Rock Island (Images of America: Illinois)

Rock Island, Illinois, named All American City by Life magazine in 1955, is a mighty river town that prides itself on its leadership and sense of community. In every house on every street, there is a story to be told of how the residents came to be a part of this unique city. A few Rock Islanders can trace their roots back to the first white settlements of Farnhamsburg and Stephenson; fewer still go even further back than that, to the villages of Wappello and Keokuk and the Sauk warrior, Black Hawk. In Rock Island: All American City, the authors invite us to join them on a visual tour that explores the area’s earliest neighborhoods, from Spencer Square to Broadway, Greenbush, and Old Chicago, from Longview and Highland Park to Keystone and Douglas Park. Discover how the Mississippi and Rock Rivers helped to shape the lives of area residents and how they have shaped its course; meet some of Rock Island’s first families, including the Weyerhaeusers and Denkmanns, who arrived in Rock Island with little more than a dream and left their legacy in the area’s landscape, architecture, and culture. Also learn the stories of the “regular folks” and unsung heroes who contributed in their own special ways to the city’s rich history.