outbuildings, power lines, and trees just outside the airport perimeter. The wind gust of 107 mph bested the old record wind gust of 81 mph at KMLI which was set on 21 August 1987. |
| May 2010 | Flood | Rock Is | $250,000 | Heavy rains during the second week of May resulted in moderate flooding on the Rock River.||At Joslin, the river level surpassed the moderate flood stage level of 14 feet on May 15 around 10 am. It crested around 14.5 feet around 1 pm May 16. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 1 pm May 17.||At Moline, the river level surpassed the moderate flood stage level of 13 feet on May 15 around 7 am. It crested around 13.3 feet around 7 am May 16. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 1 am May 18. |
| June 2009 | Flood | Silvis Hgts | $250,000 | Heavy rains during the middle of the month resulted in the Rock River at Joslin going above the moderate flood stage level of 14 feet on June 22nd around 12 am. It crested around 14.73 feet around 830 pm on June 23. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 5 pm June 24. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Illinois City | $250,000 | 91 mph wind gust reported. Roof at the high school was damaged causing water damage to the gymnasium floor. Cost for the new roof and floor $250,000. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Illinois City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flood | Illinois City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1979 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1978 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $200,000 | Also reported by emergency manager. Southwest part of lower Rock Island county from the Mississippi River to just west of Reynolds. Power lines down with corn flattened. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F3) | Rapids City | $200,000 | Port Byron, Hillsdale, and Cordova were the hardest hit communities from this tornado. The Gerald Smeltzly farm sustained $50.000 of damage and the Jimmy Franks farm received $30.000 of damage. Most out buildings received heavy damage while both homes received moderate damage. A tree branch was blown through the bedroom wall of the Smeltzly home protruding into the home at least a foot. |
| May 2009 | Flood | Rock Is | $166,670 | Heavy rains during the last week of April resulted in the Rock River at Joslin and Moline going above their respective moderate flood stage levels during the first few days of May.||The Rock River at Joslin surpassed its moderate flood stage level of 14 feet on May 1 around 6 pm. It crested around 14.5 feet around 12 am May 3. It fell back below its moderate flood stage level around 6 pm on May 4.||The Rock River at Moline surpassed its moderate flood stage level of 13 feet on May 2 around 3 pm. It crested around 13.14 feet around 3 pm May 3. It fell back below its moderate flood stage level around 9 am on May 4. |
| July 2010 | Flood | Silvis Hgts | $125,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Flood | Silvis Hgts | $100,000 | Heavy rainfall of 3 to over 12 inches over significant areas from 20 to 22 July in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois moved downstream causing the Rock River to rise well above major flood stage levels just downstream of Freeport down to the Mississippi at Moline. ||Moline rose above major flood stage level of 14.0 feet on July 23rd, 2017 at approximately 2 PM CST. It crested around 15.4 feet at approximately 100 AM CST on July 26th, 2017 and fell below 16.5 feet at approximately 1230 PM CST on July 31st, 2017. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Mli) Quad City Arpt | $100,000 | A wind gust of 71 mph was measured by the Moline Airport ASOS site. |
| July 2017 | Flood | Joslin | $100,000 | Heavy rainfall of 3 to over 12 inches over significant areas from 20 to 22 July in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois moved downstream causing the Rock River to rise well above major flood stage levels just downstream of Freeport down to the Mississippi at Moline. ||Joslin rose above major flood stage level of 16.5 feet on July 23rd, 2017 at approximately 2 PM CST. It crested around 18.3 feet at approximately 500 AM CST on July 25th, 2017 and fell below 16.5 feet at approximately 145 AM CST on July 31st, 2017. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Rock Is | $100,000 | Heavy rains caused flash flooding of parts of Milan, IL and areas just west of the Quad City Airport on September 13.||During the early morning hours, areas mainly north of 10th St in Milan were affected by the flood waters.||During the early evening, flood waters about a foot deep covered Interstate 280 just west of mile marker 15 near the Quad City Airport forcing its closure. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Illinois City | $100,000 | Lock & Dam 16; unconfirmed gust of 90 knots (104 mph) |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coal Vly | $50,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 75 mph blew down a tree onto a car and house in Coal Valley, IL around 530 am CDT June 9. |
| June 2009 | Flash Flood | Milan | $50,000 | Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding of some streets just west of the Quad City Airport in Milan, IL during the early evening of June 19. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silvis | $50,000 | A screen door was blown off with damage to a carport. Severe damage occurred to a car wash. |
| March 2006 | Flash Flood | Moline | $50,000 | Thunderstorms trained across the Quad City Metro area and produced rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per 30 minutes. Spotters, amateur radio, and the media reported numerous roads flooded out or cars floating. By 2015 CST KWQC-TV was reporting cars floating in parts of Rock Island. AT 2030 CST two reports indicated 11th Street and 14th Avenue in Rock Island was under water with 11th Street flooded in other spots.KMLI ASOS reported 1.78 inches of rain for 12 March 2006 of which 1.66 inches fell during the 1800-2400 CST time period. At the same time, the KDVN ASOS reported 1.05 inches of rain for 12 March 2006. The heaviest rain occurred during the 1900-2300 CST time period in a narrow band in between the two ASOS sites. The highest know rainfall amount occurred in central Davenport where 3.50 inches of rain fell. The closeness of the heavy rainband to the KDVN 88D resulted in a severe underestimation of the rainfall. Rainfall estimates from the distant KILX and KLOT 88D sites indicate 3-4 inches of rain fell. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Andalusia | $50,000 | Trees & power lines down |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Byron | $50,000 | Numerous power lines down |
| August 2001 | Lightning | Rock Is | $50,000 | Lightning struck the roof area of a home, and the resulting fire caused extensive damage. No one was home at the time of the fire, and there were no directly-related injuries. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Byron | $50,000 | The early morning wind event near Port Byron, Illinois was not reported until the following day. Thunderstorms that occurred at about the time of the event did not appear severe on radar. After conducting a post storm survey, it appeared that a small microburst type event occurred as one of the thunderstorms collapsed. |
| May 2013 | Tornado (EF0) | Andalusia | $40,000 | An EF1 tornado touched down in Andalusia, IL around 445 pm CDT and traveled north-northeast. This weak tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Scott County and moved through eastern sections of Buffalo, IA. Wind speeds were estimated to be 95 mph. Some large trees were snapped and uprooted along the path. Some of the fallen trees fell onto houses. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Byron | $30,000 | Trees down |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Byron | $30,000 | High winds caused damage in the Oak Grove Cemetery. Numerous tree limbs and a few trees were downed, damaging a few headstones. Reported by newspaper. |
| June 2009 | Flash Flood | Moline | $25,000 | Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of some streets in Moline, IL during the early evening of June 19. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moline | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down several trees and power lines in Moline, IL at 7:47 pm June 12. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Moline | $25,000 | Three to six inches of rain fell in a short amount of time during the early morning hours of July 4th in Moline, IL resulting in flash flooding. About 20 to 30 people were rescued from stalled vehicles around 4:30 AM. A police car was also caught in flood waters at South Park Mall. In addition, street flooding forced the closure of the access road to the Cloverleaf Mobile Home Park off of 38th Street. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Blackhawk State Park | $25,000 | Three to four inches of rain fell in a short amount of time during the early morning hours of July 4th in Rock Island, IL resulting in flash flooding. Several residences reported flooded basements. Time estimated. |
| May 1988 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1959 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Reynolds | $20,000 | North side of Illinois 94 |
| July 2003 | Hail | Rock Is | $20,000 | Cracked windshield on squad car |
| January 2017 | Flood | Fruitland | $15,000 | Seasonably heavy rainfall upstream combined with a rare ice jam that impacted the river for several days. Major flood conditions resulted for a small segment of the Rock River at Moline for less than 12 hours. Local reports indicate ice and water impacted some local roads and numerous homes and structures near the Rock River.||Some water damage was reported to some homes. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moline Quad City Arp | $10,000 | Limb from a tree went through the window of the Quality Inn. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Illinois City | $10,000 | Muscatine spotter relayed report |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moline | $10,000 | Many trees were downed across the city. Trinity Medical Center on 7th Street lost all electrical power for several hours. Limited power was available for the facility through emergency generators. |
| June 2006 | Lightning | Moline | $10,000 | Lightning strike at 2728 13th Avenue; discovered an hour later. |
| September 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taylor Ridge | $5,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew a power pole down across a road about 2 miles northwest of Taylor Ridge, IL around 950 pm CDT September 5. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Illinois City | $5,000 | quarter size hail covering the ground to a depth of 2-3 inches. |
| April 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Illinois City | $5,000 | Crossed into Mercer County |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 14 workings inside this county. 7 still produce and 7 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 9 |
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 4 |
| Clay | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradewater Shale Exposure | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Albany-Cordova Plant #1 Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Barstow Plant No. 1 Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Big Island Plant #51 Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| General Pit No. 3 Milan Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Allied Stone Plant #30 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Plant | ||
| Bettendorf Stone Co. Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Cordova Quarry Butler Co. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Cordova Quarrycollision Stone Co. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Hillside Plt & Quay Midway Stone | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Milan Quarry, Inc. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Rock Island City Eng. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Rock River Stone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| U. S. Army Engineers | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Historic Rock Island County; History of the Settlement of Rock Island County from the Earliest Known Period to the Present Time ... Embracing References of Importance, and Including a Biography of Rock Island County's Well-known Citizens devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 6 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia Township | Andalusia | 1,160 words | 1 | |
| Cordova Township | Cordova | 465 words | 0 | |
| Hampton Township | Babcock, Barstow, Carbon Cliff, Cedar Brook, Glendale, Hampton, Rapids City, Silvis | 807 words | 2 | |
| Moline Township | Moline | 45,071 words | 53 | |
| Port Byron Township | Port Byron | 187 words | 0 | |
| Rock Island Township | Rock Island | 19,359 words | 19 |
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 2 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The whole text | 369,182 words in 24 parts |
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The whole text | 241,092 words in 16 parts |
Everyone Historic Rock Island County; History of the Settlement of Rock Island County from the Earliest Known Period to the Present Time ... Embracing References of Importance, and Including a Biography of Rock Island County's Well-known Citizens stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1908.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Andalusia township · 61232 · On Hills Creek · Andalusia quadrangle
19 sheets, 1912 to 1991
Buffalo Prairie township · 61237 · Buffalo Prairie quadrangle
14 sheets, 1916 to 1991
Hampton township · 61239 · On Argillo Creek · Coal Valley quadrangle
14 sheets, 1937 to 1991
Blackhawk township · 61264 · On Sheldon Creek · Milan quadrangle
23 sheets, 1912 to 2000
Hampton township · 61282 · Coal Valley quadrangle
14 sheets, 1937 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Moline township · 61265 · Near Sylvan Island · Davenport East quadrangle
20 sheets, 1891 to 1993
South Moline township · 61265 · On Shaffer Creek · Coal Valley quadrangle
14 sheets, 1937 to 1991
Rock Island township · 61201 · On Sylvan Slough · Davenport East quadrangle
20 sheets, 1891 to 1993
The vanished settlements of Rock Island County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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