Rock Island, city, seat of Rock Island County, northwestern Illinois, on the Mississippi River, near the mouth of the Rock River; incorporated 1849. With Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline in Illinois, it forms the Quad Cities. Rock Island is a railroad hub and a commercial and manufacturing center. Major products include farm equipment, aluminum and wood items, and footwear. A large U.S. Army arsenal located on a nearby island in the Mississippi is also important to the city's economy. Augustana College (1860) is here, and Black Hawk State Park, once the site of the main villages of the Fox and Sac (Sauk) peoples, is adjacent. The community was established in 1835 as Stephenson and received its present name in 1841. Population 46,928 (1980); 40,552 (1990); 39,684 (2000).Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Rock Island Information info
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