Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-10
GROWTH OF ROCK ISLAND.
Due In q Large Measure to Natural Advan-
tages With Which il is Endowed.


f. III. Guyer, in his address at the
dedication of the new reservoir, re-
lated many interesting points con-
corning the development of Rock ISL
and, all of which, for lack of space,
i The ARGUS was unable to publish at
the time. but is happy now for the
opportunity to use some of the good
things to which Mr.. Guyer gave ut
Iterance In part his address follows:
The history of the development of
the Mississippi valley is confined to
the century about to close. This
century's beginning saw the greater
part of this valley dependency of
secured it for the young republic.
The Indian titles to the east bank
were secured bv the treaty of St.
Louis negotiated in 1904 by William
Henry Harrison. The first American
by Lieut. Pike in 1905 at the Indian
village on Rock river a few miles from
where we are now standing.
Naturally the steps toward devel-
oping this vast territory were for
many years few and far between, and
each of insignificant Importance. The
first important step taken at this
point was the building of Fort Arm
strong at the foot of the rivers finest
island, after which our city takes it's
name of Rock Island. This fort con-
sisting of several block houses over
hanging The rocky point of the island,
built in 1916, for many years was the
most picturesque structure on the
entire course of the river. 1t furnish
ed protection from the Indians, of
whom there were at least 10000 in
this county, and encouraged the set
Element in it's Immediate neighbor-
hood of the first hardy and venture
some pioneers, who were very few in
in numbe till after the close of the
Black Hawk war in 1881. Gradually
thereafter settlers came in. Col. Dav-
export had located here in 1917 and
built a house on the west bank
| of the island. Russell Farnham,
who founded the town of Warsaw.
came here in 1924, and in 1926 built
the house in front of the Cable resi-
dence, afterward famous in the early
annals of Rock Island county as the
House of John Barrell,' where the
first court was held after the organ
.ization of the county and where the
| postoffice was established in 1884.
This house and the few houses built
around it, and which / well remem-
| Der, was known as Farnhansburg.
The first entry of land in this
| county was made October 10, 1929,
by George Davenport and Russell
Farnhan and included the section of
| land on which we are now standing.
The records at that time were kept at
Galena, as this was then a
part of 10 Davisess county. Will
liam Carr entered the farm on
Rock river which George Nj. Lukens
now owns on October 20, 1929. In
1888 John w. Spencer entered the
land in South Rock Island on which the
Shindler farm is now situated. In
the years 1885 and 1886 a large num-
Der of entries were made and in the
latter year Jonah III. Case entered the
land from which there were afterwards
plated Spencer e Cases addition,
Bailey and Boyle's addition and
several others.
lin 1888. in pursuance of an act of
the legislature, Rock Island county
was organized. and in 1885 perman-
ent county seat was selected and the
town of Stephenson plated by the
county commissioners. The town was
named after the receiver of the land
office at Galena, but as he subsequent
ly became a defaulter, the early in
habitants did not like to retain the
name of Stephenson. The first houses
were built by Miles Conway on the
lots where now stands the residence
of Fred Hass, and to one of these
houses the postoffice was soon remov-
ed. The first court house was built
in 1886. The town of Rock Island
came into being by special act of the
legislature in 1871.
The stream of travel by way of
the great lakes in passing overland
found it's natural and most direct
course from the southern extremity
of Lake Michigan to this point, so
that here was the intersection of the |
east and west stream of travel with !
the north and south stream of travel, |
making it natural point for the CEN
tering of commerce, and when the !
railroads pushed westward it was |
most natural for them first to follow |
the lines of travel already developed |
and partially settled. So it happened |
that the first railroad to- the Missis |
sippi river was built to this point;
and here the first bridge spanned the
mighty river, enabling the railroad to |
cross and reach out over the CONT |
nent to the Pacific ocean. The great |
commercial advantage of location at |
the very point of intersection of the
east and west movement of trade |
with the north and south movement, |
together with the water power and |
abundant fuel, and surroundings the |
most picturesque and beautiful on |
the entire river, are the great under
lying causes for the growth of the |
city at this point
Glorious News
Comes from DR.. ID. B. Cargile, of
Washita, /. L. He writes: -Four |