DRI = Davenport, Rock Island & Northwestern Railroad
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| David Sebben posted This photo, taken on April 9, 1920, shows the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad depot in Rock Island, IL, with the Mississippi River at 17 feet. It was a stylish station, designed by local architect Olof Cervin. In September, 1900, prominent Rock Island contractor John Volk was awarded the $12,000 building contract, which did not include the cost of plumbing or electricity, and was allotted only 110 days for his work to be completed. The Cervin-Volk team created a station of exceptional quality and durability, as would be vividly demonstrated half a century later. The Argus conservatively described it as, “Not large, but neat and handy, built of good material from bedrock on up.” Above a stone foundation, were walls of St. Louis pressed brick in a buff or tan color as shown on the postcard. According to Mike Jackson, architect with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, such bricks were among the best quality ever made because of the pressure molds used to form the wet clay. Pressed bricks are distinctive because of their incredible smoothness and even color. The process is no longer used and is not likely to come back, because it was much more expensive than the modern extruded brick production methods. A red tile roof covered the 96 x 40 foot one-story structure. A wide overhang extended over the railroad tracks on the south side and an even wider overhang extended toward the west. The main entrance at the east clock tower led through a tile-floored vestibule into the large waiting room, which held copper-roofed rounded bow windows on either side. One of these windows, which would have allowed panoramic views of the river or the tracks, is on the east side. A high oak railing surmounted by opaque glass enclosed the ticket office on the south east of the waiting room. Use of railings rather than partitions was said to make it look “more like a bank.” Farther west was a ladies waiting room on the north and a gents smoking room on the south. The baggage room, with a separate entry, was at the extreme west. Quality abounded. Interior woodwork was of quarter sawn oak, while hard maple flooring provided durability underfoot. The colors were an artistic delight. Just picture the main waiting room: “Arched” ceilings were painted a sky blue above apple-green upper walls with olive green tiles on the lower walls. The ladies waiting room was similarly decorated except in shades of red rather than green. The tower height was variously reported to be from 50 to 90 feet, but it was indisputably tall. It held a high quality four-sided Seth Thomas clock, warranted for five years to keep time within a minute a month without further adjustment. The 5 ½ foot dials were of translucent glass and were illuminated from within. The hands were driven by 300-pound weights, regulated by a 90-pound pendulum bob. The clock did keep good time until a spring lightning bolt in 1945 stopped its hands forever marking 6:15. Time stood still until July and August of 1951 when it disappeared completely as the station was demolished. But Cervin and Volk’s tower proved the strength and durability of vintage construction, resisting destruction for hours. After razing the depot, workers looped a steel cable around the tower and pulled it with a truck-powered winch, intending to topple it into the hole left by the depot. The tower held fast and simply pulled the truck wheels off the ground. So the truck was braced against a partially fallen wall of the old freight house and the task attempted again. Its engine overheated and only few chunks of brick were broken away. It took eleven hours to fell this mighty tower, piece by piece. According to Marion Crist, owner of the demolition company, the two-foot thick walls were “glued” together with a specially treated lime mortar that welded the bricks into an almost solid mass. He estimated that there were 80 tons of brick and mortar in the tower. Miles W. Rich: David, do you have a photo of the Milwaukee Freight Depot that was next to the passenger depot that lasted until they started building Modern Woodman? Retro Quad Cities posted One of the best photos you'll see on RQC today. This photo, taken on April 9, 1920, when the Mississippi River was at 17 feet, is on the Rock Island riverfront showing the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad depot. The depot was torn down to make room for the current Modern Woodmen headquarters building. The gentleman in the foreground, is that Retro Chuck as a time traveler?? Glen Thede: That is the Davenport, Rock Island, and Northwestern Railroad Depot in the background. Being the local historian for that railroad I would love get a copy of that photo. Milwaukee used it, built and owned by the DRI Line. Richard Thomas: Measuring the river level changed when the locks and dams were built. Today’s river levels are recorded from the tail water(the gauge on the lower side of the dam). in the QC we usually use the lower gauge at Lock 15. In this picture, it is difficult to know where the river level was recorded. |
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| Paul D. French commented on Miles' comment Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive has a lot of railroad photos. |
The Quinlan Ferry was a block east of the depot. We can see a ferry in action.
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| 1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
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