TOPOGRAPHY. 115 



are the most beautiful on the River from the mouth to this 

 point; and on the west side, the whole line, for a distance of 

 nearly forty miles, from Bloomington to Spencer's Creek, 

 would make one continuous city site. Davenport, in Scott 

 county, about thirty miles above Bloomington, is on a most 

 beautiful inclined plane, almost of a mathematical exactness, 

 of a very slight inclination, only sufficient to be perceived by 

 the eye, and to shed the waters. It is sufficiently sandy to 

 become dry immediately after a rain. This plane extends back 

 about half a mile, from the river to the bluff. The banks 

 on both sides are high and dry ; and immediately fronting 

 Davenport is the town of Rock Island on the Illinois side. 

 The river is little more than half a mile wide. Immediately 

 above the two towns is the island of Rock Island, havino- a 

 rock foundation : a very unusual character, the islands gene- 

 rally, in this river, being alluvial. The scenery at this point 

 is ver}^ beautiful — said to excel, in this particular, any spot 

 below Lake Pepin. 



Some individuals have taken advantage of the division of 

 the river into two streams, at this point, to appropriate the 

 narrow portion passing betAveen the Island and the Ilhnois shore 

 to milling purposes. By running a dam across at the head 

 of the island — which, by reason of the very little depth of 

 the water, and a rock bottom, they were able to do at a very 

 trifling expense — they have availed of this immense body of 

 water, being about one-third of the whole volume of the river, 

 and with a head of five feet. Beside this, there are several 

 other points upon these rapids, where equal advantage may 

 be made of the river in this way. And at a time not remote, 

 this will become a principal grain market for the country 

 around, and a place of great industrial activity. Rockingham 

 is a small village four miles below Davenport, opposite the 

 mouth of the Rock River. At the purchase of the territory 



