04/29/2026
The "New" Centennial Bridge - 1940
Here's a view of the recently completed Centennial Bridge, taken from the central dome or cupola of the Rock Island County Courthouse. The bridge was dedicated on July 12, 1940. Immediately below the courthouse is the Horst Building, the location of the Horst & Strieter Company, authorized Ford dealers, at 1417 Second Avenue. Sadly, neither building exists today.
Identifiable on the Davenport side of the Mississippi are such structures as the old Scott County Courthouse, Kahl building, City Hall, Hill's Dry Goods, Davenport Bank & Trust, First National Bank, Putnam Building, Petersen-Harned-Von Maur, M. L. Parker Department Store, St. James Hotel, and many others.
Often incorrectly attributed to the city of Davenport, the Rock Island Centennial Bridge was named for the 100th anniversary of the city of Rock Island. The town was originally called Stephenson, but its name was changed to Rock Island in 1840.
The new bridge was heralded for removing a traffic bottleneck that had existed when the Government-owned highway and railway bridge was depended on as the only connection between Rock Island and Davenport. In 1935, a suspension highway bridge was completed between Bettendorf, Iowa (on the outskirts of Davenport) and Moline, Ill. Contrary to expectations, however, it did not alleviate interstate traffic congestion that at times halted autos for blocks in both cities. Aggravating the situation was the increased employment on the Arsenal for national defense manufacturing, which had reached 5,400 and was climbing.
The Rock Island Centennial Bridge was financed by a $2,500,000 revenue bond issue and built at a construction cost of $1,750,000. Toll for passenger vehicles was 10 cents, regardless of the number of occupants. Trucks paid higher fees. Horse-and-wagon combinations also paid increased fees for the reason that they slowed traffic. The bond was to be retired solely from the toll earnings and was not a direct tax obligation upon the citizens of Rock Island.
