Iowa/Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa / Rock Island, Illinois (May 2020)

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The great thing about the Mississippi River is that you can cross it and go to different states easily. So we went from Iowa to Illinois. Unfortunately, many of the murals don’t have names or artists.

the Great Mississippi River
Great sympolism
Love the colors
First Train to Cross the Mississippi – Rock Island, IL
in Murals
Muralist Bill Gustafson of Rock Island
This mural is on the South Wall of the Bettendorf K&K True Value Hardware store on 18th Street, Bettendorf, IL. It was painted by youths from Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program. The question is “Who knew Joseph Bettendorf was purple?” Joseph Bettendorf, one of the two brothers for whom the city is named, and the one who is credited with building Bettendorf Axle Co. into the largest railroad car shop west of the Mississippi. There also is a train, another reference to the Bettendorf brothers, blue swirls indicative of the Mississippi River, drawings of the existing and future Interstate 74 bridges and tools and hardware representing K&K.
This was a mural about the Bettendorf brothers in a neighborhood. Artist: Not listed
Since you couldn’t read the writing on the above picture you can see it here. (and look they are not purple. lol)
“My … compass resets to the fierce magnetism of the ….silver streak Mississippi” (Yep, we can’t read all the words.)
Black Hawk Mural. This six-story mural is on the side of the VanDerGinst Law Building which was built in 1908 and recently converted into an apartment building. The painting uses a technique called “trompe l’oeil” which literally means “tricks your eye”. This mural is starting to flack and losing its pristine look unfortunately.

Mississippi Mermaid at Lincoln Road and 18th Street in Bettendorf. Artist is Madelynn Vogt, 19.
Mural at Douglas Park on 9th Street and 16th Street in Rock Island on the side of the concession stand. This was painted by Metro Arts Students as part of a Quad City Arts program. This was the site of the first National Football League game.
This sign is at the foot of the Government Bridge and was designed by Johnnie Cluney. It was painted where the original sign was as shown below.
In this 1938 photograph, the former “Welcome to Davenport” sign is visible at the foot of the Government Bridge in downtown Davenport. The Davenport Rotary Club used the slogan, “Davenport, where the West begins,” to promote the city in the 1920s. 
This was inside of a parking garage at a hospital.
BIX7 Runners
Daniel K. Hayes, Quad-City Times Editor
Bix Beiderbecke  (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist, and composer who the Bix7 is named after. On the right is Ed Froehlich, Bix 7 race director for 31 years.
Bill Wundram, longtime Quad-City Times columnist

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