The City of Davenport, Iowa - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

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.