The City of Davenport, Iowa
Posted by: Hikenutty
N 41° 31.656 W 090° 33.117
15T E 704241 N 4600222
The City of Davenport was established in 1836 in the state of Iowa, adjacent to the Mississippi River.
Waymark Code: WM1Z7T
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 08/07/2007
Views: 42
The following excerpt is from "Iowa: A Guide to the Hawkeye State":
DAVENPORT (559 alt., 60,751 pop.), seat of Scott County and the
third largest city in Iowa stretches along the Mississippi River for nearly
five miles, where the river widens to form Lake Davenport. The business
district, five blocks wide at the center of the city, broadens to almost a mile at the western end, while the residential section spreads over and
beyond the bluffs rising to 160 feet above the level of the business dis
trict. From this lofty land one glimpses the cities across the river in
Illinois Rock Island and Moline, which, with Davenport, form the Tri-
Cities group.
Directly on the bluffs stand the older homes, mansionlike in size and
dignity, although many have been changed into apartment houses. Amid
the winding roads to the northeast the newer homes of the McClelland
Heights neighborhood grace the hills, while many other new and attrac
tive homes border the tree-shadowed drives westward around the edge of
the city.
Several times a year millions of caddis flies, similar to dragon flies,
invade the city from the Mississippi River for their one night of life.
The next day they are shoveled up and dumped into the river by the
truckload. Harmless, but very annoying, they take possession of the city
during their unwelcome visit; people stay indoors and as many street
lights as possible are turned out. These caddis invasions are common to
all the eastern river towns.
In the 65 years since this excerpt was written the city has grown to nearly 100,000, and is no longer one of the tri-cities but instead one of the quad-cities. It still embraces its location alongside the river and is the only city over 20,000 people bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee. They prefer to open the riverfront for parks and vistas that a levee would block. Instead building codes require that any new construction within the floodplain must be elevated above the 100 year flood level or protected with walls.
Notable festivals that take place in the city are the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, dedicated to Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke.
While visiting the towns of Iowa along the Mississipi we experienced both the flooding rain of the region, and the dreaded Caddis fly. The flies attach themselves to anything and the trees turn a black color and branches hang low from the weight of the bugs. Street signs are so thick with the insects that you can't read them. Quite an experience for a Washington State native whose only real pest is a garden slug.
While camping in the area in a tent, we sat out a rainstorm that dropped 4 inches of rain in 6 hours during the night. In the morning our tent was like a waterbed and when packing up several frogs jumped out from under it.
In spite of the bugs, thunder storm, flooding and resulting chigger bites, we would still go back to visit. The people are very friendly and the river valley is beautiful.
The coordinates given are for a nice spot to view the Mississippi River along the Davenport Riverwalk.