The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-13

briefly stated, will be of interest in this
connection. Rock Island was surveyed
and reached the stage of active life un>
der the name of Stephenson. The plat
was originally recorded July 10, 1885,
and is certified to by Joseph Conway,
clerk, of the county commissioners
court. The plat comprised twenty blocks
in addition to the public square in which
the court house now stands Stephenson
having been decided as the county seat in
the early part of that year by commis>
sioners appointed to locate it by the leg
islature, and it was moved here from
Farnamsburg where it was first situated
In March, 1S41, the general assembly
passed an act incorporating and changing
the name of the town to that of Rock
Island, and by this act the boundaries of
the town were made to include call that
portion Of land contained within the lin
its of the town Of Stephenson, and all the
additions thereto as of record in the re-
corder's Office in the county OF Rock ISL
and" A number Of additions had been
made between the time of the incOrpora-
lion of the town and the changing of its
name, and about seventy additions have
since been added. extending the corpora
t;ruita fntr rnIlas ar q
mile and quarter in average width and
three and half miles in length. In 1871
Rock Island was incorporated as town,
and continued in that form Of govern
ment until 1S49, when city charter was
adopted by vote of the people.
Rock Island is situated on the Illinois
side of the Mississippi river, about half
way between St. Louis and ST. Paul and
at the confluence of Rock river with a
water power of thrice the volume Of the
Merrimac at Lowell, Mass. In front of
the upper part of the city is the island of
Rock Island on which is situated the
United States Arsenal and Armory built
since the war, and the largest national es>
Enlistment of the kind in the world. This
/ island is connected with the Illinois and
Iowa shores by means Of iron bridges, for
wagons and trains, owned and controlled
by the government the wagon way being
open 10 the public free of charge. The
famous Moline water power, improved in
the most substantial manner by the gov
eminent, is on the south side Of this ISL
and. The city is the western terminus of
the proposed Hennepin canal, to connect
the Mississippi with the chain OF lax es
and the Atlantic seaboard, and which will
be described further on. The city has a
population of about $4,000, while there
are SO, 600 inhabitants within radius OF
fire miles. In his well known and relia-
able work entitled "'rhrse Cities and
Rock Island Arsenal" Mr.. B. F. Til
linghast says of the city;
Rock Island is one of the best known
cities in the west, its business for many
years having been large. Giving its name
to leading railroad, it has been carried
far and wide. 1t possesses the elements
of prosperity, and the enterprise to use
them. Its growth has been steady, every
gain made beng held. The location of
the city is in the center of fertile agri-
cultural and productive mineral country.
1t Is at the western extremity of the Isl
and, on the Illinois side. South of the
level plain upon which the city rests. the
scene Is broken by wooded bluffs. afford,
ing many sloping lawn. In its own
limits are extensive establishments for
the manufacture OF plows and cutivators.
window glass, stoves, saws, soap, lumber.
sash and doors, wagons and Carriages
crackers, foundries and machine shops,
pork packing. childrens carriages,