Rock Island is located in western Illinois in
Rock Island County and is the county seat. It lies across the
Mississippi River from
Davenport along U.S. Highway 67 and SR 92. Rock Island's population estimate for 1998 was 38,714.
The city was the site of many Sauk and Fox Indian villages before the arrival of European setters in the 1830s. The Sauk warrior Black Hawk lived here when the U.S. Army won the upper Mississippi for white settlers. Fort Armstrong, erected in what is now called Rock Island, also was a trading post, attracting more white settlers and eventually leading to the demise of Black Hawk and his band of warriors.
Today, the area is a major industrial and manufacturing center. Some of America's largest corporations are headquartered or have facilities here; ALCOA, 3M and Ralston Purina are among them.
Augustana College and Bible Missionary Institute, each a four-year institution of higher learning, call Rock Island home.
