Davenport, Iowa

[15] The history and historical costs of proposed levee projects were summarized in 2023 by the local paper after Davenport received national media attention for the 2019 flood.

After losing to Great Britain in the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory east of the Mississippi River to the British, and transferred the lands to the west to Spain.

In 1803, France regained and sold its holdings in North America west of the Mississippi River to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase.

Lieutenant Zebulon Pike was the first United States representative to officially visit the Upper Mississippi River area.

Army General Winfield Scott and Governor of Illinois, John Reynolds, acted on behalf of the United States, with Antoine Le Claire, a mixed-race (Métis) man, serving as translator.

Le Claire built their home on the exact spot where the agreement was signed, as stipulated by Keokuk, or he would have forfeited the land.

Rockingham supporters protested the elections to the territorial governor, on the grounds the laborers from Dubuque were not Scott County residents.

[21] The hung jury meant that neither party was awarded damages; the bridge was repaired within the span of a few months, and no further intentional sabotage was pursued.

[27] Restructuring of heavy industry also continued: the Caterpillar plant on the city's north side closed, causing another wave of job loss.

In 2011, the Gold Coast and Hamburg Historic District was named as a 2011 "America's Great Place" by the American Planning Association.

[32] Davenport residents prefer to maintain open access to the river for parks and vistas rather than have it cut off by dikes and levees.

For example, during the 2008 flooding, Credit Island in the city's southwest corner remained closed for 5½ months while crews worked on cleaning up damage and removing river debris.

[52] The original city plot was around current day Ripley and 5th Streets, where Antoine Le Claire had built his house.

[54] Lindsay Park, in The Village of East Davenport, was used as parade grounds for Civil War soldiers from Camp McClellan.

[24] In contrast to the east side, the central and west neighborhoods originally contained many of the working class Germans who settled the town.

The surrounding Quad Cities have major places of employment, including the Rock Island Arsenal,[76] KONE, Inc and Alcoa.

[84] Aside from landmarks, uptown contains some entertainment venues too, such as the Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, which hosts fairs, stock car racing, and many other events.

Brady Street Stadium is home to Davenport high school and Saint Ambrose University football games.

The race was founded in 1975 by John A. Hudetz a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa, who wanted to bring to the Quad Cities some of the excitement he felt when he ran his first Boston Marathon.

[87][88][89] In late July or early August the six-day Great Mississippi Valley Fair features major grandstand concerts, carnival rides, attractions, and food vendors.

Davenport (along with neighboring Rock Island, Illinois), won the 2007 City Livability Award in the small-city category from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The Quad Cities River Bandits baseball team play games at Downtown Davenport's Modern Woodmen Park.

[94] Junge Park is situated along the Duck Creek Parkway and includes baseball and softball fields, sand volleyball, and basketball courts.

Citywide goals through 2012 include having a financially responsible government, having a growing economy, revitalizing neighborhoods, and upgrading city infrastructure and public facilities.

[104] Former mayor Henry Vollmer accomplished several public works achievements, including large street paving and new sub-divisions being plotted.

In 2008, United States Senators Tom Harkin, Chuck Grassley, Dick Durbin, and Barack Obama sent a letter to Amtrak asking them to begin plans to bring rail service to the Quad Cities.

[126] In October 2010, a $230 million federal fund was announced that will bring Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, with a new line running from Moline to Chicago.

[134][135] Guitarist and vocalist John Kadlecik, who founded The Dark Star Orchestra and toured with the members of The Grateful Dead in the band Furthur, also grew up in Davenport, as well as rapper Dave Blunts.

Other natives include the aviation pioneer Samuel Cody, actors Stuart Margolin, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sue Lyon, Linnea Quigley,[138][139][140] and Greg Stolze.

Otto Frederick Rohwedder, the inventor of mass-produced sliced bread, and actor Jock Mahoney, grew up in Davenport.

Black and white image of a hefty man looking forty-five degrees to the left
Aerial view of early Davenport c. 1850s
The Claim House was constructed by George L. Davenport, son of Colonel George Davenport, in 1832 or 1833. It is believed to be the oldest structure in the city. [ 23 ]
Black and white picture with boats on a river and buildings on the far side of the river
Picture of Davenport in 1865; on the right is the Steamboat Iowa , which appears in the Seal of Iowa .
An old image shows the Mississippi River in the middle with several boats traversing it. On both sides of the river are several buildings.
Lithograph of Davenport from a letter-head dating to 1868
A street with a major amount of water on it due to flooding. A bridge is on the top of the image, and a row of buildings to the left. Sandbags are in front of the buildings
Flooding on April 30, 2008. The red line (at the top right) indicates where the Mississippi River should be. The picture was taken from the Skybridge .
A map of a city with several areas highlighted to illustrate historic neighborhoods
Map highlighting the historic neighborhoods
A row of three older buildings lines the far side of a street. On the near side is grass from a park with two park benches
One of Davenport's oldest neighborhoods, the Village of East Davenport , is full of small specialty shops.
Map of racial distribution in Davenport, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: White Black Asian Hispanic Multiracial Native American/Other
A large four-story red brick building with many windows. The building is on a street corner with the front and one of the sides visible.
The Redstone Building was originally the longtime home of the Petersen Harned Von Maur flagship store and is now home of the River Music Experience . [ 77 ]
an image of a park. Many large trees are around the park and at the entrance a sign say Junge Park. Two basketball hoops and a baseball diamond are visible.
Junge Park is situated along the Duck Creek bike path. The park includes baseball and softball fields, along with sand volleyball, and basketball courts.
A large three-story stone building built in 1895. Three stories of windows line the front of the building with the two front corners containing cone-shaped roofs that stick out from the main roof. Above the entrance is a large clock tower that is taller than the rest of the building.
The Davenport City Hall was built in 1895 at the price of $100,000.
The U.S. Courthouse in Davenport
A statue sits in front of a large four-story red brick building. To the right of the entrance, the building goes in a little ways, and then back out. To the left of the entrance is a small two-story area connecting the main part of the building to the rest of it. Above and behind the two-story part is a four-story part of the building
St. Ambrose University , established in 1882, is the oldest of the two universities in Davenport.
A large TV station building. The building has many windows and a large awning runs parallel to one side. A small sign out front and a large sign on the side of the building both say KWQC TV 6
The KWQC building was the first television station in Davenport.
South Bound US 61
Heading into Downtown Davenport on Harrison Street ( US 61 ) South Bound.
Behind a large parking lot sits an 8-story-tall red brick building with a large number of windows. The words Genesis are on the center of the building at the top. To the left is a slightly shorter building connected to the first with many glass windows. The second building says Pavilion 1
Genesis West is one of the two hospitals in Davenport. The other hospital is Genesis East.
Map of Iowa highlighting Scott County