Questions about Quad Cities
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why is the Quad Cities called Quad Cities if there are five cities?
The name Quad Cities dates to the 1930s, when East Moline was added to the original Tri-Cities grouping of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline. When Bettendorf later grew large enough to be considered a fifth equal city following the opening of an Alcoa plant in 1948, the name Quad Cities had already spread widely enough beyond the region that renaming it Quint Cities never caught on, despite efforts by WOC-TV and others. Local officials chose an inclusive approach, keeping the name while recognizing all five cities.
What role did Abraham Lincoln play in Quad Cities history?
Abraham Lincoln served as the trial lawyer for the Rock Island Railroad Company in Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Company, a case that arose after a steamboat owner crashed the Effie Afton into the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River on the 6th of May, 1856. Lincoln took the case to the United States Supreme Court and won, and the trial is described as pivotal in his career. Veteran river pilot Phillip Suiter was one of his key witnesses.
What is the history of the Tri-Cities Blackhawks basketball team?
The Tri-Cities Blackhawks played in the National Basketball League from 1946 and joined the NBA when the two leagues merged in 1949. Hall of famer Red Auerbach coached the team during their first NBA season. After the 1950-51 season the franchise moved to Milwaukee, then to St. Louis, and eventually became the Atlanta Hawks.
When was the first NFL game ever played and where was it?
The first NFL game ever was played by the Rock Island Independents at Douglas Park in Rock Island in September 1920. The Independents were a charter member of the National Football League that year, and the franchise operated from 1907 to 1926. Football legend Jim Thorpe was a member of the team in 1924.
What is the population of the Quad Cities metropolitan area?
As of 2023, the Quad Cities metropolitan area had an estimated population of 467,817, with a Combined Statistical Area population of 474,019, making it the 90th-largest CSA in the nation. The 2020 census recorded a population of 384,324 for the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which covers Scott County in Iowa and Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island counties in Illinois.
Who was Black Hawk and what is his connection to the Quad Cities?
Black Hawk was a 19th-century war chief of the Sauk people, born at Saukenuk, the principal Sauk village located in what is now Rock Island, Illinois. He led the Sauk and their allies in the Black Hawk War of 1832, which ended with a treaty signed in Davenport in which chief Keokuk and General Winfield Scott negotiated the cession of six million acres of land. Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island preserves part of historic Saukenuk and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.