The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-02-15
ROCk IsLAND--Irs PAST, PRESENT
AND FUTURE--THE ARSGNALoF
THE NORTHWEST.


.ssooiations which connected 1t with Black
Hawk his tribe and his race, and with the
brief but bloody border warfare, which gave
10 Fort Armstrong some sort OF sanctlty as
nlace where blood might have been split ana
scalps taken if contingencies easily lmagiheo
had but arisen, or fancies been sustained hy /
facts. Here WAS the sacred retreat Oh tue |
stern old Sac warrior. and the playground oil
the children of his tribe, undissurbeo by tns |
white mans tread, until Fort Armstrong was
erected, in 1916, and the anger OF BLACK +,
Hawk thereby provoked as expressed In his
we'll known coon plant, in which he said:
..ue did not. however, object to their building
,he fort q the Island, but were very sorry, as
this was the best Island on the Mississippi, and
had long been the resort of our Young people
during the summer. It was eur garden, tilke the
white people have near their big villages when
supplied us with strawberries, blaekberries,
plums, apples and nuts OF various kinds; ana It's
waters supplied We with pure hsh, being situated
in the rapids of the river. In nay early me,
spent many happy days on this Island A gooo
shirt had care OF it, who lived IN i cave IN the
rocks Immediately under the place where the Tort
now stands, and has often been seen by our PEG
ple He was white with large wings like Stcan'S,
but ten times larger. We were particular not to
make much noise in that part OF the island when
he inhabited, for fear oil disturbing him. But the
noise OF the tort has since driven him away, ana
no doubt bad spirit has taken his place a.
10 these fec0IlecsiOus Vi ooPeAsSo AANA~-
eIory, nothing but the bloody murder OF Col.
Davsnport WAS added to awaken interest IN
the locality or its history, until IN 1894 1t
was found that here was q good point Tor d
railroad bridge and the Island good resting
pisce for one end of the structure. bat
thereafter travellers looked out OF the car
window. as they crossed the historic tract,
onlv 10 see the ruins Of the old fort or the
Davenport residence, and retained no Fecoi
lection of the Island itself, save the impress
sion that it was in the main dreary waste
of tangled timber growth and grass covered
rock Tourists occasionally visited the lori
and the cave at the rivers edge below, and
that was all. In go and '6l attention was
directed TO the fact that of all localities IN
the northwest Rock Island was the place Tor
a United States arsenal, and in consequence
of the efforts then made by a few enterprIs
ing citizens of Rock Island and Davenport,
congress was made TO see the advantages
here offered for such an establishment and
the arsenal was ordered TO be here erected -
Then followed the occupation OF the main
part of the Island by officers sent there for
thst purpose by the ordnance department;
Major C. P. kingsbury, q. S. A. being plac-
ed in command, a1d by him the erection OF
the large and fine store structure soon TO ba
com pleted at the lower end OF the Island was
commented. Meanwhile, and before the cree
ton of the arsenal building had actually be
gun the war department ordered the astab-
lishment of @ rebel prison on the Island
This opened new history to the locaIt. and
vested the Island with new interest. During
the closing months of 1862 and the first quer
ter of 1854 miniature city sprang up in the
very center of the Island, and the before IN
tsequented and almost ImpenetTable woods
hustled with busy life and activity. linen
followed, under the energetic management II
Cant Reynoids, the erection OF buildings,
construction OF roads, the cleaning Oh grounds
and the admirable system o. Improvements
by which the Island 10 tha vicinity OF tJe
rebel barracks was converted INTO the most
charming of summer resorts. as was fully APP
preciated by pic ME parties, 6i, last sum
mer and fall, until it became necessary for
the serurity of the government property-0rd-
nance stores. &o.-to close the Island against
the public.
The most important history of the Islaad,
however. will and does date from the time
when the war department directed Gen Rod
man, Z. 5. A., the distinguished inventor UI
the 'tRodman gum to assume command o!
the Island, to prepare and recommends COM
plese system OF improvements Tor arsenal pur-
poses. Gen. Rodman arrived on the Island
IN September last, and shortly thereafter en-
tered on the performance of his duties
Having recently had opportunity to zee some
of the results already accomplished, and to
make full examination Of the very elabor-
ate plan prepared by Gen. Rodman, we can
now explain TO our readers what are TO be
the principal features of
THE FUTURE ARSENAL OF THE NORTHWEST.
This arsenal, Gen. Rodman designs. shall
IN fact embrace the whole Of Rock Island
within its bounds. except the small strip
which will be required by the railroad and
public carriage and foot bridges which form d
part of his plan. The xtreme length of the
Island is Is $50 feet; its width at the widest
part about 4,0O0 feet; the whole embracing
an area of 900 acres.
The whole of this area was thoroughly sur.
Veyed last summer and it is on the topo.
graphical map of this survey that Gen. Rod
man bases his plans. This map shows in
curved lines the precise altitude of each part
of the Island above low water mark, at each
ascent or descent of three feet Thus, in de-
Gliding on the location of given building, the
exact relation, as to height, it's site will bear
TO any other part of the Island is seen at a
glance. From this map we learn that the
water OF the Mississippi &C the upper east
ern end of the Island is g feet 5 inches high.
or than at the railroad bridge, The head of
water at the existing dam on the north side
OF the Island, at the east end, is 3 feet inch
es at the dam TO be erected on the south
side, under Gen. Rodman's plan at C. point
several yards below the present Moline dam,
the head of water will be 5 feet inches
1t il at the point whore the Island is wild
est and about the centre of the extreme length,
that Gen. Rodman proposes to erect all the
arsenal buildings proper. There is an eleva
ted plateau, ranging from 3 to Al feet above
low water mark. and Offering room for the
erection Of q mile Of buildings. This area
embraces all the buildings erected for the use
Of the rebel prison. officers quarters, &C., and
is the most beautiful part of the Island. The
l.. L. CLl-A Il. l-L