On this date, 40 years ago about 19,000 people attended, Hot Mama Silver, The Outlaws, Sammy Hagar, J Geils Band and REO Speedwagon on credit island off the Mississippi River.
40 years ago in the quad cities
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What I attended back in the day was called the Mississippi River Jam, Van Halen, ARS and the Doobie Brothers.
At one time Credit Island was a sports mecca.
It had an 18 hole golf course with a PGA pro
named Jack Fleck as the links instructor.
It had 4 lighted fast-pitch softball diamonds and
were in use every night for teams in various
leagues. They were maintained by the Davenport
Park District.
There was even a stable where you could pick
out a horse and saddle up to go riding.
It had an 18 hole golf course with a PGA pro
named Jack Fleck as the links instructor.
It had 4 lighted fast-pitch softball diamonds and
were in use every night for teams in various
leagues. They were maintained by the Davenport
Park District.
There was even a stable where you could pick
out a horse and saddle up to go riding.
Wow. Amazing what can happen to a place in 40 years....
yeah it’s pretty much nothing now. The floods have pretty much wiped out most things in the island. The golf course is gone and even the disc course cannot be played. There are a couple playgrounds and a boat launch but outside if that’s it’s most for riding bikes or shore fishing.
Credit Island was fantastic until the 1960's according to my dad. Lock and Damn 15 built in the 1930's changed the flow of the river and allowed large amounts of silt to form. Prior to that, the Island did not flood or barely flooded. Couple this with all the changes in farming techniques that allow faster runnoff the farmland and more Dikes upstream and you have what you have today. The bridge that used to connect the Island was closed in the early 1970's and a causeway installed instead. This reduced flow in the channel that used to flow around the island even more, and it has continued to silt in even more. Last year the Island was underwater for three months. The road was devastated and still has not been repaved, only gravel filled in.
Unfortunately, the people throwing the festivals were not well organized and the city got fed up with the dangerous conditions (Lack of food and water, emergency planning and bathrooms), and cleanup afterward so they stopped concerts being allowed there. Subsequently a few large concerts were held at John O'Donnell Stadium (Now Modern Woodman).
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Just took a run around Credit Island and riverfront on Saturday, my first trip back to the QC in a few months. I can’t get over how wrecked the place is. The causeway was like trail running.
The Le Claire Park riverfront between River Drive and Beiderbecke isn’t looking good either, due to all the railway construction. Hopefully that’s temporary.
The Le Claire Park riverfront between River Drive and Beiderbecke isn’t looking good either, due to all the railway construction. Hopefully that’s temporary.
Black Oak Arkansas and Edgar Winter played at the stadium in 72.
Blue Oyster Cult, Eddie Money and REO Speedwagon played there in 96.
Joan Jett, Def Leapard and Bryan Adams in 2005.
Blue Oyster Cult, Eddie Money and REO Speedwagon played there in 96.
Joan Jett, Def Leapard and Bryan Adams in 2005.
Did you get accosted by gay men hiding behind trees? NTTAWWT https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...970-Reviews-Credit_Island-Davenport_Iowa.html
its nice when its not flooded, dont flash your car lights attracts gay men
Nice park and views, just visit in groups or with someone, never alone, keep your kids close and keep eye out for activities by adult men behind trees or in cars and never flash your lights it has been proven on local news all on video if you park and flash your lights weird gross men will come out from behind the trees. Stay away
- Sep 13, 2002
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The solution would be to remove the causeway and replace it with a bridge, then to dredge the north channel. By choking off that channel in the past, it massively exacerbated flooding and silting, effectively drowning the island.
The problem is, that project has been deferred and delayed so many years, it’s price has ballooned beyond what the city can spend. We are taking tens of millions of dollars likely, which would require federal and state dollars most likely.
- Sep 13, 2002
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Three major projects underway: replacement of one of the biggest sewer mains along the river, reconstruction of a half-dozen rail crossings and installation of the new planters/green space as part of the riverfront project. All is temporary.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 97,842
- 204,002
- 113
- Sep 13, 2002
- 97,842
- 204,002
- 113
I personally think the right thing to do for Credit Island at this point is to let it go completely back to nature and have only dirt/gravel hiking and biking trails, maybe allow some primitive camping, etc.
However, west enders, including the Friends of Credit Island oppose this, as they (fairly) point out that the city spends much more money, time and energy maintaining parks on the east side of town and gives the west side short shrift. They have a legit complaint, but unless MILLIONS are spent, Credit Island will never go back to what it was.
However, west enders, including the Friends of Credit Island oppose this, as they (fairly) point out that the city spends much more money, time and energy maintaining parks on the east side of town and gives the west side short shrift. They have a legit complaint, but unless MILLIONS are spent, Credit Island will never go back to what it was.
It is weird I lived the quads for 4 years and have had inlaws there for 25 years, and I only have been there once. I had no idea of its former glory. Given what Big Del posted, it seems like a fool's errand to do anything other than what you suggest.
If the golf course ever returns, I know where a complete set of 1990ish flags are allegedly being stored...
The 18 hole golf course, the 4 lighted softball diamonds,
the horse stables will never be back. Those are the
distant memories of Credit Island in its glory days. The
future is to let it return to nature and save the city of
Davenport some big bucks. Torbee got it right.
the horse stables will never be back. Those are the
distant memories of Credit Island in its glory days. The
future is to let it return to nature and save the city of
Davenport some big bucks. Torbee got it right.
Taking out the planters that are dangerous and actually cause issues for Hesco barriers. The elevated rail tracks do certainly detract from the beauty of the riverfront.
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If you could secure a nice federal grant, it would be fantastic to bring the park back up to some semblance of its glory. It used to be a stellar place to fish before they put that dumb causeway in - now it’s a shallow mud hole.
- Sep 13, 2002
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Yeah, they should allow it to go back and treat it as a nature preserve with a bike trail around it. Maybe some parking in the center. Even the few shelters that are there are seldom used because the mosquitos are ubiquitous. The lodge facilty they rebuilt a few years back after the fire was a waste of money. Should have built it out by Emeis, or even Schuetzen Park.
It needs millions of dollars to fix it though. Lots of dredging, lots of impact studies for that, some new wing dams and a new bridge to replace the causeway.
- Sep 13, 2002
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That bike bridge that is seldom used cost $1.8M. Hopefully they complete the bike trail loop eventually. If you do not know how to pick up the trail through Schuetzen it is confusing as hell. When I google Schuetzen Park it is showing as being a private owned park. Maybe it is still owned by the Good Samaritan Society? Do they still own it and just donate its use to the city park system?That’s why we enlist taxpayers from across the whole country to help pay.
A full-blown bridge to the Island would probably exceed $4M. My guess is you would end up spending $10M and still have a park that floods annually.
Unless we have a major change in the Levee system along the Mississippi, this will be a difficult project. The crazy thing is, some of the levees only protect farmland.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169555X18300047#bbb0165
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