In the 1960s it was quirky, fun to use,
a time-warp full of antique books and librarians.
Julie Jensen McDonald published Pathways to the Present in 50 Iowa and Illinois Communities, 1977. The book began as a series of articles in the Quad-City Times. I will label posts with the book name when I borrow the content. If anyone has history books about Moline, I would love to borrow them.
The first settlers came to the Moline area in 1829.
A wooden dam was built in 1841, "across Sylvan Slough to Arsenal Island," providing water power for the future industrial city. (Pathways, p. 191)
Moline got its name from the French word for mill, Moulin. There was a red sawmill on the dam, so we could have been famous as the Moulin Rouge. Instead, we became the Moline Maroons. That hurt our self-esteem, especially since Bugs Bunny was known for saying, with disdain, "What a maroon!"
Moline's fame came from a blacksmith arriving in 1848 to manufacture his plow.
John Deere is still known for its quality. Many Moline alumni are associated with the company.
Deere Headquarters will never be dated.
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