We had to hit the ground running in order to take a peek at this fine city known for being the home of chiropractic care in the U.S. (1895), the largest roller dam in the world, and the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi. Since we were docked a quick four hours only, there was no time to sample their famous cut-in-strips-with-scissors pizza or to stop at United Service Motors, the antique shop owned by American Pickers’ Robbie Wolfe.
My sidekicks chose to visit the John Deere Pavilion where they had the opportunity to climb in and out of huge pieces of farm equipment, some worth in excess of $1,000,000! This would surely not have been allowed had management known how shiftless my pals are known to be.
I decided to visit the Mississippi Spoon Museum. That’s right, there is such a thing! The inheritance of her great grandmother’s spoon collection inspired the owner of the museum to add to the collection. 38,162 spoons later and you have a Guinness World Record holder. We were shown spoons designed to be used, others designed for display, others to honor those living and dead, and others that were used to promote newspaper subscriptions and tourist destinations. They come from all over the world and highlight the artistry and historical relevance depicted in the spoons. Of particular fascination to me were the plique-a-jour spoons which look like stained glass, the ones with petite pointe at the end of the handle, and the Egypt collection. This last collection has three spoons with mummy coffins at the end of the handle. Each coffin houses a removable mini-mummy. Two others have little reed baskets at the end of the handle with a removable baby (Moses?) inside.
We all could have stayed longer at our chosen activity, but not wanting to be left behind, we returned to the boat and headed south right on time. Lunch, cookie time (3:00 pm), a lecture on freshwater mussels and the pearl button industry, cocktails, dinner, and the evening’s entertainment (Music of the Mississippi) flushed out another lovely day.
… Sidebars …
The river runs east and west here … for 14 miles.
Rock Island Arsenal and John Deere are the largest employers here.
Palmer College of Chiropractic remains one of the most prestigious chiropractic schools globally.
The first steamboat was put in the river in 1811.
4,000 steamboats were on the river at the height of that era.
The first railway bridge across the river lasted all of two weeks thanks to a steamboat running into it. Accident? Intentional? Foul play? Practical joke?
Trains being seen as steamboats’ main competition, it was assumed it was not an accident.
The railroads needed legal counsel to press for their rights.
Abraham Lincoln was hired to represent them.
At the height of the pearl button era (pre-plastic), half of the world’s buttons
came from the Mississippi and its tributaries!
It was the most profitable inland fisheries business in the country at one time.
Schele&Tell 