Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation

Additional Attractions
The Rock Island Arsenal is rich with historic offerings. Click here to view the Rock Island Arsenal Visitors Guide.

Rock Island Arsenal Museum

The National Cemetery and The Confederate Cemetery

The Mississippi River Visitors Center at Lock and Dam #15

The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau offers information about other area attractions.

Teacher Resources

These materials are Supplemental Educational Resources for watching the Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation (CDHF) DVD, “The House That Courage Built: The Story of Colonel Davenport” and for touring the Colonel Davenport House located on Arsenal Island.

The DVD can be requested through the area libraries’ Quad-LINC system. Each city’s main branch has a copy.

Start your class off on the right foot by learning about Colonel George Davenport and local Quad Cities’ history with these great, easy-to-print activities and answer sheets for you:

• Colonel Davenport’s Story Fill in the Blank

• For Fun - Colonel Davenport's Story: A Mad Lib 

• What Do You Know About Colonel Davenport and Local History? Multiple Choice (can also be used as an optional post-test after watching the DVD) 

• Mega Memory Matching Game (to be used after watching the DVD) 

• Trading Post Math Questions 

• Running a Trading Post Activity

• Wanted! Create Reward Posters for Capture of Colonel Davenport's Murderers 

• (Teacher Resource) Local History Connections 

(All worksheets are in PDF format. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Ask your students to complete the story called Colonel Davenport’s Story. Can they figure out the correct words to fill in the blanks? To pique your students’ interest in our past, make them aware that a number of prominent people had some relationship in our area in the early 1800s. Now complete the Mad Lib version, but this time use your own words to create a silly story.

Next, "quiz" your students to see how much they know about their community by taking this fun “test” What Do You Know About Colonel Davenport and Local History? Can your students figure out the right answers? Answers 

Play Mega Memory Matching Game in groups of the important people alive at the same time of Colonel Davenport. A set of printable memory cards is available here. 

Colonel Davenport’s Trading Post was an important business in the early Quad Cities area. Run your own trading post or have the class tackle these math problems and figure out the answers using the actual prices from his trading post in 1820. 

For a creative project, students can create their own Reward posters for the murders of Colonel Davenport. The actual newpaper reward notice can be printed. 

Colonel Davenport helped our area grow by talking up its benefits wherever he went. He encouraged people from all over to settle and start businesses here. Have your class brainstorm a list of good things about the Quad Cities today, and things they would wish the area would have in the future. Students then can design posters or brochures that encourage people to move to or open businesses here.

There are many local places that show and explain the history of the Quad Cities area. Here is a list of places that might be field-trip options for your class. 

These online resources don't tell the whole story of Colonel Davenport and his life on the frontier. To supplement these online resources, request a Traveling Treasure Trunk for your class. Then come and visit the Colonel Davenport House!