October 1, 2019
Just Saying…
By Q.C. Jones
Beginning of an Era or Circle of Line
Obscure books and tattered old documents intrigue your pal QC Jones. The internet is a wonderous place for digitalized yet musty documents. Recently, I found myself slipping into an Edgar Allan Poe Raven moment:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
I’m not quite sure what Eddy was reading, but I had found my way to the 1940 publication titled “The Industrial History of Scott County.” Perhaps this took me to the next line in Mr. Poe’s great work.
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came
a tapping,
This tapping wasn’t the echo of a big black bird repeating “Nevermore,” it was obnoxious noise of some kid (I think) out driving by with the stereo blasting. You probably know the sound – a window rattling, nerve grinding, bass kaboom, bass kaboom. Late nite thinking, ear drum irritation and lack of sleep set my mind’s wheel spinning.
Sunday, October 4, 1936 annouced the dawn of a new era. An obscure and subtle change which reshaped the way of our QCA forever. Join me as I explain what your humble
correspondent believes was a shift in civilization as we know it today. On that day, The Tri-City Railway Company
completed their swtichover from electric trolly trains to “motor busses.”
A little background: The Tri-City Railway Company was a Rock Island company that ran as many as 100 trolleys through the entirety of what was called the Tri-Cities of Rock Island, Moline and Davenport. Formed in 1888, it was the connector to the Arsenal and until the days of automobiles was the prefered way to travel through out town.
According to old city records, the Tri-City Railway paid for exclusive franchise rights to the trolley service similar to other utilities. The original standard charge was five cents per ride with kids riding for free. In time the fares were increased first to seven cents and then a dime. Each of these increases came with a great deal of political controversy, fine public speaches and legal actions.
One can still see the remnants of this early form of urban transport in various shapes and forms around town. Ever wonder why there are neighborhoods around the QCA with collections of really cool old homes borderlining on mansions? Mostly these were the result of early trolly lines running from downtown to the neighborhood.
One example is the houses around Davenport’s Vandereer Park. The park originally served as the Scott County Fairgrounds and in the 1870s was the outer edge of the city. Farmers coming to town would often leave their wagons and buggies parked there and “come to town” on the trolley. The really fancy houses on the “outskirts”came next, our city’s 1880s version of suburban life.
Schuetzen Park’s Egyptian Revival style streetcar railway station, built in 1911, is the only original structure that remains from the park. It was constructed of poured concrete, and measures 21 by 15 feet (6.4 m × 4.6 m) in size and served as a waiting station for park patrons who rode the trolley car to and from the park. The Schuetzen Park is the only park
with trolley service. Moline’s Prospect Park was actually developed by a trolley company to serve as a recreational spot and a source of trolley revenue back in the 1890s.
Another interesting story came to me via a conversation with a gentleman whose family has been in the QCA for many generations. It seems his grandfather got a start in business by taking the trolley downtown every morning and visiting a grocery wholesaler then returning to his neighborhood delivering groceries to neighbors. The trolley ride cost a nickle each way and he charged a quarter for his “service.” The housewifes of the area saved time and he pocked the change for his efforts. Adding a dash of Horatio Alger, the young man’s toil turned into the grandfather of several large QCA businesses. I think that’s a cool story.
Any post-modern day person might believe the automobile put the trolleys out of business. However, research into some old news stories of from the turn of the century points to an unexpected threat – bicycles. Before the car, bicycles were viewed as the ultimate travel machine. Before the Roaring Twenties, bicycles were viewed as the coolest of the cool in modes of transportation. Everybody who was anybody had one. Even the Wright Brothers of Kitty Hawk fame were
bicycle mechanics before they hit it big with “aero plane” back in 1903.
So what’s the point of all this? My sleep deprived mind found it interesting how life has come full circle. Electric
vehicles, damaged by pedal powered bicycles and finally replaced by gasoline power. Our future is once more looking at electric powered cars and QC Jones is the proud owner of an electric bicycle. Am I and the Raven the ones who finds thing ironic? I think I’m going for a ride on my big black bike (nicknamed “The Raven”)… Just saying.
