Official Book Fort Armstrong Centennial Celebration 1816 1916 OFFICIAL BOOK OF THE Fort Armstrong Centennial Celebration June 18th -24th, 1916 Rock Island and Moline, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa 1816-1916 Prepared by The I^ock Island County Historical Society and The Historical Section of the Davenport Academy of Sciences ailllllllllllllv Rock Island, 111. E. O. Vaile, Jr. 1916 K6> Copyright 1916 E. O. Vaile, Jr. Engravings by Photo Art Engraving Co. 26 1916 Rock Island, Illinois Printing and Binding by Fidlar & Chambers Davenport, Iowa ©CI. A483606 Copper Axe, Curved-ba with cloth Pipe Handwork of the Mound Builders Flint Spearhead Ornamental Pot im local mounds are in the Davenport Academy of Sc Stone Axe Curved-base Stone Pipe Before the White Man Came By Edward K. Putnam sHEN the white man "discovered" America, the land !"\X7$1 was already occupied hy a red skinned race now * known in a general way as American Indians. The first whites were pleased to call these people sav- ages, but in reality they had a civilization of their own which in four regions on the two continents had reached a remarkably high standard of culture. These four regions were the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, the home of the" so-called Mound Builders ; Mexico, of the Aztecs ; Central America, of the Mayas; and Peru, of the Incas. The region up and down the Mississippi and Rock Rivers within fifty miles of Fort Arm- strong contains hundreds of the earthen mounds built by these early people. Just when they were built is difficult to say ; more than that it was before contact with the whites. From the objects found in these mounds can be gained a good idea of their culture. One of the largest collections of these objects is found in the Museum of the Davenport Academy of Sciences. They belonged to the stone age, as shown by their stone axes, flint spear heads and arrow heads, carved pipes, and many other implements and ceremonial objects. They had developed the art of pottery-making and also the making of bone and shell articles. They wove cloth and mats. They worked in the native copper by hammering it into form, although they did not understand melting or hardening it. They had developed agri- culture, hunting, and fishing. They were travelers or traders, because in a single mound might be found copper from Michi- gan, shells from the Gulf of Mexico, mica from Eastern Ten- nessee, and obsidian from the Black Hills. They had a sense of the artistic, especially in the use of ornament, and it seems an appreciation of landscape as shown by their selection of high bluffs with a wide outlook for their groups of mounds. Probably a part of the same race were the Indians who still inhabited the country when settled by the whites. The special tribe of Indians associated with this immediate locality was the "Sacs and Foxes," or more probably the Sauks and Meskwakis. The term Reynards or Foxes was used erroneously by the French. The two tribes were so closely allied as to be regarded as practically one tribe. They belonged to the Algonquin stock. These Indians had come from the Green Bay region and at the end of the eighteenth century had their large settlement at the junction of the Rock River with the Mississippi. This was the tribe of Black Hawk, Keokuk, Poweshiek, and many famous chiefs. When finally moved to the Indian Territory and Kan- sas, part of the tribe, chiefly the Meskwakis or Foxes returned to Iowa and now live in Tama Countv. Antoine Le Claire Col. George Davenport To the Pioneers By Alice French, "Octave Thanet" X general we think little enough of the makers of our country, the men and women to whose sacrifices and whose courage we owe our days of luxury. But once in a while our sloth is prodded into attention. For a little space we remember. Then we recognize something of the immeasurable debt which we owe to the Pio- neers. A hundred years ago where were our great warehouses and factories, or the mansions and the gardens full of delicate pleasures and beauty which are on every hill ? For one moment let us pause to salute the vanished courage and endurance and vision which gave them to us. Let us think of the builders of Fort Armstrong and of the men and women who dared all the perils of the wilderness to raise their log cabins where now are busy streets and marvels of light and transit beyond their dreams of witchcraft. For a moment let us salute the hard hands, the keen eyes, the swift feet, the strong hearts of the past. Do we realize what we owe these strong, inarticulate souls? They did their amazing work unconscious, themselves, how greatly they wrought. In the span of a single century they transformed a wilderness into an empire. Rome had not its power or its wealth. Abraham Lincoln was a type of their sinewy force. He had their broad but kindly humor, their essential cleanliness of soul if not always of speech, their indomitable courage, their dogged patience, their breadth of vision which came from solitary living in wide spaces, their patriotism, and their deep tender- ness of heart. Perhaps from some of the itinerant preachers of the time Lincoln learned the eloquence which should become a part of our habitual thought. These men often had a rude force of speech ; sometimes they rose to heights ; often their appeal was permeated with the noblest and simplest diction in the world, that of the Bible. The life of the pioneers was bare and rugged. They had toil, privation, danger. They died untended in lonely forests ; they had no easement of pain in their wounds of battle or am- bush ; there were but meagre medicaments of herbs for the fevers that came out of the swamp ; the ghastly stories of massacre and torture which were told at every fireside any time might have ghastly confirmation. There were few pleasures and those of the rudest. Yet on the whole it may be questioned if their life was not happier than ours. It was a full life. It had the joy of work and accomplishment. It was interesting. If it had not the beauty of art, it had the beauty of nature to sweeten it. And it had all the primitive happiness of family love and comradeship. It had the throbbing excitement of •6B Showing the Sears' mills, the fir Early Moline, about 1840 factories, and the brush dam, the first dam to be built in the Mississippi Riv combat with man or nature, and the exultant thrill of victory. Probably the Pioneers wasted little time or misery on analyzing their own emotions, and less on uplifting their neighbors. Their imagination and their invention took the practical lane of better cultivation of their fields and better ways of travel. When it did wander into the fields of beginning finance and started banks and paper money which should pay itself out of future prosperity it went the usual rapid pace to misfortune. But this is really a later story. In time men of lineage and education came to Illinois and to Iowa. It will be interesting to Iowans to learn that Illinois settlements had a sad reputation, even so early as the days of Richard Flower, who settled in Albion in the first half of the nineteenth century. A lady of Philadelphia said to him : "Friend Flower, wilt thou take thy family to that infidel and wicked settlement in Illinois ?" Nevertheless Flower, an English gentleman, did settle in Illinois and prospered and was happy. A score of names will instantly come to us, among the later Pioneers, names still honored on both sides of the great river. Clark, the explorer ; Edwards, the first Illinois governor ; Dun- can, the far-sighted ; Ford, who saved the honor of Illinois. Locally there were the Wells, Spencer, the Case families ; Sears, who developed the local water power ; Stephens, Deere, Weyer- hauser, and Denkmann, great pioneer manufacturers ; Buforcl, the soldier ; Van Sant, Cable, Mitchell, and many more, and over the river the Davenport, Antoine Le Claire, who kept faith alike with white man and red ; the Cooks, Price, Van Tuyl, Grant, Mitchell, Allen, Burrows, Eldridge, Stibolt, Claus- sen, Mueller, Glaspell, merchants, bankers, lawyers, statesmen, farmers, alike staunch and true of heart. Nor should we forget the priests and the ministers of religion, the Iowa band of the Congregationalists, the circuit riders of the Methodists, the first Bishops of Illinois and Iowa. Kemper, Lee, Cosgrove, alike soldiers of God whatever their banner, Father Pela- mourgues, the intrepid Sisters of St. Mary — these are but a few of the makers of the three cities. And behind the leaders are the strong and silent many who fought without flinching, hostile man and hostile nature ; and to whose obscure heroism, resourcefulness, and self-sacrifice we owe what we have today, not only a material prosperity but in the fiber of soul which beneath our seeming softness has their iron strain, and shall the need come will enable us like them to give all we have and all we are to our country. Therefore, we, inheritors of their blood or of their works, gratefully and reverentlv salute them. Fort Armstrong, about 1845 From a Daguerreotype The Story of Fort Armstrong By Orrin S. Holt iO properly comprehend the history of Fort Arm- strong and the locality in which it stood, one must go back to the time of the discovery of America to get the sequence of events which had to do with its building. Every maritime nation of the world en- deavored to share in the results of the discovery of the new continent. Spain sought treasure, tribute from the natives, and religious conquest. France sought commerce and religious converts, while colonists from other countries sought homes and escape from persecution. Spain conquered, robbed, and destroyed the natives ; France preached to them, lived with them, and inter- married with them ; while the colonists, who later became known as Americans, ruthlessly pushed the Indians before them, taking their lands for cultivation and permanent settle- ment. Following a period of discovery, conquest, colonization, and national rivalry, came a time when Mexico, including Texas, the Southwest, and California, was dominated by Spain ; the thirteen original colonies by England ; and Canada and Louisi- ana by France. The territory included in the Louisiana Pur- chase, of which Iowa was a part, after its savage ownership be- longed first to France and then to Spain. Napoleon compelled its relinquishment to France in 1801, but when he proposed to — 11- occupy it the United States objected with the result that the United States acquired it by purchase in 1803. After the war with Mexico another immense piece of former Spanish territory was acquired by the United States, which included Texas and California and the intervening territory. But for these acquisi- tions the United States would have been bounded by the Mis- sissippi River on the west and we should have had a powerful neighbor with whom to divide honors. Hand in hand religious zeal and commercial ambition lead the French priests and explorers, by the way of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, far into the interior of North America when it was an unknown wilderness to the rest of the world. In 1608, twelve years before the landing at Plymouth Rock, Champlain planted the first French coiony at Quebec. In 1634 Jean Nicolet, the French explorer, reached Saulte Ste. Marie at the outlet of Lake Superior. Eventually French priests and explorers endeavored to connect Canada and Louisi- ana by means of a line of forts and missions. Marquette and Joliet, priest and explorer, opened the way in 1673. when they made their memorable trip from Mackinac through Green Bay and the Fox River, over the portage, and down the Wisconsin River to its mouth. They arrived at the Mississippi River June 17th and must have passed the island of Rock Island a short time after. This explorer and his companion priest con- Fort Armstrong, Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline. r{ From a painting by J. C. Wild tinned to the mouth of the Arkansas River, and returning, passed up the Illinois River and entered Lake Michigan at the present site of Chicago. In 1681 the illustrious La Salle traced the Mississippi River to its mouth, and with him originated the idea of circumventing the colonies of England on the Atlantic shore with a band of French territory, which should enable France to possess the great river valleys of the interior and the better part of the continent. In this ambitious purpose they sought opportunity for missionary work and commercial ad- vantage rather than colonization. England entertained views similar to those of France as to the destiny of the interior. The King of England decreed that it should be the perpetual home of the natives and forbade his subjects to encroach beyond the territory whose waters flowed into the Atlantic. The colonists, however, looked with covetous eyes on the rich agricultural lands west of the Allegheny Moun- tains, and in spite of the King's command began to seek homes beyond the western frontier. The rival claims of England and France to the interior, brought on a clash between the English colonists and the Canadian-French in which the mother coun- tries, being hereditary enemies, naturally joined. When these conflicts finally ended the claim of France to Canada was ex- tinguished and England succeeded to her claims in the North- west. The conquest of Canada by England failed to settle the controversy over the possession of the interior. The Revolu- tionary War broke out soon after and at its termination the English colonists became a new and independent nation, suc- ceeding to England's original claim to the interior, while Eng- land had succeeded to that of France. The same contest con- tinued with a new alignment of parties. The French had fraternized with the Indians and generally were at peace with them. When England conquered New France the French frontier-men remained as British subjects and England succeeded to some extent to the good will of the Indians toward the French. The Americans, however, being colonists and desiring land possessions, were cordially hated and distrusted by the natives. These facts explain to some ex- tent the attitude of the Indians in the controversy which fol- lowed over the possession of the valley of the Mississippi in 1812-1814. It was the pro-British attitude of the Indians that called for the building of Fort Armstrong. That the territory now occupied by Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin is a part of the United States and not of Canada, is due largely to the enterprise and military skill of Gen. George Rogers Clark. His success as the representa- tive of the commonwealth of Virginia in gaining possession of the Illinois country, put America in a position to maintain the Great Lakes as her northern boundary at the close of the next important military event in our history, the second war with Great Britain, the War of 1812. During Clark's conquest of the Illinois territory, which was coincident with the War of the Revolution, Clark sent a detachment under Col. John Mont- gomery in 1780 to subdue the Sac and Fox Indians which re- sulted in the burning of the Indian town of Saukenuk. This was a local event of the Revolutionary War. In 1805, following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Zebulon Pike, after whom Pike's Peak was named, made a tour of ex- ploration through the west in the interest of the government. A part of his mission was to conciliate the Indians and win their allegiance from Great Britain. An interesting incident of 13- Monument on Campbell's Island Major Zachary Taylor In command at the Battle of Credit Island his trip was the raising of the first American flag in this part of America, when he visited the Indian town of Saukenuk, near the mouth of Rock River. Here he found the flag of England flying. He presented the Indians with the Stars and Stripes, which they consented to raise ; but they refused to take down their British flag, claiming to desire friendship with both countries. Tn this age of rapid transit and instantaneous communica- tion, it taxes our imagination to realize the conditions existing in the days when the west was the subject of controversy be- tween the United States and Great Britain. It took bravery and patriotism of a high order to go hundreds of miles into the Indian infested interior with no means of transportation, except canoes and keel boats, with only Indian trails, and no means of communication between distant points. These conditions ex- isted at the outbreak of the War of 1812, two battles of which were fought near the island of Rock Island in 1814. Governor William Clark, made famous by the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific coast and a brother of Gen. George Rogers Clark, left St. Louis in the spring of 1814 with a military expedition for Prairie du Chien, captured that British out-post, and built the first American fort north of Alton. Upon Clark's return to St. Louis an expedition was started under the command of Capt. John Campbell to reinforce the garrison left at Prairie du Chien. When the expedition got as far as the mouth of Rock River, it fell in with Indians in considerable numbers, who manifested no hostility. After Campbell had passed on up the river, a messenger from the British com- mander in the north arrived and notified the Indians that it was their duty as, British allies to comply with their promise to pre- vent any Americans from ascending the river. Thereupon Black Hawk and his band followed Campbell's boats, and over- took them at an island about five miles above the island of Rock Island, which, from this circumstance, has since been known as Campbell's Island. Finding the boats hampered by the swift current of the rapids and a high wind, one boat having been driven ashore, the Indians attacked and defeated them, destroy- ing one of Campbell's three boats, killing sixteen men, and wounding others, including the commander, and compelled their return to St. Louis. Upon their arrival, another and larger expedition came up the river under command of Major Zachary Taylor, who afterwards attained distinction in the Mexican War and as President of the United States. The purpose of this expendition, which consisted of 334 men in nine keel-boats, was to punish the Indians for their attack on Campbell's party and to establish a fort near the Indian village, which should keep the Indians in check, and the line of communication open to points up the river. In the meantime the British had re- captured the post at Prairie du Chien and Lieut. Graham had descended to the island of Rock Island with British soldiers and several cannon, to assist the Indians in blockading the river at that point. When Major Taylor's expedition reached the mouth of Rock River it encountered a wind storm so severe as to make it necessary for him to land. He chose as a landing place a willow island near the Iowa shore about two miles be- low the island of Rock Island, and about sixty yards above Credit Island, now known as Suburban Island. Lieut. Gra- ham, of whose presence Major Taylor was ignorant, taking advantage of the storm and the darkness of the following night, removed his men and cannon across the main channel of the river, through what is now the business section of Davenport, to an advantageous point for an attack at daylight. The un- expected onslaught by British regulars armed with cannon and reinforced by 1,500 native warriors, was more than Major Taylor was able to face, so he abandoned the purpose of his mission, retreated as far as Warsaw, and built Fort Edwards instead. Three successive defeats in one year convinced the Americans that all prospects of controlling the valley of the upper Missis- sippi depended upon subduing these war-like natives. Con- sequently in September, 1815, the Eighth United States In- fantry, under command of Col. R. C. Nicholas, was sent from St. Louis to establish a fort on or near the island of Rock Island. This expedition reached the mouth of the Des Moines River in November where they were stopped by ice and re- mained through the winter. Col. William Lawrence succeeded to the command during the winter. The following April Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Smith with his regiment arrived, took com- mand, and proceeding up the river arrived at the island of Rock Island, May 10, 18 16. Gen. Smith endeavored to meet the Sac and Fox Indians in council but they refused to attend. There were about 11,000 Indians in the vicinity at that time. Their principal village, Saukenuk, was on Rock River where their council house stood. Their settlement and corn fields covered the islands in Rock River and the point of land between the rivers at their confluence, as well as both sides of the Mis- sissippi River in the neighborhood of the island of Rock Island. This was the largest Indian settlement in this part of the coun- try and one of the largest in North America. Their numbers and pro-British sympathies made them an important element in the controversy over possession of the Mississippi Valley. Fort Armstrong, which their presence made necessary, was of the ordinary frontier type, but usually striking in appearance, due to its location on the precipitous ledge of rock, forming the lower point of the island of Rock Island. The name "Rock Island," which this island has borne since it had a name, was applied because of its striking contrast to the other islands in the river which are generally alluvial with low sloping shores. The island has been in the continuous possession of the government of the United States since the Indians parted with it by treaty in 1804, although Col. George Davenport and David B. Sears were each allowed, by special acts of Congress, to secure title to parts of it, in consideration of services rendered to the government. Subsequently their holdings were appraised and taken back by the government when it was determined to establish the Rock Island Arsenal. Chief Black Hawk called Rock Island the most beautiful island in the Mississippi, and white men evidently shared in his opinion for its early history is a series of efforts by private in- dividuals to get possession on every possible pretext. To Jefferson Davis belongs principal credit for the preservation of the island to the United States government for military pur- poses. During the Black Hawk War he had abundant oppor- tunity to become familiar with it and its environment. He thought, and many prominent men then and since agreed with him, that the island was particularly adapted to the uses of the government. They appreciated its advantageous location, its water power possibilities, and the proximity of fuel and timber. As an army officer, as a United States Senator, and as Secre- tary of War he championed its preservation ; and it seems the EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF major mmarston. OF the sisinfty TO MAJOR GENL MACOMB- COMMANDING 5I£ MILITARY DEPARTMENT DATED. FORT ARM5TR0NG. ROCK ISLAND, SEPT. IOIB 1819 THISFORT 15 ABOUT 270FEET SQUARE WITH THREE BLOCK HOUSES, MOUNTING THREE 6P0UNDEFSS. THE BARRACKS ARE WELL CONSTRUCTED OF HEWN TIMBE^.AND ARE SUFFICIENTLY EXTENSIVE TO QUARTER THREE COMPANIES. THE MAGAZINE IS OF STONE AND WELL BUILT THE COMMANDING OFFICER'S QUARTERS CONSIST OF A CENTER TWO STORY BUILDING 28 FEET IN LENGTH, WITH WINGS OFONE STORY 15 FEET IN LENGTH AND PIAZZAS BUILT IN FRONT AND REAR. THE FORT IS BUILT ON THE LOWER POINT OF ROCK ISLAND, AND UPON A PERPENDICULAR BANK OF LIME5T0NE OF ABOUT 25 FT. IN HEIGHT, ITCOMPLETELY COMMANDS BOTH CHANNELS OF THE RIVER. THE GARRISON IS A GREAT CHECK UPON THE INDIANS IN THIS COUNTRY AND FROM ITS CENTRAL SITUATION, IT APPEARS TO ME TO BE A STATION OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE' AN EXPRESS COULD REACH THIS IN TEN DAYS FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS, ON THE MISSOURI, AND IN THE SAME TIME FROM THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER ST PETERS. AND FROM FORT DEARBORN , AND IN FIFTEEN DAYS FROM FORT HOWARD. AND FIVE FROM ST.LOUIS. THE 50ILOFTHIS ISLAND APPEARS TO BE GOOD. AND IT CONTAINS A GOOD SUPPLY 0FW0OD FOR FUEL AND OTHER PURPOSES, THERE IS ALSO AN EXCELLENT SPRING OF WATER ABOUT ONE HUNDRED YARDS FROM THE GARRISON, THERE IS ABOUT FORTY ACRES OF LAND IN THE VICINITY OF THE GARRISON CLEARED AND FIT FOR CULTIVATION." QUARTERS QUARTERS QUARTERS CE.RSO ?. 13 & 14 -STONE WORK 8 -SALLY P0RT5 SCALE 64 FT TO AN INCH irony of fate that it should have been used during' the Civil War as the site of a prison for the confinement of his soldiers. Fort Armstrong in shape was a rectangular parallelogram with its four corners presented to the four points of the com- pass. It measured 270 feet on each of its sides. It was pro- tected on the north, east, and south angles by block houses, the east one being the largest. The south one has now been re- stored on its original location as the principal feature of this celebration of its one hundreth anniversary. The block houses were constructed of hewn timbers cut near the site of the fort. They were two stories in height, the upper story being set so that its sides came over the angle of the story below, thus pre- senting fronts in eight directions. Each story was provided with port holes for cannon and muskets, and their hipped roofs were surmounted by observatories or lookouts. The lines between the north, east, and south block houses were occupied by barracks and other buildings in shed form with the high point to the outside, so that the sloping roof could be protected from within the enclosure. The spaces between these build- ings and the block houses were closed by stone walls about four feet high which were surmounted by hewn timbers placed one upon the other to the height of the barracks buildings. The other two sides of the enclosure were the precipitous shores of the island. The west angle of the enclosure was occupied by the headquarters building. This was about 20x30 feet in size, and two stories high, flanked on each end by immense outside stone chimneys and outside of these were small one-story wings. On the east and west fronts were large porches. The one on the west, two. stories high, afforded a beautiful view, with the broad Mississippi in the foreground. Aside from the — 20- building already described there were others for officers' quart- ers and hospital purposes, also a stone powder magazine about 9x12 feet inside. It was sunken partly into the ground so that the natural rocky ledge formed its floor. A stone arched roof covered it. In the center of the enclosure was a tall flag-staff. There were two sally ports opening" on to the island to the northeast and southeast. When the soliclers arrived, the island was covered by a heavy growth of timber, but in the vicinity of the fort it was all cleared away for the double pur- pose of procuring material for the buildings and removing shelter that might be used by the Indians in case of an attack. With the troops that came to build the fort was Col. George Davenport in the capacity of sustenance contractor's agent. He built a house on the island which still stands. He became an Indian trader and had his first trading post on the island. In 1824 Russell Farnham arrived on the scene and entered into partnership with Col. Davenport. In 1826 they built a build- ing on the main shore, at the present junction of 29th Street and the C, R. I. & P. R. R. tracks as a trading post. This was the first building on the main land and later was known as the "House of John Barrel." In it was the first postoffice, hotel, and stage station. Here were held the first court, first election, and the first meeting of the county board. The settlement that sprung up around it came to be known as Farnhamsburg, and was the "metropolis" of the locality until the town of Stephenson came into existence in 1835. This gave place to the city of Rock Island in 1841. Col. Davenport continued to live on the island of Rock Island until his murder on July 4, 1845. Col. Davenport's two sons, George L. and Bailey, also passed their lives here and reached prominence as citizens and land owners on both sides of the Mississippi. Antoine Le Claire was another of the party that landed in 1816, and stayed after the fort was abandoned to become a highly respected and picturesque member of the community at Davenport. He was of French and Indian blood (Potta- wattamie). He was educated in languages at the expense, of the government to serve as official Indian interpreter, in which capacity he was employed at Fort Armstrong. His home was in Davenport, which he laid out and named for his friend the Indian trader. A part of the city of Davenport is laid out on a section of land which was reserved by the Indians from the tract conveyed by the treaty of T832. This section of land the Indians presented to Mrs. Antonie Le Claire, the granddaughter of a .Sac chief, and the wife of their trusted friend. In Col. Davenport's employ was a Frenchman named Antoine Gouque, who was the first permanent settler in this vicinity. He was a hunter and trapper who was here when the troops arrived, having come down the river from the neighbor- hood of Prairie du Chien. In dress, habits, and appearance he was an Indian, but he was of pure French blood. His wife was a full blooded Fox Indian, fat and good natured, and very popular with the whites. Gouque and his family lived on the island on land afterwards included within the military prison enclosure during 1863-65. Fort Armstrong, although no battle ever was fought there, occupied a prominent place during the Indian troubles of 1831 and 1832, and was the refuge of the early settlers from their first arrival in 1828 until the close of the Black Hawk War. It would require far more space than is here available to write a history of this war. The causes of the Black Hawk War were the refusal of Black Hawk and his band to recognize the validity of the treaty of 1804, in which refusal they were to some extent justified, and the love for their homes which they and their ancestors had occupied for more than a century and their veneration for the burial place of their dead. To this was added resentment of the impositions by the early white settlers, who in violation of justice and treaty obligations crowded in upon their fields, destroyed their crops, desecrated the graves of their dead, and took possession of their bark houses, while thousands of unoccupied acres of other land lay open for settlement. There were five white settlers within the Indian town of Saukenuk, when there were but two where the city of Rock Island now stands, but one in Moline, and none in Davenport ; all of these settlers being on land previously oc- cupied by the Indians, and at a time when miles of unoccupied territory surrounded the Indian village in every direction. When in 183 1 the Indians resented the encroachments of the whites on their village, and Black Hawk resented the demoral- ization of his young men by the sale of whiskey to them by the whites, some friction arose. The white settlers complained to the Governor of Illinois and the United States authorities, and the Indians were ordered to move across the Mississippi, which they refused to do. Thereupon the Governor of Illinois en- listed 1,600 militia who joined with the United States regulars under Gen. Gaines, from St. Bonis, to drive the Indians from their ancient home. The Indians evaded the issue of battle by quietly slipping across the river in the night. Thinking the trouble was over the militia were disbanded and the regulars returned to Jefferson Barracks, but before doing so burned the Indian town. In 1832 Black Hawk and the British band, grieving- over the ■21 — Outline of the Foundation of the Block House on the East Angle of Fort Armstrong", 1916 The depression in the foreground is plainly to be seen loss of their old home, resenting the treatment they had re- ceived, and still seeking to evade the terms of the treaty of 1804, which they still insisted was invalid, recrossed the Mis- sissippi River at Yellow Banks and came by the way of the Indian trail to the mouth of Rock River. News of this move- ment of the Indians having reached the whites the Governor of Illinois again called out the militia, and in conjunction with federal troops, followed them up the valley of Rock River. After a series of battles and skirmishes, interspersed with fre- quent efforts to surrender, to which the whites gave no heed, the Indians were driven to southern Wisconsin where they attempted to escape their pursuers by crossing the Mississippi. Then occurred the battle of Bad Axe, at which most of those who had survived to that time were massacred without regard to age or sex, and Black Hawk, his son, and some of the other chiefs were captured. Black Hawk, in custody of Jefferson Davis, was brought down to the island of Rock Island, at that time the headquarters of Gen. Winfield Scott. Owing to a cholera epidemic prevailing at that time he was not taken on shore, but was sent on to Jefferson Barracks as a prisoner, in the custody of Jefferson Davis, and from there to Fortress Monroe, where Davis was afterwards himself confined, and after a trip through the principal cities of the east to show him the strength of the American nation and to convince him of the futility of opposing them, and incidentally for the amusement of the white people, he was returned to Rock Island, shorn of his power as a chief, and placed in the custody of Keokuk, who became responsible for his subsequent peaceful conduct. Chief Keokuk had for a long time been disposed to yield to the de- mands of the Americans for the land which had belonged to the Sac and Fox Indians in Illinois. The whites had great confidence in him. He and Black Hawk had been leaders of opposing Indian factions and it was a great humiliation to Black Hawk to have his defeat end in being subordinated to his opponent. The trouble with England ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and the trouble with the Indians ended with the termination of the Black Hawk War, and Fort Armstrong became unneces- sary. In 1836 the fort was evacuated and abandoned, and thereafter allowed to fall into decay, and 1855 a part of it was burned. The last vestige was removed when the railroad bridge was removed to its present location. Its right of way, as well as Fort Armstrong Avenue and the street railway tracks, pass directly through the site of old Fort Armstrong. The island of Rock Island, however, did not lose importance as years passed, for during the Civil War it was occupied by a military prison with a capacity of 12,000 prisoners, and at the close of this war was selected as the site of the chief arsenal of the United States. There is every reason to believe that future vears will see its importance increase many fold. ° II "3 « * 3 S Black Hawk's Vision Spirit of Great Sac Chief Revisits Glimpses of the Moon and Dreams of the Fighters of Yesterday By Robert Rexdale Down the long, dim valleys that stretch away, I dream of the fighters of yesterday, And I see the light of the watch-fire's glow, Where the rivers meet in their onward flow ; I hear the wolf on the lonely hill, And the low, sweet song of the whip-poo'-will, And out of the dark where the wigwams lie, An arrow is flaming across the sky ! The gray owl calls with a loud tu-whoo, From the battered prow of a war-canoe, I see the gdeam at the water's brink, Where the game came down in the night to drink, And far along by the wooded shore, I watch for the foe where he lurked of yore, As the stars fade heavenward one by one. And the hills uplift to the rising sun ! Down the long, dim valleys a spirit croons The deathless song of a thousand moons, I see the fort on the rocky ledge, Where the cave clips under the island's edge, And the bugle sounding the reveille Proclaims the dawn of the white man's clay i I see the path that his skill has blazed, And the works the might of his arm has raised. His children rule where my people trod, And their harvests spring from the blood-stained sod, As the trail winds on over plain and steep, Through the hallowed ground where the fighters sleep ! What matters it now where their bones may rest — It was knife to knife, it was breast to breast, I hear the twang of the bended bow, , And the muffled shot in the rocks below ; Though the scalp-lock falls from the warrior's hand, He died for his squaw and his native land, For men were the hunters and men the prey, And brave were the fighters of yesterday ! Rebuilt Block House, 1916, on the Site of the South Angle of Fort Armstrong PROGRAM Fort Armstrong Centennial Celebration June 18th -24th, 1916 Sunday MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING HOME DAY June 18th Services in all the churches of the three cities with appropriate sermons, particularly on Home- coming, Peace, Preparedness, and Church Progress during the last hundred years. Sacred Band Concerts in — Fejervary Park, Davenport. Long View Park, Rock Island. Prospect Park, Moline. Services in many of the churches of the three cities, the pastors of several churches exchang- ing pulpits and delivering the morning's sermon. House of Col. George Davenport — Built, 1831 ; restored, 1906 'This is probably the most historic house in Illinois or Iowa, and has given shelter and hospitality to more great than any other private residence of the United States." — Armstrong Monday FORT ARMSTRONG DAY June 19th SUNRISE MORNING Salute of one hundred guns on the river at the lower end of Rock Island. Celebration of the Founding of Fort Armstrong, 1816, and Dedication of the rebuilt Block House, on the lower end of the island and at the grandstand on Main Avenue. HISTORICAL NOTE Brig.-Gen. Thomas A. Smith in command of a regiment of Rifles and the Eighth U. S. In- fantry — the latter under the immediate command of Col. William Lawrence — landed on the island of Rock Island May 10, 1816, 800 strong, for the purpose of establishing a fortification to protect the line of communication, by way of the river, to the upper reaches of the Mississippi. General Smith did not remain long, but with his Rifles proceeded up the river to Fort Snelling, near St. Anthony's Falls, leaving Colonel Lawrence and the Eighth Infantry to erect the fort. It was named Fort Armstrong, in honor of the then secretary of war. The fort was in the form of a square with its four corners presented to the four points of the compass. It measured 270 feet on each of its sides. It was protected on the north, east, and south angles by block houses, the east one being the largest. The fort, though no battle was ever fought there, was the center of opera- tions during the Indian wars of 183 1 and 1832. From the time of the coming of the white settlers in 1828, until the treaty of September 21, 1832, which ended the Indian troubles, it was a place of refuge for the pioneers. Thereafter, there being no further need for the fort, it was vacated in 1836 and permitted to fall into decay. A replica of the block house which formerly stood on the south angle of the Fort Armstrong enclosure has been erected upon its original site. The opening of the celebration is marked by the unveiling of this block house upon a signal given by President Woodrow Wilson, transmitted by wireless telephone from Washington, D. C. This ceremony is preceded by a dramatization of the landing of the troops under Brigadier-General Smith and Colonel Lawrence. They are seen com- ing up the river in keel boats, as they did one hundred years ago. Upon their landing the block house is unveiled, an 1812 flag is raised, and the salute fired. This is followed by the sounding of whistles and the ringing of bells in the tri-cities announcing the formal opening of the Fort Arm- strong: Centennial Celebration. ■29 — First Bridge over the Mississippi River, Built in 1856 Monday NOON AFTERNOON EVENING June 19th Because of lack of room on the lower point of the Island the remainder of the dedicatory pro- gram takes place at the grandstand, located on Main Avenue east of the entrance gates to the Rock Island Arsenal. Seats are reserved for the pioneers of Scott County, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois. The program includes addresses by Ex-Governor Sam R. Van Sant, of Minne- sota, himself a pioneer of this locality ; Colonel George W. Burr, commandant of the Rock Island Arsenal ; and by representatives of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Grand Reunion of Old Settlers of Scott County, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois ; Historical Associations and Home-Comers, with an old-fashioned basket picnic. Music, speaking, and a general good time. Dedication and marking of the old Arsenal Building, Pier of the First Bridge across the Mis- sissippi River, and the Davenport House. Burning of Saukenuk. HISTORICAL NOTE The Indian village of Saukenuk was located on Rock River, ahout three miles above its con- fluence with the Mississippi, at the western base of Black Hawk's Watch Tower. It is supposed to have been established in the early part of the eighteenth century, and was the largest Indian vil- lage in the west, and one of the largest within the present limits of the United States. Here the famous War Chief, Black Hawk, was born, and over its possession the Black Hawk Wars of 183 1 and 1832 were fought. During the Revolutionary War Colonel George Rogers Clark, acting' under a commission from the Colony of Virginia, instituted a campaign for the recovery of the Northwest Territory from the British, the territory being then claimed by that commonwealth. While cam- paigning in the southern portion of the Illinois country he learned of the pro-British attitude of Sac and Fox Indians and detached a command under Colonel John Montgomery, with the village of these Indians on Rock River as its objective point, in 1780. The Indians were driven from their village and the village itself burned. The presentation of this takes place in front of the grandstand. The program opens with a band concert. Following this appears a portion of the tribe of Meskwaki (Fox) Indians, descend- ants of those who inhabited this locality, who present characteristic Indian dances and sports. This is followed by the Camp-fire Girls of the tri-cities in the presentation of ceremonials and — 31 — Monday June 19th songs. As darkness closes over the Island the village of Saukerrak is presented with its Indian ac- tivities. While their evening sports and ceremonials are at their height Colonel Montgomery's command arrives and the battle opens. There is a sharp conflict between the Indians and the whites, which results in the defeat of the Indians. The soldiers take possession of the village and burn it. As the embers are dying away, from its ruins the figure of a prophet arises, who foretells the downfall of the Indian before the encroachment of the whites and the ultimate establishment of a new civilization. Tuesday MORNING PIONEER DAY June 20th Visits to historical sites on both sides of the river marked by the Historical Section of the Davenport Academy of Sciences and the Rock Island County Historical Society. A guide is at each site to give needed information. Historic Spots Marked on the Iowa Side Site of the Treaty of the Black Hawk Purchase, 1832. About where Farnam Street would in- tersect Fifth Street. Marked at Fifth and Iowa Streets, about 450 feet west of the treaty site. Treaty Site House. The log house built by Antoine Le Claire in 1833 at the site of the Treaty of 1832. Now stands, boarded over and remodeled, in the rear of 420 West Fifth Street, near Scott Street. Claim House. Built by George L. Davenport in 1833, on the first claim taken up in the Black Hawk Purchase. The first frame house in Iowa. Now at 557 College Avenue. Site of the Treaty of 1836, conveying Keokuk reserve. In Prospect Park. Embankment leading to the first bridge across the Mississippi River. On East River Street, near Federal Street. Camp McClellan. Recruiting camp of the Civil War. Sioux prison. At East River Street and Camp McClellan Boulevard. — 33 — X -S H x Tuesday June 20th Location where ground was broken for the construction of the first railroad built beyond the Mississippi River, at Fifth and Rock Island Streets. First college building erected in Iowa. No. 517 West Seventh Street. Institution then called Iowa College ; now Grinnell College, at Grinnell, Iowa. Site where John Brown purchased supplies for his men at Springdale. On alley below Second Street on the west side of Brady Street. Site of house of Dr. John Emerson, owner of Dred Scott, the slave ; 223 East Second Street. House where Barclay Coppoc, John Brown refugee, was secreted following the Harper's Ferry fight. Now Wirtel & Drebing's trunk store, 220 Brady Street. Excellent views of Davenport can be secured from Prospect Park, from Riverview Terrace, from Lookout Park, from Fairmount Cemetery, and from the roof of the Putnam Building, Main and Second Streets. Historic Spots Marked on the Illinois Side Site of first power dam in Mississippi River. Guard House of 15th Street Bridge, Moline. Cabin site of Joel Wells, Sr., the first settler where Moline is now located. At First Avenue and 2 1st Street, Moline. Site of Moline's first mills and foundry, and John Deere's first plow shop. Just west of 15th Street Bridge, along the river bank, Moline. Site of home of Stephens, and his twenty negro slaves ; the only slaves held in Rock Is- land County. At Walker Station in Moline. Monument on Campbell's Island, commemorating the battle there in July, 1814. Location of the house of John Barrel, built by Russell Farnham and Col. George Davenport in 1826, the first house on the Illinois side, the first stage station, the first hotel, the first postoffice, the first court room, the first place of election, the first meeting place of the county board, the center of Farnhamsburg, the first village on the Illinois side of the river. About 300 feet north of intersec- tion of Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, Rock Island. — 35 — Si 1 - o t 2 H t X 'a « H t Tuesday June 20th Rock Island House. Property used continuously as a hotel site since the early days of Steph- enson. Corner of Second Avenue and West 17th Street, Rock Island. Old jail property and sheriff's residence, where the "Banditti of the Prairie," who murdered Col. Davenport, were confined. On 15th Street, just back of the Modern Woodmen of America Building, Rock Island. Amos F. Cutter barn, 150 feet from the site of the gallows where the murderers of Col. Daven- port were hanged, and into which was built the lumber of which the gallows were built. On 13th Street between Third and Fourth Avenue, Rock Island. Sac corn fields showing "squaw-hills" undisturbed since the Indians' last cultivation in 183 1. Now covered with forest trees. Go east from marker on 12th Street south of Chippiannock Cem- etery, Rock Island. Remains of mound on which stood the Sac Council Lodge. Treaty of 1804 was reported here ; Keokuk was elected war-chief here in 1812; Lieut. Zebulon Pike brought here the first United States flag to be raised on the main land of the upper Mississippi River. This was the official headquarters of the Sac village which was burned by Col. John Montgomery in 1780— a part of the Revolutionary War, and which was again destroyed by fire by Illinois militia under Brig.-Gen. Joseph Duncan in the 183 1 campaign of the Black Hawk War; 100 yards west of the bridge over Rock River at the Davis: Power Plant. Ruins of the Sears' mill. From this spot Gen. E. P. Gaines shelled Yandruff's Island in 1831 from the deck of the steamboat "Enterprise," to drive out Black Hawk and his hostile Indians. At the bridge over Rock River at the Davis Power Plant. Yandruff's Island. Gen. Joseph Duncan and 1,600 mounted Illinois militia, accompanied by Gov. John Reynolds and 'Staff, swept the Island in 183 1 in search of hostile Indians. On the site of the cabin of Joshua Yandruff part of the cellar wall still remains. It was here that Black Hawk, indignant over the sale to his Indians of "fire-water," visited Mr. Yandruff and destroyed his sup- ply of whiskey. East of; Main road across Island. Grave of Black Hawk's two children, and site of the cabin where he fasted and mourned their Tuesday AFTERNOON EVENING June 20th death for two years. At the extreme west end and highest point of Watch Tower bluff. From same .point may be seen the site of "Rock Island City," a purely western "boom" town of the early days, 1836. The first water power of this vicinity (Vandruff's) and the site of the first permanent water power dam across the south channel of Rock River ; the remnants of the state canal of 1837 ; the Yellow Banks trail ; the Maiden trail ; where the Rock River rangers and regulars shelled Van- druff's Island in 183 1 ; the location of a prehistoric pottery; the location of the legend of the French fiddler ; the location of the legend of the Indian lovers' spring ; the location of Lincoln's camp. All may be seen from the Watch Tower Inn. Gymnastic Exhibition by the Young' Men*s Christian Associations of Davenport, Rock Island, and Mohne. Grand Entry and Maze Run. Parallel Bars. Massed Dumb Bell Drill. Tumbling. Relay Races. The Grey Zouaves. Elephant Work. Wall Scaling and Finale. Electrically Illuminated Night Spectacular Pageant. PROGRESS An allegorical presentation of historical and industrial events by an electrically illuminated pageant on ten cars. These pass in review before the grandstand on Main Avenue. Car 1. The Flight of the Bird Spirit historical note There is a cave under the island of Rock Island about 150 feet in depth, the mouth of which is now closed by the abutment of the Government Bridge which spans the main channel of the Mis- sissippi River. According to Indian tradition this cave was inhabited by a white, bird-like spirit of immense size. The Indians believed this to be their good spirit and were wont to worship it. While it was not often seen by them its occasional appearance in the spring time presaged good Tuesday June 20th crops and, in the autumn time, successful hunts and an abundance of game. With the establish- ment of the fort immediately over the cave the bird spirit never returned, and it was their belief that the presence of the soldiers and their warlike activities caused it to fly away. With its de- parture the tables of their fortune were turned. The harvests grew less plentiful, the game be- came scarce, and in a few years their land and their homes were claimed by the whites. This legend is depicted with a great white bird in the foreground rising in flight. Below and on either side are white swans which appear as its guardians. In the rear is seen the mouth of the cave from which an Indian fairy queen is emerging. She is holding her right hand aloft and in it are gathered ribbons which float back from the beaks of the birds. They are seen soaring out over the bosom of the great river in their final flight. The car is brilliantly illuminated and is one of the most charming of the brilliant procession. Car 2. Coming of the White Man historical note The first white men to visit this locality were Marquette and Joliet, who, in May, 1673, started from Mackinac to seek the great river, rumors of which they had heard from the Indians. They followed the north shore of Lake Michigan into Green Bay, and ascending the Fox River portas'-ed to the Wisconsin River. Down this they floated until they reached the Mississippi River June 17th. They proceeded down the Mississippi, passing the island of Rock Island a few clays later. They continued to the mouth of the Arkansas, where their journey southward was discon- tinued, and they returned by the way of the Illinois River and Lake Michigan. Joliet's interest 111 the undertaking was mercantile, but Marquette's was that of the zealous missionary who sought to locate the Indian tribes resident in the great valley that the church might extend the scope of its work and claim them as converts to its faith. This is shown as a water scene. In the background is the lower end of the island of Rock Island. On the water is a canoe. In the canoe is seen Joliet and Marquette, the later bearing aloft a blazing cross. With them are to be seen the Indian voyageurs. On the bow of the canoe is an old-fashioned torch in which bark is burning. % ■' .«^n^ ■ t Tuesday June 20th Car 3. The Coming of the Flag historical note The flag is the emblem of political possession. Wherever it is planted it signifies that the na- tion it represents claims sovereignty and that such nation has assumed to protect to the best of its ability all those who declare their allegiance. This car is purely allegorical. There is represented a frontier block house, a picturesque living figure representing "Columbia" is raising a flag. Car 4. Pioneers historical note Following the fur-trader, soldier, and frontiersman came the typical pioneer seeking to es- tablish a new home. They were a sturdy, self-reliant body of men and women who braved the dangers and hardships of a frontier life to prepare the country for the subsequent civilization which we enjoy. A clog and farm animals are grouped about. A man with an axe stands in the yard. In the rear and formine: a background is a log cabin, illuminated, with children in the doorway. Tuesday June 20th Car 5. Agriculture historical note After building shelters for himself and the members of his family, the pioneer's next move was to clear the land and bring the soil under cultivation. From this beginning, as time passed, mod- ern, scientific farming followed. Agricultural pursuits underlay every other form of industry and form the foundation for all subsequent prosperity. On the rear of this car is a tree bearing one hundred red lights imbedded in its foliage typify- ing the one hundred years of progress that we are now celebrating. In the foreground is a pro- fusion of agricultural products and trailing over and among these is a vine covered with leaves and flowers typical of nature's bounteous response to the agricultural efforts of man. Life is added to the scene by the presence of a lady seated in the midst of this profusion. Car 6. Lumber — Forest Riches historical note Shortly after the first pioneer settlers arrived saw mills were established and the native timber was cut to meet their needs. Then the great Mississippi was called upon to play its part and from the pine woods of the north lumber and logs were rafted. Great mills supplanted the early ones and the industry grew until it became the most important industry of this locality. The car represents the householder receiving from the forest nymph the gift of "Forest Riches." She is made to appear coming through the Arch of Success from a dense wood. On either side stand the protecting Fairies of the Deep Forest, in their garb of green bronze and bril- liant with the Light of Promise. Tuesday June 20th Car 7. Manufacturing historical note Because of the water power on Rock River near the site of Saukenuk and on the Mississippi River at Moline, manufacturing was early developed. In 1837 David B. Sears commenced the construction of a power dam between the island of Rock Island and the main Illinois shore. This formed the nucleus of a manufacturing center previous to the advent of steam. This car shows the Goddess of Industry, seated on her marble throne at the foot of the factory- studded Hills of Progress, presiding over the workers with her beacon light ever burning. Car 8. Commerce historical note The tri-cities were located on the Mississippi River, the commercial thoroughfare of the early day. The industrial growth, thus fostered and encouraged, was the magnet that brought the first railroad that reached the Mississippi to this point. Here, also, the first railroad on Iowa ter- ritory was built, and the two lines were connectei by the first bridge to span the Mississippi River. The growing west was thus made tributary to this commercial center and contributed to its de- velopment. The Queen of Commerce is depicted on a wharf as a foundation, with the boxes and barrels of her calling as a throne, presiding over the shipping, while on the high ground at the rear the first locomotive, the Antoine Le Claire, is seen crossing the Island. Back of it stands the clock tower of the Arsenal building and in the waters below is a passing river steamboat. Tuesday June 20th Car 9. Peace and Prosperity This car is surmounted by an angel figure of Peace'of heroic size. Around her winds the great Horn of Plenty from which pours a stream of unlimited riches which the "Queen of Wealth," in the foreground, with her wand turns to gold. Car 10. America This is the Car Triumphant — the final car of the pageant. Upon the Steps of Advancement stands the Goddess of Prosperity, mounted on the Wheel and Wings of Progress. These massive steps are draped with the national colors as protection and inspiration. These great flags are stud- ded with lights. Over the steps and on the backs of the great gilded lions, emblematic of Might, are seen hovering white doves — a dove for each of the one hundred years of continual progress we have made since the first flag flew over old Fort Armstrong. O 5 "o It 1 So) H g' <■ 1 ' Wednesday MORNING AFTERNOON LADIES' AND HISTORICAL DAY June 21st Ladies' Floral Parade in each of the three cities. Three hundred cars owned and driven by the cream of society of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline, beautifully decorated with many striking and novel effects. The route of the parade is over the principal streets of all three cities. Historical Pageantry at the grandstand on Alain Avenue. The Earliest Wedding historical note A pair of young pioneers bent on matrimony came to the trading post on the island of Rock Island searching for minister or magistrate. Neither were there. Col. George Davenport, relying upon the authority of his commission as postmaster, married them. The young folks come to the Davenport home on the Island and ask to be married. Mrs. Dav- enport, sympathizing with them, adds a festive touch to the bride's costume and persuades Colonel Davenport to do his best. The frontier neighbors attracted by the incident join in a dance and merry-making. 1829. Black Hawk, Jonah H. Case and the Peace Pipe HISTORICAL NOTE Among those who settled in the Sac village were Jonah H. Case and family. They moved into an Indian house about where Fifteenth Street projected would cross Nineteenth Avenue in the city of Rock Island. The house was built of posts, and sided and roofed with the bark of trees. They proceeded to use corn and vegetables from the cache of the absent Indians. In a few days Black Hawk appeared and protested this invasion of his own private property. Mr. Case in order to appease the indignant chief made a cash settlement with him, which pleased Black Hawk to such an extent that he soon returned with a peace pipe. This he smoked with Mr. Case and then presented it to him as a token of satisfaction. From that time on they remained fast friends. This peace pipe has been recently presented to the Rock Island County Historical Society by Mrs. R. A. McEachron, granddaughter of Mr. Case. The presentation of the pipe is shown in the dramatization of the incident. — 55 — Keokuk, a Chief of the Sacs, and his Son Black Hawk, a War Chief of the Sacs Wednesday June 21st 1831. Spencer's Ride historical note When the Sacs and Foxes became threatening in 183 1 and a general massacre of early settlers seemed imminent, Judge J. W. Spencer visited the scattered homes of the pioneers and warned them of the danger. Whereupon they fled to the protection of Fort Armstrong. This incident is dramatized by having Judge Spencer note a war dance of the Indians around the camp fire and then riding from cabin to cabin giving- warning of the impending danger. This is followed by a flight of the settlers to safety. 1832. Enlistment for the Black Hawk War historical note Pursuant to the call for volunteers by Gov. Reynolds, of Illinois, about 2,000 men enlisted. Among them was Abraham Lincoln. These men were organized into companies, selected their officers, and were sworn in. Abraham Lincoln was elected captain, the first position he filled under the government. Near the present site of Milan the martyred president took his first oath of al- legiance to the United States. This incident is represented by the gathering of recruits at the headquarters of the mustering officer. In accordance with custom the men chose their officers by those nominated taking position and their adherents falling in behind them. 1832. Treaty of the Black Hawk Purchase historical note The prevalence of yellow fever among the troops at Fort Armstrong caused the treaty ending the Second Black Hawk War to be concluded on the site of Davenport. The United States com- missioners were Gen. Winfield Scott and Gov. John Reynolds. The Indians were represented by numerous chiefs, among them Keokuk and Pashapaho of the Sacs, and Poweshiek and Wapello of the Foxes. Antoine Le Claire was interpreter. The eastern portion of Iowa was transferred and has been called the Black Hawk Purchase. A square mile of land now covered by the city of Dav- enport was reserved from transfer and was given to Mrs. Antoine Le Claire by Keokuk. Poweshiek, a Chief of the Foxes, chose village was on the site of the city of Davenport Wapello, a Chief of the Foxes, whose village was on the site of the city of Rock Island Wednesday June 21st The treaty group is made up of commissioners, army officers from the fort, and a few wit- nesses. In this incident is introduced an occurrence of one of' the many treaties of this period — a protest of squaws, who contend that theirs is the ownership of the land as they till the soil. 1841. The First Duel in Iowa historical note Soon after the completion of the handsome Le Claire House in Davenport, in 1839, this com- munity was sought by people from the east and south, who rusticated, hunted on the prairies, and added greatly to the social life of the infant cities. Among the group of transients in 1841 were four young men named Hegner, Sperry, Finch, and Ralston. They attended a dance at the Rock Island House one evening, and Ralston and Hegner quarreled over their rivalry for the smiles of Miss Sophia Fisher, a Davenport belle. The result of the quarrel was a duel on the Iowa side at sunrise, shots being exchanged at twenty paces. Dr. P. Gregg patched up Hegner's right arm, everybody shook hands, and principals and seconds adjourned for a drink at the Le Claire House. The officers of the law chased all concerned in the challenge and duel out of the community. The ball is shown and the dispute because Miss Fisher had promised the same dance to both Ralston and Hegner. The second scene portrays the duel, wherein Ralston offers to compromise, and on refusal promises to wing his antagonist, which he did with entire promptness at the count of three. 1845. Farewell to Col. Davenport by Indian Friends historical note Soon after the murder of Col. George Davenport, his grave near his home on the island of Rock Island was visited by a band of Fox Indians, who performed a strange arid interesting cere- mony of farewell, making use of a post of white cedar. This post is in the collection of the Rock Island County Historical Society. Col. Davenport was presented by his Indian friends with many slaves, these slaves being those killed in battle by the braves taking part in the ceremony of paint- ing the post. The ceremonies as depicted are in accordance with the description of the editor of the Daven- port Gazette, Alfred Sanders, who witnessed the event. — 59 — Logan Ka-ka-que, Grandson of Black Hawk, 19 16 Resides on the Sac Reservation in Oklahoma Se-us-kuk, Son of Black Hawk "The finest looking Indian I ever saw."— Catlin Wednesday June 21st John Brown and the Underground System historical note EVENING John Brown was a visitor to this community during the time when the escape of southern slaves was being aided by the system known as the "Underground Railroad." In the scene a wagon load of colored people is being smuggled to Canada and freedom. Our Country The closing scene of the- afternoon of historical pageantry is meant to typify our pride in the past of our country and our hope in its future. In the tableau appears the impersonation of Lib- erty, her defenders, veterans of the wars in her defense, and the youth upon whom depends the sacred trust of her perpetuity. On one side of the group stands a group of the soldiers of the War of 1812 bearing a banner inscribed, "Fort Armstrong. 1816; Safety of the Pioneer." On the other side is a group of present day soldiers with a banner, "Rock Island Arsenal, 1916; Safety of the Nation." Special Fireworks Display, "Old Mexico," at Exposition Park, Rock Island. — Gl — Man- Ka-ka-que, Great-great-granddaughter of Black Hawk A graduate of Haskell Indian School Jesse Ka-ka-que, Great-grandson of Black Hawk A successful farmer on the Indian Reservation in Jackson County, Kansas Thursday MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING INDUSTRIAL AND FRATERNAL DAY June 22d Martial Session before the grandstand on Main Avenue. Battery B, Iowa National Guard, and companies of Illinois National Guard go through various drills and manuevers. Industrial-Fraternal Parade in all three cities. The workers of the tri-cities, many thousand strong, march through the streets of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline. Practically every labor organization in the tri-cities is represented by a large delegation. Practically every business house and manufactory in the vicinity of the tri-cities have floats, many of them elaborate in detail and built at much expense. The automobile floats parade in all three cities. Each of the 250 lodges of the three cities have invited their brother or- ganizations for several hundred miles around. It is estimated that 5,000 visiting lodgemen, exclu- sive of the state convention of the B. P. O. E. in session in Davenport, are in attendance and will march in the parade. Illuminated River Pageant— "Visit of Neptune to the Father of Waters." The power boat clubs of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline with their four hundred craft of all sizes, shapes, and descriptions, ranging from the champion, "Ugly Duckling," to the scows used by the shell fishers, greet "Neptune" as he makes his voyage of state up the majestic Missis- sippi River. Friday MORNING AFTERNOON YOUNG AMERICA DAY June 23d Children's Parade in each citv. Thousands of children in each of the three c'ties are under the charge of the school superin- tendents. Flag Drills, Field Day Sports, Folk Songs, Baby Pageant, etc., on the Island. MONSTER LIVING FLAG This flag is formed in front of the grandstand and while in formation various choruses are sung. THE MELTING POT An exposition of all nations becoming- Ameri :ans through the American spirit. These various nations will be absorbed by the "Living Flag." EVENING Saturday AFTERNOON FIELD SPORTS, GAMES, ETC. Grand Review composed of the Electrical Spectacular Pageant and the more ambitious entries in the various parades of the week. June 24th Midsummer Fete of the Swedish Societies at Prospect Park, Moline. Part of Indian Memorial Post Placed at the grave of Col. George Davenport by a band of Fox Indians Now in the collection of the Rock Island County Historical Society — 64 — The Fort Armstrong Centennial Association jHE idea of celebrating the Fort Armstrong centenary HP II had been in mind for some months when on Sep- i ' tember 3, 1915, a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Rock Island County Historical Society was held at the home of its secretary, Mr. John H. Hau- berg, with the following members present : Mrs. K. T. Ander- son, Sherman W. Searle, William A. Meese, Joseph B. Oakleaf, Judson D. Metzgar, Orrin S. Holt, Edwin B. McKown, and John H. Hauberg ; and by special invitation, Col. George W. Burr, Commandant at Rock Island Arsenal. The one out- standing purpose in the minds of those present was to use this occasion to bring to the minds of our people the wealth of his- toric interest of our own immediate vicinity. It was resolved at this meeting that the block house which stood at the south angle of Fort Armstrong should be restored, and that the President of the Historical Society, S. W. Searle, should ap- point two men from each of the cities of Davenport, Iowa, Mo- line and Rock Island, Illinois, who, with himself as chairman, should prepare plans for a celebration and report back to the Board of Directors within a month. On this committee were appointed Edward K. Putnam and Harry E. Downer, repre- senting the Historical Section of the Davenport Academy of Sciences ; William A. Meese and Judson D. Metzgar, of Moline, and Orrin S. Holt and John H. Hauberg, of Rock Island. Their report to the Board of Directors of the Rock Island County Historical Society, as adopted, contained the following recom- mendations : That a celebration be held the last full week of June, 1916, on Rock Island, if permission could be bad ; that an organization of one hundred men be effected ; that such proposed organization be incorporated ; that one of the block houses be restored ; that a feature be made of soldiers of the U. S. Army and of the National Guard of Illinois and of Iowa ; that an historic pageant be staged ; that speakers of national prominence be secured ; that civic, fraternal, and commercial bodies be invited to participate ; that we have parades, water carnivals, and fire- works, and that a general home-coming for the three cities be held. It was necessary to have permission of the proper United States authorities to erect the block house ; to hold the celebration on the Island, and to secure United States troops. Our communications in this behalf received in turn the endorsements of George W. Burr, Lt.-Col. Ordnance Department, Commanding; William Crazier, Brig.-Gen., Chief of Ordnance, U. S. A. ; W. M. Wright, Adjutant-General ; E. H. Crowder, Judge Advocate-General ; and by order of the Secretary of War, W. C. Bennett, Adjutant-Gen- eral, and E. B. Babbitt, Col. Ordnance Department, U. S. A. Permission to build the block house and to stage the celebration on the Island was granted, and it was understood that United States troops in considerable force would be sent if foreign relations permitted. Now that the way was clear, the committee of one hundred was called to attend a banquet at the Rock Island Club, where, after a number of stirring addresses, a petition was signed for incorporation, not for pecuniary profit, under the laws of the state of Illinois, and a board of twenty directors elected to take control of the activities of "The Fort Armstrong Centennial As- sociation."' Thursday of each week, dating from January 10, 1916, has seen a meeting of this Board, augmented week after week by the addition of members of committees. George D. Benson, of Chicago, was engaged as director-general, and as the plans de- veloped, the organization increased in momentum and in promise of success. The personnel of officers and committees, who gave of their best that this might be the greatest celebration ever attempted by the three cities jointly, is as follows : Alfred C. Mueller Joe R. Lane C. A. Ficke Col. Geo. W. French W. D. Petersen A. F. Dawson P. T. Walsh J. J. Richardson E. P. Adler Dr. G E. Decker Henry Vollmer W. J. McCullough Paul Lagomarcino H. E. Weeks Oswald Becker Judge Win. Theophilus Judge J. W. Bollinger R. H. Harned N. D. Ely C. N. Voss COMMITTEE DAVENPORT Harry E. Downer Edward K. Putnam Henry Karwarth Fred Lischer W. T. Waterman William Korn Carl E. Schlegel John F. Dow j. W. Bettendorf J. Clark Hall Geo. M. Bechtel I. C. Norwood C. E. Harrison C. W. Pinneo S. H. Moorhead Capt. W. A. Shirk William Heuer Judge Nathaniel French J. H. Hass Charles Shuler OF ONE HUNDRED Col. Geo. W. Burr Col. Cooper Phil Mitchell H. S. Cable Frank Mixter Morris S. Heagy John G. Huntoon F. K. Rhoads B. D. Connelly Chas. J. Larkiri Chas. Esplin H. H. Cleaveland F. C. Denkmann S. S. Davis C. E. Sharpe David Sears, Sears, 111. W. J. Spencer, Sears, 111. ISLAND ARSENAL Maj. D. M. King Capt. A. D. Minnick - - . . J River, gima. t, ., 1 . ,, ,, , , w t1 tt v 1 181 S Sept. 8. Eighth U. S. Infantry, in command of ' Col. R. By the treaty closing the Revolutionary War, the United D _ L T . . , , , „ T . ,,., r , t-> 1 c 1 x ' r ' t- 1 1 .i . ' -^ i Ji G. Nichols, left St. Louis to establish a fort on Rock States secures from England the territory east ot the . . . . - D . Island. Mississippi Kiver. Spain cedes back to France the territory west of the ^15 Sept. 13-14. Treaties with the Missouri River Sacs .and Mississippi River. Foxes at St. Louis. Treaty of 1804 confirmed. France sells to the United States the territory west of .1815 Expedition to build fort on Rock Island goes into winter the Mississippi River — the Louisiana Purchase. quarters at site of Warsaw. — 69 — 1816 May 10. United States troops land on Rock Island to establish Fort Armstrong. Brevet General T. A. Smith with Rifle regiment and Eighth U. S. Infantry under Lt.-Col. William Lawrence. 1818 Illinois admitted as state. 1823 First steamboat arrived. 1825 Col. George Davenport commissioned postmaster. 1826 First house built on Illinois side by Col. George Daven- port and Russell Farnham. Afterward known as "John Barrel House." 1827 Ferry established between Fort Armstrong and Iowa shore by Col. Davenport. 1828 Eight settlers arrive on Illinois side in winter. 1828 Keokuk and followers go to live on Iowa River. BLACK HAWK WARS 183 1 Spring. Black Hawk warns settlers to leave. 1831 April 30. Settlers petition Governor of Illinois for pro- tection from hostile Indians. 183 1 June 20. Illinois militia and U. S. soldiers shell Van- druff's Island, opposite Black Hawk's Watch Tower. 183 1 June 26. Saukenuk burned. 1831 June 30. Treaty at Fort Armstrong with Black Hawk, who agrees to remain west of the Mississippi River. End of the first Black Hawk War. 1832 April 6. Black Hawk and his band cross the Mississippi River at Yellow Banks on their way to Rock River. 1832 Aug. 24. Battle of Bad Ax and capture of Black Hawk ends second Black Hawk War. 1832 Sept. 15. Treaty with Winnebagoes at Fort Armstrong. 1832 Sept. 21. Treaty with Sacs and Foxes on what is now Davenport cedes eastern portion of Iowa, the "Black Hawk Purchase," to the United States. 1833 Antoine Le Claire built "Treaty Site" house in Daven- port. 1833 First frame house built in Davenport by George L. Dav- enport. 1834 Dr. John Emerson, post surgeon, brings his slave, Dred Scott, to Fort Armstrong from St. Louis. 1834 Ferry between Illinois and Iowa shores established by Antoine Le Claire. 1835 Town of Stephenson founded. Settlement had earlier been known as Farnhamsburg. Name changed to Rock Island in 1841. 1836 May 4. Fort Armstrong evacuated. Troops removed to Fort Snelling. 1836 Town of Davenport founded. 1836 Sept. 28. Treaty with Sacs and Foxes at Davenport. Sale of Keokuk reserve, on Iowa River in Southeastern Iowa, 1837 Water power developed by D. B. Sears between island of Rock Island and Illinois shore. 1845 J ur > 7 4- Gol. George Davenport murdered at his home on Rock Island by the "Banditti of the Prairie." 1846 Iowa admitted as a state. 1854 Feb. 22. Chicago & Rock Island Railroad completed. 1854 Oct. 8. Barracks and one block house of Fort Arm- strong burned. 1855 Oct. 7. Another portion of Fort Armstrong burned. 1856 April 21. First train crosses first Mississippi bridge. 1858 John Brown comes to Davenport. Underground rail- way. 1859 May 23. Officers' quarters, Fort Armstrong, destroyed bv fire. 1 86 1 Sept. 25. Death of Antoine Le Claire. CIVIL WAR 1862 July 11. Congress makes appropriation to build national arsenal on island of Rock Island. Work commenced on first arsenal building following year. 1863 Dec. 3. Arrival of the first detachment of Confederate prisoners confined 011 Rock Island. These were captured at Lookout Mountain. Total number during the war was over 12,000. 1865 Present shops of Rock Island Arsenal planned by Gen. T. J. Rodman. 1872 Oct. 2. Second Mississippi bridge completed. 1895 Second bridge replaced by present structure. Black Hawk's Tomahawk Owned by the Rock Island County Historical Society Gen. Winfield Scott, Commander of United States troops in the Black Hawk Wa with headquarters on the island of Rock Island Under Many Flags Iowa Side Illinois Side Mound Builders. Indians. Before 1762. France. 1762-1801. Spain. 1801-1803. France. Since 1803. United. States. 1803-1804. "Louisiana Purchase." 1804-1805. Indiana Territory. 1805-1812. Louisiana Territory. 1812-1821. Missouri Territory. 1821-1834. Unorganized territory. 1832. Ceded by Sues and Foxes. 1834-1836. Michigan Territory. 1836-1838. Wisconsin Territory. 1 838- 1 846. Iowa Territory. Since 1846. Iowa State. Mound Builders. Indians. Before 1763. France. 1763-1783. England. Since 1783. United States. 1783-1788. Claimed by Virginia, Connecticut, and New York. Ceded to Federal Government.. 1788-1800. Northwest Territory. 1800-1809. Indiana Territory. 1804. Ceded by Sacs and Foxes. 1809-1818. Illinois Territory. Since 1818. Illinois State. -73- The John A. Dix, Seventh Engine of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroat Taken over the river on the ice in the winter of 1855 Commandants of Rock Island Arsenal □ n □ MAJ. C. P. KTNGSBERY 1863-1865 GEN. THOMAS J. RODMAN 1865-1871 COL. D. W. FLAGLER 1871-1886 COL. THOMAS G. BAYLOR 1886-1889 COL. J. M. WHITTEMORE 1889-1892 COL. A. R. BUFFINGTON 1892-1897 CAPT. S. E. BLUNT 1897-1907 LT.-COL. F. E. HOBBS 1907-1911 LT.-COL. GEORGE W. BURR 1911 Official Photographei J. B. Hostetler Davenport, Iowa