“History of Early Davenport" at the German American Heritage Center -- June 22.
Sunday, June 22, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
With the latest program in the venue's popular "Kaffee and Kuchen" series, patrons of the German American Heritage Center are invited to learn about the settlement and development of a specific piece of the Mississippi River Valley in History of Early Davenport, presenter Richard Rowe's June 22 event delivering special focus on the life of Colonel George Davenport, and proving that the origins and early history of the Quad Cities are rich with stories.
Born George William King, George Davenport (1783-1845) was a 19th-century English-American sailor, frontiersman, fur trader, merchant, postmaster, U.S. Army soldier, Indian agent, and city planner. A prominent and well-known settler in the Iowa Territory, he was one of the earliest settlers in Rock Island, and spent much of his life involved in the early settlement of the Mississippi Valley and the Quad Cities.
Davenport was born in 1783 in Lincolnshire, England, becoming an apprentice to his uncle, a merchant captain, and going to sea at an early age. During the next several years, he visited ports in the Baltic as well as in France, Spain, and Portugal. In the fall of 1803, shortly after arriving with a cargo from Liverpool, Davenport was arrested with the rest of his crew while in port at St. Petersburg when the Czarist Russian government acceded to Napoleon's embargo on British vessels (the "Continental System"). Davenport was imprisoned until the spring when he was released and allowed to return to his home country.
In the spring of 1816, after being discharged from the army, Davenport accompanied Colonel Lawrence, as an army supplier, for an expedition to Rock Island, where Fort Armstrong was established. After he was discharged, Davenport became a successful merchant and traded with the local tribes in the Illinois and Iowa territories for several years. Soon after his arrival, he built a double log cabin. This was the first permanent residence built in the Rock Island-area, from which grew into a small frontier town. Years later, Antoine Le Claire founded Davenport on May 14, 1836, naming it for his friend Colonel George Davenport.
History of Early Davenport will be presented at Davenport's German American Heritage Center on June 22, with refreshments for this “Kaffee und Kuchen” event served at 1:30 p.m. and Russell and Richard Rowe's program beginning at 2 p.m. Participation is free for Heritage Center members and $8 for non-members, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
