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City of Bettendorf
Bettendorf-The First Century
Bettendorf-The First Century
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$35.00 USD
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Step back into the past of a city that was once a sleepy German village.
Bettendorf's history goes back to the days of the 1850s, with the arrival of Elias Gilbert who built a grand house that served as a stop on the underground railroad. German immigrant Henry Kuehl provided employment through his limestone kilns, Pleasant Valley became know for its pungent onion fields, and the Bornemann Tavern dispensed mail and liquid cheer in those early years.
Residents greeted the arrival of the 20th century by inviting industrialists William and Joseph Bettendorf to build a factory along the Mississippi River. Clarence Brown went door to door begging for the $15,000 to purchase the necessary land and the brothers adopted Bettendorf as their home.
The small village became formally know as Bettendorf in 1903.
Progress followed with the factory employing many Bettendorf residents. The small town acquired a public water system, electricity, a city hall and fire and police departments and gradually transformed into a city of 31,000.
Today the thriving community is home to the Abbey Hotel, Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel, the Learning Campus, hundreds of businesses, Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley school districts, and two private schools, and thousands of homes.
Bettendorf's history goes back to the days of the 1850s, with the arrival of Elias Gilbert who built a grand house that served as a stop on the underground railroad. German immigrant Henry Kuehl provided employment through his limestone kilns, Pleasant Valley became know for its pungent onion fields, and the Bornemann Tavern dispensed mail and liquid cheer in those early years.
Residents greeted the arrival of the 20th century by inviting industrialists William and Joseph Bettendorf to build a factory along the Mississippi River. Clarence Brown went door to door begging for the $15,000 to purchase the necessary land and the brothers adopted Bettendorf as their home.
The small village became formally know as Bettendorf in 1903.
Progress followed with the factory employing many Bettendorf residents. The small town acquired a public water system, electricity, a city hall and fire and police departments and gradually transformed into a city of 31,000.
Today the thriving community is home to the Abbey Hotel, Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel, the Learning Campus, hundreds of businesses, Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley school districts, and two private schools, and thousands of homes.
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