19 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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Davenport, IA
· Local history
Davenport rises slightly above the surrounding Iowa landscape, a subtle elevation change that belies its strategic importance. The Mississippi River, wide and powerful, carved this space and dictated its destiny. The…
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Davenport Bank and Trust
· 0.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what building truly dominated Davenport's skyline for decades? You're looking at it: the Davenport Bank and Trust, a financial titan that shaped the Quad Cities for much of the 20th century. This wasn't just…
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Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre
· 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wondered what it was like to live above a grand theater? You're about to find out! This impressive complex, the Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre, has been a centerpiece of Davenport for nearly a century. This…
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B.J. Palmer House
· 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wondered about the roots of chiropractic care? You're about to pull up to the very home of its most influential pioneer, B.J. Palmer! This grand residence on Brady Street Hill isn't just a pretty house; it's where…
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Union Station (Davenport, Iowa)
· 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Once a bustling hub for passenger and freight trains, this station tells the story of Iowa's connection to the nation's rail network. This is Union Station, or what's left of it, right here in downtown Davenport. Back…
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WOC Broadcast Centre
· 0.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Believe it or not, that building right there helped launch the career of a future U.S. president! In 1922, Robert Karlowa's radio equipment was moved to Davenport and call letters WOC were granted. B.J. Palmer,…
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Lock and Dam No. 15
· 0.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Get ready to see the biggest roller dam in the world! Lock and Dam No. 15 stretches across the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. Built in the 1930s, it was a crucial project for…
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The Col Ballroom
· 0.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder where music legends like Louis Armstrong and The Beach Boys once played? You're driving right past it – the historic Col Ballroom! This isn't just any old building. It was originally built in 1924 as the…
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Antoine LeClaire House
· 0.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull up here and you're looking at the very foundation of Davenport itself! This grand old house belonged to Antoine LeClaire, one of the city's visionary founders. Built in 1855, this was LeClaire's private residence,…
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Leon Bismark Beiderbecke House
· 1.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever heard a trumpet sing? It might have learned a few bars right here. This is the birthplace of Bix Beiderbecke, a jazz cornetist, pianist, and composer who left an outsized mark on American music. Bix was born in…
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Village of East Davenport
· 1.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what a bustling 19th-century Iowa river town looked like? You're about to drive through a living piece of that history! This is the Village of East Davenport, a historic district that started as its own…
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Rock Island Arsenal
· 1.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
You're approaching Rock Island Arsenal, a place with a longer, and more complicated, history than you might expect. It's been a major US Army manufacturing center since the late 19th century. But before the arsenal,…
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Quarters 1 (Rock Island)
· 1.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine living in the second-largest federal residence in the U.S., right here on the Mississippi! This is Quarters One, home to the commanding officer of Rock Island Arsenal. Construction started in 1870, and it was…
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Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home
· 2.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a moment, because you're about to pass a place where hundreds of children found refuge after unimaginable loss. Originally known as the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home, this sprawling complex in Davenport was…
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Rock Island National Cemetery
· 2.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step into hallowed ground at Rock Island National Cemetery, a place where thousands have found their final rest. Established in 1863, during the Civil War, the cemetery initially served as the burial ground for…
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John Deere House
· 3.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here for a peek into the life of the man who tamed the prairie! This is the John Deere House, home to the blacksmith who changed farming forever. John Deere moved to Moline, Illinois, in 1848 to be closer to…
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Lone Star (towboat)
· 13.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step aboard the Lone Star, a rare surviving 1868 steam-powered towboat, and imagine life on the Mississippi River. Built in 1868, the Lone Star is a wooden-hulled, stern-wheeled towboat. She spent her working life…
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Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead
· 14.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Get ready to saddle up, partner, because you're near the boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody! This is where the legend began, not on the dusty plains, but right here in Iowa. In 1847, Isaac and Mary Cody moved their…
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Iowa 80: World's Largest Truck Stop
· 15.8 mi
Off I-80 at Exit 284 in Walcott sprawls Iowa 80, billed as the world's largest truck stop, a kind of small town built for truckers. Bill Moon, a Standard Oil regional manager, bought the land and opened the original…