You can learn and participate in Native American Heritage with the new Inter-Tribal League of American Indians organization at the Colonel Davenport House on Arsenal Island Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5-6, 2023.

There will be short performances, cultural items on display, and tipis on display to walk in and learn about, from noon to 4 p.m. each day.

The Col. Davenport House was built in 1833-34 and is on the north end of Arsenal Island.

The QC Archaeological Society will have a display of tools and utilitarian items found on the surface. It will be set up in chronological order showing the different cultural adaptations from 12,000 BC to the historic period.

Admission is $6 for adults; $4 for seniors 65 and older, and free for children 12 and under, as well as active military. A guided tour of the Colonel Davenport House is included with admission.

Attendees age 18 and older must show U.S. photo I.D. since the Island is a working military facility. Please enter through the Moline gate. 

George Davenport (1783-1845) was a successful merchant and traded with the local tribes in the Illinois and Iowa territories for many years. After George Davenport was murdered (on July 4th, 1845), Mesquakie Indians later held a ceremony at his grave. According to Regina Schantz’ biography, “The Trader at Rock Island,” the ceremony was “an acknowledgment of the long friendship the Mesquakie had with George Davenport.”

As part of the ceremony, a cedar post was painted with headless figures (the slain enemy) and two warriors, and a replica is at Colonel Davenport House, according to a release from Visit Quad Cities.

The Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation is a nonprofit volunteer group that works to preserve Davenport’s former home and share his story with the community. The Colonel Davenport House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1833-1834 and is on the north end of Arsenal Island.

Col. Davenport was the first permanent European settler in the Quad Cities and built the first house in the area. The Foundation relies on volunteers to maintain and operate the house  It is open for tours from May to October, Thursday-Saturday from 12-4 p.m. 

For more information, visit the Col. Davenport House website HERE.