Rock Island, Illinois Totally Explained

Everything about Rock Island Illinois totally explained

Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,684 at the 2000 census. It is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The original Rock Island, from which the city gets its name, is the largest island in the Mississippi river and is now known as Arsenal Island.
   The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was founded here in 1851 and was known as the Rock Island Line. The railroad was liquidated in bankruptcy in 1980.
   Rock Island is also home to the Rock Island Arsenal on Arsenal Island. It is an active factory producing ordnance and weapons components for the U.S. Army. The Arsenal provides six thousand civilian jobs for the local area.
   The south shore of Rock Island, on the Rock River, occupies the site of the former village of Saukenuk, where the warrior Black Hawk was born. The Black Hawk State Historic Site includes much, but not all, of the site of the original village of Saukenuk. The park includes a museum and a number of pleasant hiking trails along the Rock River and surrounding woods.
   Rock Island is the home of the WHBF television station. Until 1963, WHBF was one of only two television stations in the Quad Cities area. (The other being WOC on the Iowa side of the river.)

Bridges and Dams

Due to its proximity to the Mississippi and Rock Rivers, Rock Island has a rich history of bridge-building.
   The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built between Arsenal Island and Davenport in 1856. Steamboat pilots of the day, fearful of competition from the railroads, considered the new bridge “a hazard to navigation”. Two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton rammed part of the bridge and started it on fire. Legal proceedings ensued—with a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln defending the railroad. The lawsuit went all the way up to the Supreme Court, and was eventually decided in favor of Lincoln and the railroad. Although the original bridge is long gone, a monument exists on Arsenal Island marking the Illinois side. Bridge Street, in Davenport, is the location of the Iowa side. Lock and Dam No. 15 and the Government Bridge are now located just southwest of the original bridge site. The Government Bridge, completed in 1896, is notable for having two sets of railroad tracks above the car lanes. It is one of only two bridges in the world with this feature. Lock and Dam No. 15, completed in 1934, is the largest roller dam in the world. It is interesting to note that the dam is only designed for navigation, not flood control. During flood season the rollers are raised, unleashing the full flow of the water.
   Three other bridges also span the river between Rock Island and Davenport. The Crescent Rail Bridge is a railroad-only bridge, completed in 1899. The second is the Centennial Bridge—an automotive-only bridge, which was completed in 1940. The newest is the Interstate 280 bridge, completed in 1973.
   On the south side of the city, overlooked by the Black Hawk State Historic Site, is a crossing of the Rock River to Milan, Illinois. This set of bridges also crosses the historic Hennepin Canal.
   There is also a new bridge, recently constructed (as of sept '07), between 3rd street Moline/southeast Rock Island, and Milan, Il., expediting 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 United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.1 square miles (44.4 km²), of which, 15.9 square miles (41.2 km²) of it's land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²) of it (7.11%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 39,684 people, 16,148 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,492.0 people per square mile (962.4/km²). There were 17,542 housing units at an average density of 1,101.6/sq mi (425.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.13% White, 17.17% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic 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.
   In the city the 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 for the city was $19,202. About 10.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rock Island is served by the Rock Island/Milan School District. There are also several private schools.

Elementary Schools

Audubon Elementary
Denkmann Elementary
Earl Hanson Elementary
Eugene Field Elementary
Frances Willard Elementary
Horace Mann Choice Elementary
Immanuel Lutheran School
Jordan Catholic School
Lincoln Elementary (closed)
Longfellow Elementary
Morning Star Academy (Christian)
Ridgewood Elementary
Villa de Chantal (Catholic, closed in 1978, building destroyed by fire in 2005)
Grant

Middle Schools

Edison Junior High

Franklin Junior High (closed)

Jordan Catholic School

Washington Junior High

High Schools

Alleman High School (Catholic)

Rock Island High School

Colleges

Augustana College

Points of interest

Longview Park Conservatory and Gardens

Quad City Botanical Center

Augustana College (Illinois)

Chippiannock Cemetery

Black Hawk State Historic Site

Sports

Media

Film, Theater, and Literary References

In the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind, Ashley Wilkes was imprisoned on Arsenal Island during the Civil War.

"The Rock Island Trail"^{(External Link)}, starring Forrest Tucker is a Republic Studios production pertaining to the building of the Rock Island Railroad across the Mississippi River across Iowa and Illinois. The world premier of this movie took place on April 27th, 1950 in the Quad Cities. Republic stars including John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans took part in a pre-show parade which extended from Silvis, Illinois through Rock Island, Illinois. It was certainly one of the greatest extravaganzas ever to take place in the Quad Cities.

The opening 'railroad train' number in Meredith Willson’s The Music Man (1957) is entitled "Rock Island", and suggests by the title and context that the train is indeed a Rock Island train crossing from Rock Island to Davenport, Iowa, also known as "River City".

Part of Road to Perdition (2002) takes place in Rock Island. This movie's story line was based on the life of the notorious Rock Island gangster John Looney.

In the 2006 film "Death of a President" Al Claybon, the man thought to be the behind the assassination of George W. Bush, resided in Rock Island.

Rock Island is mentioned in the first pages of Jack Kerouac's On the RoadFurther Information

Get more info on 'Rock Island Illinois'.

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