Circus Day – Second Avenue
Second Avenue W from 18th Street Oh, the excitement! On Rock Island’s normally staid downtown streets, where men wore suits and a woman was never seen without a hat, there were lions and tigers and bears…..and elephants. The circus was in town! As early as 1857, the Spaulding & Rogers circus arrived on nine cars … [ Continued
Long View Park Helen Horst Memorial Pool
Long View Park Rock Island’s location at the junction of two major rivers is enviable. But rivers are a mixed blessing, especially where children are concerned. Playing or swimming in the river currents can be treacherous, as it was for 6-year old Helen Margaret Horst. On the morning of August 24, 1912, no one noticed … [ Continued
J. E. Janes’ Restaurant
1810 Second Avenue If the holidays find you in charge of providing a nice meal for many unacquainted people, take a tip from the Janes family. In their restaurant, shown on this unused postcard from Shannon Hall, they managed to create cozy and private dining settings at long group tables in a crowded space. The … [ Continued
Harms Hotel Tap Room
18th Street at First Avenue Before we explain our postcard today, we must tell you a bit about Rock Island’s Hotel Harms. In the near future we will give the hotel that opened in 1902 and once stood on the southwest corner of 18th Street and First Avenue a column all its own. The hotel … [ Continued
