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Quad Cities History: From Lincoln to Lee to Looney

Instructor: Dr. Arthur Pitz

Dr. Arthur Pitz has a PhD in History from Northern Illinois University. He is retired from Black Hawk College but continues to teach part time at Augustana. He’s been interested in and presented about local history for many years.

Program dates: June 23-28, 2013

Program cost: $750

Includes lodging, all meals and any field trips. Students arrive on campus Sunday, June 23, and depart Friday, June 28.

Course description

Find out why you might want to pay attention to the history of the Quad-City area. What IS important about this region? You will have some local adventures visiting some historical places relating to War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. You will also learn about the famous and infamous people who visited or lived in the area (Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and gangster John Looney to name a few). If you like American history, this program is for you.

Tentative schedule

Sunday, June 23

  • Check-in
  • Welcome reception

Monday, June 24

  • Get to know one another and then become acquainted with the geography and resources of this part of the U.S. Why would anyone come here? And stay?
  • What about the Rock Island Rapids, Black Hawk State Park, Arsenal Island and Coal Valley? Why did the cities of Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, and Leclaire come to be named as they are?
  • Lunch
  • The Sauk, Fox and Saukenuk. We’ll travel to Black Hawk State Historic Site and Museum. Find out about the War of 1812’s impact locally: Fort Armstrong and the Black Hawk War.
  • • Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee all were in this vicinity. Why?

Tuesday, June 25

  • Visit the homes of George Davenport and Antoine LeClaire, and John Deere’s grave
  • Lunch
  • Coming of the Railroad: The first transcontinental R.R. actually came through here. What was the Grand Excursion? What in the world was the Effie Afton case all about?
  • Lincoln, Dred Scott and John Brown in the area

Wednesday, June 26

  • Bloodlines: the Civil War and its impact here. Film: Rock Island Prison: Andersonville of the North. Trip to Chippiannock Cemetery in Rock Island for a Civil War Walking Tour. The Weyerhaeuser House right on Augie’s campus. Who was he? Why is there a Denkmann Building on this campus and a Denkmann Elementary School nearby? Why did Augustana College and the Rock island Arsenal get established here? Who was Annie Wittenmyer?
  • Lunch
  • Industrialization of this region, and the evolution of its name. Phebe Sudlow, became the first female superintendent of public schools in 1874 - right here in Davenport. She was paid the same as a male’s salary. Which ethnic groups came here and when and why? We’ll explore the German American Heritage Center.

Thursday, June 27

  • Visit to the Putnam Museum to tour the Black Earth Big River and River, Prairie and People exhibits. Tour St. Ambrose University campus
  • Lunch
  • WWI and WWII. WWI locally and the Flu Epidemic. Discover gangster John Looney’s troubles in the area. How did the Great Depression impact this area? How about the W.P.A. and C.C.C.-did they leave a visible legacy? Why did the Tri Cities come to be called the Quad Cities? What was the QC like during WWII and after? The GI Bill and Black Hawk College.

Friday, June 28

  • The Civil Rights Movement had a home-grown component. Find out about how it developed in Davenport. Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. also came here. We’ll see some Civil Rights Historical Markers in Davenport. Then, we’ll discuss how much of the industrial base in the QC self-destructed — International Harvester, Case IH, Caterpillar.
  • Lunch
  • The QC reinvents itself: tour John Deere Commons and iwireless Center; end at Quad Cities Convention Bureau and Center.