QC PastPort Sign Development

INTRODUCTION

After being priced out of Portland, Oregon, my partner and I moved back to my hometown in the Quad Cities in 2016. Residents were surprised by our choice, skeptical we could find things of interest here after living in a Big City. When I moved away to college in 2007, I might have agreed. However, after a decade in three different cities, I've come to believe every hometown can seem mundane if you stop exploring.

For instance, I frequented Caffe392 in Davenport for two years before realizing it was next to a pro-wrestling gym. It took me another year to discover both were founded by WWE’s Seth Rollins. Months later, my sister was surprised when I didn’t know Seth Rollins was Colby Lopez, a boy we went to school with at Walcott Intermediate and Davenport West High.

The key, I've learned, is to appreciate your surroundings like a tourist. You’ll want to see the sights, visit the museums, and learn the history. The Quad Cities delivers Big City quality on all those fronts, but the history is what QC PastPort focuses on. Because our local history is endangered.

NEED

Natalie Linville-Mass moved to the area and founded her marketing business in 2001. Her interest in history led her to join the Rock Island County Historical Society when she was 27 years old. She was easily the youngest member. She wondered, how would the archival efforts of the Society continue? Would younger generations lose access to the knowledge and artifacts of the area?

This was the spark of an idea which would become QC PastPort. Our goal is to make the history of this area available to all our residents and visiting tourists for years to come.

OUR PLAN

There are three main pieces our fundraising goal will go towards:

We are already well into this project, having erected 21 signs and with plans for 8 more. The final form of QC PastPort includes equipping each Destination with a uniquely designed stamper. The PastPort booklet will have dedicated space for each destination’s stamp, much like a real passport. Rewards will be available for explorers who collect every stamp!

These goals are all dependent on funding, however. In addition to community support from this page, we are pursuing grants and investors to help us actualize the full scope of our project.

HISTORY

What makes the area’s history so interesting, you ask? Here are a few highlights:

1. Native American History: Before European settlement, the Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) tribes lived along the Mississippi River in what is now Iowa. They thrived in the area for centuries, thanks to its rich resources for farming, fishing, and trading. The Black Hawk War of 1832, led by Sauk leader Black Hawk, was a pivotal event, forcing these tribes out of their ancestral lands. Today, place names and cultural references help preserve their history and highlight their role in shaping the region’s identity.

2. Annie Wittenmyer: At the outbreak of the Civil War, 34 year-old Annie Wittenmyer devoted herself to relief work. She organized local aid societies to gather and distribute hospital supplies and was later appointed as a state sanitary agent. Her high standards for sanitation improved hospitals and kitchens nationwide. Nicknamed the “Angel of the Civil War,” she founded the Annie Wittenmyer Home in 1865 for orphaned children of soldiers. She managed the home and traveled across Iowa to seek support, honoring promises she made to soldiers to care for their families.

3. Dred Scott Case: As an enslaved African American, Dred Scott, did live in this area during a critical period. His owner took him from Missouri (a slave state) to Illinois (where slavery was prohibited), leading to his famous lawsuit seeking freedom. The Supreme Court's decision in 1857 denied his citizenship rights and inflamed tensions over slavery in the United States.

4. Lumber Barons: Sawmills created huge amounts of jobs and resources for the Quad Cities area during the 1800s. This lead to the rise of lumber barons like Frederick Weyerhauser: wealthy and influential owners who oversaw the business of floating logs down from Wisconsin to be cut and shipped across the country by rail.

5. Immigrant Stories: Diversity is one of the Quad Cities’ greatest assets. From the 1840s to 1900, many immigrants settled there, establishing large Belgian, German, and Swedish communities. African Americans migrated to the free states of Iowa and Illinois leading up to and during the Civil War, and Mexican and Eastern European immigrants began arriving in the early 1900s for rail yard work. These immigrant communities built thriving neighborhoods, businesses, and places of worship.

6. Rock Island Arsenal, IL: Originally a summer camp for the Sauk Tribe, Rock Island became the site of Fort Armstrong after the War of 1812 brought conflict to nearby Credit and Campbell’s Islands. This fort was later expanded and used for housing Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. By the 1880s, the island's facilities were converted into an arsenal and ordnance manufacturer. Women like local Martha Wahe lived the true “Rosie the Riveter” life working the munitions factory during World War II.

These are just a few instances of the titanic levels of innovation and change within the Quad Cities, right under our feet. From jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke to the last days of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, there’s much more to discover in the rich and diverse tapestry of Quad Cities history!

CHALLENGES

If you’ve seen Parks & Recreation, you have an idea of the wringer community projects go through to gain funding, permits, and appreciation. (If you haven’t, this supercut is a good primer.)

Apart from the base costs of the signs, we have permits to organize, printing and sign fabrication to fund, the website to run, and ongoing research. We’ve also experienced difficulties with sign maintenance, including storm damage and vandalism. These challenges raise the cost of completing our project and hamper our overall progress.

SUPPORT

We need the support of our community to fully realize QC PastPort. Donations are much appreciated and go directly towards sign maintenance, continued app. development, and the creation of our PastPort Booklet. All supporters of this campaign can expect a heartfelt thank you and recognition on our website. Please include your address to receive a PastPort booklet when they are printed!

Thank you for your interest in exploring the Quad Cities: past, present, and future.

–Grey Allison, QC PastPort