Quad Cities Home Attractions Famous Residents Recreation Restaurants/Hotels/ Bed & Breakfast

Famous Residents William F. Cody was born February 26, 1846, near Le Claire, Iowa. His family moved from the area in 1853. Cody became known as Buffalo Bill Cody, a famous Pony Express rider, soldier, buffalo hunter, and frontier scout. He owned The Wild West Show and was called the greatest showman of his day. Today Buffalo Bill’s birthplace honors him through the Buffalo Bill Museum. The Museum takes a historical look at the life and times of Buffalo Bill. For more details call the museum at (563) 289-5580. Colonel George Davenport was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1783. He journeyed to New York in 1804 and joined the army the following year. Davenport served 10 years before heading to the Mississippi River Valley where he established trading posts along the Mississippi River. In the early 1830's Davenport returned to the army to serve in the Black Hawk War. In 1833 he built a home on the north shore of Arsenal Island. Three years later the town of Davenport was laid out and named in his honor. Davenport died July 4, 1845, in his home when robbers failed to find a large sum of money and beat him to death. John Deere was born on February 7, 1804, in Rutland, Vermont, where he grew up and became a blacksmith. In 1836 Deere brought his blacksmith trade to Grand Detour, Illinois. Deere developed the first American cast steel plow in 1838. By 1846 Deere and his partner, Leonard Andrus, were selling 1,000 plows each year. Deere’s plow was a highly polished plow that resisted clinging soil and revolutionized farming. Two years later Deere left his partner and business in Grand Detour and organized a new plow company in Moline. By 1855 he was producing more than 13,000 plows each year. Deere’s inventions and business savvy contributed to the growth of American agriculture. Deere died May 17, 1886. Over a century later, Deere & Company is the world’s largest farm manufacturer. back to top QuincyNet Home Copyright© 2002-2003 by QuincyNet, a division of HCW Ltd. All Rights Reserved