Pre-Settlement and Early Years

1767—Black Hawk, son of the Sac chief, is born in Saukenuk, the main village of the Sac people in the junction of the Illinois Rock River and the Mississippi

War of 1812—Black Hawk fights on the side of the British, who have promised him that they will restore the land his people have lost to the Americans. However, frustration and irritation over ineffective British tactics soon cause Black Hawk to abandon his support. Meanwhile, a young Michigan man named Antoine LeClaire fights for America until he is captured by the British. After LeClaire’s release, his impressive linguistic abilities earn him a position as a translator for the United States government.

circa 1814-1816--Fort Armstrong is built on Mississippi Island, which is named ‘Rock Island” (now familiarly called ‘Arsenal Island)

1816--George Davenport comes upriver to Fort Armstrong, to provide supplies to the Army. Antoine LeClaire is sent by the government to be his translator.

1831-August 27, 1832--the Black Hawk War is fought between the Sac tribe and the United States over land ownership.

September 21, 1832--the Black Hawk Treaty is signed. Keokuk presented a gift of land to Marguerite LeClaire, wife of Antoine LeClaire, on the condition that she and her husband live on the site of the treaty.

1833—In the spring, Antoine LeClaire finishes his house, called the ‘Treaty House,” on the bank of the Mississippi River near the exact spot where the Black Hawk Treaty was signed.

1833—Doctor John Emerson and his slave, Dred Scott, move to Fort Armstrong, where they live for a few years

1833—Antoine LeClaire is appointed first postmaster of Davenport

1833—The first new settlement in the newly vested Scott County is made by Captain Benjamin W. Clark, near the present town of Buffalo, Iowa.

1834—Antoine LeClaire establishes the first ferry service between Davenport and the town of Stephenson, Illinois (the present day city of Rock Island).

May 14, 1836--Davenport platted and named

October 3, 1838—Black Hawk dies

1839—Rodolphus Bennet is elected the first mayor of Davenport.

1840—Davenport wins final election to become county seat, beating Rockingham

1841—The Davenport Gazette weekly newspaper is established by the Sanders & Davis Company

October 1842--first courthouse built on Bolivar Square in Davenport

1843—John Emerson dies of consumption in Davenport and is buried in Davenport Memorial Cemetery. Dred Scott subsequently sues for his freedom, claiming that because he lived for so many years in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory—‘free soil’ areas—he was a free man. The courts decide in 1857 that blacks are not citizens and therefore cannot sue for freedom. They also decide that a state or territory cannot take ‘property’ legally held in other states. Dred Scott remains a slave.

July 4, 1845—George Davenport is murdered

1847—First banking house in Davenport is opened by Ebenezer Cook and George Sargent

1848—The Democratic Banner newspaper is established by T. D Eagal. It is later renamed the Davenport Democrat, after politically aligning with the Democratic Party

1850—The first district school in Davenport opens. It is taught by James Thorington

1851—The Mississippi River floods, reaching a crest of 18.2 feet.

1851—The first resident daguerrean artist (who made portraits using a very early form of photography) in Davenport, O. L. Burdick, sets up shop.

1852—First gaslights appear in Davenport’s commercial district, run by the Davenport Gas Company

1853—The first telegraph office in Davenport opens

1853--St. Anthony’s Catholic Church is built on the corner of Fourth and Main.

February 22, 1854—The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad is completed, uniting the Atlantic Coast with the Mississippi River.

July 20, 1854—A tornado passes through Davenport, blowing down several residences, partially damaging the LeClaire Foundry and killing one worker, and completely destroying Wickersham’s new store, a three story brick building.

October 16, 1854—The Davenport Gazette becomes a daily newspaper, Davenport’s first.

July 20, 1855—The first locomotive in Iowa arrives in Davenport. It is named the “Antoine LeClaire,” and railroad track begins to be laid two and a half miles outside the city proper.

August 23, 1855—The gas lighting is first used in Davenport.

1855—Der Demokrat, a German language newspaper, begins publication in Davenport under the hand of Theo Guelich.

1855—The Academy of Immaculate Conception is established on a ten-acre lot just outside Davenport by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary

1855—Antoine LeClaire gives the Treaty House to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad as the first railroad depot in Davenport

July 16, 1856—Fire breaks out in a warehouse owned by Hull, Allen, and Company on Fronts Street near Rock Island Street (later Pershing Street). Three other buildings, a bakery, a two-story brick building, and a home, are also destroyed. Costs are estimated at $15,000, making this the worst fire Davenport has ever seen.

October 3, 1856—The Davenport City Council passes an ordinance to establish a permanent city fire company, to be paid on a per fire basis. Two fire engines, two hose-carts, and 1,500 feet of hose are authorized for purchase.

1856--The first railroad bridge is built over the Mississippi, between Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. The same year, the Effie Afton riverboat crashes into a piling, causing the steamboat company to sue the railroad for obstructing the river. The railroad company hires Springfield, Illinois, lawyer Abraham Lincoln. In 1862, the Supreme Court ruled in “Hurd vs. the Railroad Bridge Company” that if a bridge is for public use and enough room if left for navigation, it is not an obstruction. New bridges were soon built up and down the Mississippi.

May 29, 1857—Two fire engines arrive in Davenport for the city’s new fire company. Costing $3,400, and each able to throw a stream of water 200 feet from a 1.25 inch nozzle, they are dubbed the “Pilot” and the “Witch.”

July 6, 1857—Fire breaks out on Brady Street between 4^th and 5^th Streets, destroying 13 wood frame houses and stores.

September 28, 1857—The first town clock in Davenport is put up by the Cook & Sargent banking house, in front of their business

1857—Mount Ida Female Seminary is opened on the bluff between Bridge and College Avenues.

January, 1858—The Pioneer Settlers’ Association of Scott County is organized

February 22, 1858—The Burtis Opera House opens for business on the corner of 5^th and Iowa Streets in Davenport.

1858—The Davenport City School System is organized. Previous to this, very few eligible children attended the available free schools in the Davenport area. Available buildings, many of them former private schools, serve as public grammar schools, which are identified by number. Abraham S. Kissell is appointed Superintendent of Davenport Schools and Scott County schools, becoming the first school superintendent in Iowa.

1858—A Teacher’s Training School, the third in the United States, is established in Davenport, to ensure a supply of qualified teachers for Davenport schools. Classes are taught out of whichever of the grammar schools has extra room.

1858—The first tracheotomy operation in Davenport is performed by Doctors Adler, Fountain, and Maxwell on a young son of Mr. D. B. Shelley.

March 21, 1860—The Davenport city hospital on Locust Street is destroyed by fire. Officials suspect arson.

September 12, 1860— James B. Caldwell forfeits his position as elected mayor of Davenport by moving outside the city limits.

1860—Grammar School #2 (later Adams School), at the corner of 7^th and Perry Streets, serves as the first public high school in Davenport for the next four years

1860—The Episcopal Diocese of Davenport uses the former buildings of Iowa College (which moved to Grinnell, Iowa) to house Griswold College.