Rock Island Needs Machinists The Rock Island Arsenal and

Western Illinois Historical Review copy 2020

Volume XI Spring 2020

ISSN 2153-1714

lsquoRock Island Needs Machinistsrsquo

The Rock Island Arsenal and Rock Island in the World Wars

By

Jordan Monson

Western Illinois University

1

ldquoAvailability of workershellip was vital to the successful operation of Rock Island Arsenal

in the World War just as it must be in any future military crisis in which the country may

become involvedrdquo1 Industries and businesses have a huge impact on the development of a

community No business can be successful without labor provided by communities and

communities rarely grow without the availability of jobs provided by businesses In this same

way the Rock Island Arsenal has had a huge impact on the surrounding communities of Rock

Island Moline Davenport and Bettendorf collectively known as the Quad Cities Indeed in an

article published in 2018 Aarik Woods points out that the Rock Island Arsenal is far and away

the largest employer in the region and the economic impact of the Arsenal on the Quad Cities

was more than one billion dollars2 With that large of an economic impact it is safe to say that

the success of the Arsenal and the success of the Quad Cities are tied at the hip However the

Rock Island Arsenal often goes through extreme variation in production and employment

numbers with ldquoThe Arsenalrsquos employment and production traditionally being cyclical in

naturehellip increasing during national emergencies and declining during peacetimerdquo3 These

mobilization and demobilization patterns of the Arsenal were most pronounced during the period

between the first and second world wars This pattern with how vital the Arsenal is to Rock

Island and the Quad Cities would have a significant impact on the community However the

connection between the Arsenal and the Quad Cities is something that has gone largely

1 Arsenal Publishing Company of the tri-cities Warrsquos Greatest Workshop Rock Island Arsenal Historical

Topographical and Illustrative (Rock Island Illinois The Arsenal Publishing co of the Tri-cities not Inc 1922)

120 2 Aarik Woods ldquoRock Island Arsenalrsquos Annual Economic Impact more than $1 Billionrdquo Our Quad Cities

January 23 2018 httpswwwourquadcitiescomnewsrock-island-arsenals-annual-economic-impact-more-than-1-

billion 3 Thomas J Slattery Rock Island Arsenal An Arsenal for Democracy World War II 50th Anniversary

(Rock Island Illinois Historical Office US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command 1992) 3

2

unexplored by writers and historians with scholarship largely focusing on the Arsenalrsquos

contributions to the war effort or regarding the Arsenal as a separate entity from the Quad Cities

When studying the time period between World War I and the end of World War II it becomes

clear that the Rock Island Arsenalrsquos cyclical employment patterns had a significant impact on

Rock Island and the Quad Cities

The historiography of the Rock Island Arsenal is actually somewhat limited especially

since the 1990s Two of the most recent historical works on the Rock Island Arsenal during this

time period are from Thomas Slattery who published Rock Island Arsenal An Arsenal for

Democracy (1992) and An Illustrated History of the Rock Island Arsenal (1990) Rock Island

Arsenal An Arsenal for Democracy is a well-written article on the role of the Rock Island

Arsenal during WWII including its role as a facilitator to private industries in the region

switching to war production while An Illustrated History of the Rock Island Arsenal covers the

history of the Arsenal up through the 19th century

Many of the secondary works on the topic are even less recent which is the case with Ira

Oliver Nothsteinrsquos 1940 article ldquoRock Island and the Rock Island Arsenalrdquo The article provides

a comprehensive history of the Island and Rock Island Arsenal from the settlement of the area

through WWI The Arsenal Publishing Companyrsquos Warrsquos Greatest Workshop Rock Island

Arsenal Historical Topographical and Illustrative published in 1922 provides an excellent in

depth look at the Rock Island Arsenalrsquos operations before and during WWI Rock Island

Arsenalrsquos pamphlet ldquoA Short History of the Island of Rock Island Including the Story of the

Time Capsulerdquo published in 1967 provides a very short history of the Rock Island Arsenal

throughout its history from its inception up to the Korean War

3

Finally and most importantly the historiography on Rock Island Arsenal almost never

focuses on the connections and impacts between the Rock Island Arsenal and the surrounding

communities of the Quad Cities Most of the scholarly works already listed focus on the history

and contributions of the Rock Island Arsenal itself without spending a lot of time focusing on

the surrounding Quad Cities Even scholarly works dedicated to the Quad Cities will often give

the Arsenal its own section and not give many details on the Arsenalrsquos impacts on the Quad

Cities which is the case in Robert Bouillyrsquos article ldquoArsenal Islandrdquo within the 1982 work Quad

Cities Joined by a River

The Quad Cities has always been tied to the Rock Island Arsenal even before the Arsenal

itself was founded The history of both Rock Island and the Rock Island Arsenal begins with the

establishment of Fort Armstrong Fort Armstrong was established in response to attacks on

American troops by Black Hawk serving with the British during the War of 18124 In response

to these attacks ldquohellipanother and larger expedition was fitted out the object of which was to

punish the Indians at Rock Island and to establish a fort at or near that placerdquo5 Established

around 1815 Fort Armstrong became the predecessor to the Rock Island Arsenal and the small

village that sprang up around it consisting of the staff and guards of the fort became the

predecessor to the Quad Cities6 The next big development in the Quad Cities was the arrival of

white squatters in the Quad City area seeking both fertile lands and the protection offered by

Fort Armstrong7 Once the local Native American population had been removed settlers flocked

to the area eventually founding the cities of Rock Island and Davenport marking the official

4 Ira Oliver Nothstein ldquoRock Island and the Rock Island Arsenalrdquo Journal of the Illinois State Historical

Society 33 no 4 (September 1940) 315-316

httpswwwjstororgstable40187950seq=13metadata_info_tab_contents 5 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 316 6 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 318-319 7 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 312-322

4

beginning of the Quad Cities8 No longer requiring a fort for protection Fort Armstrong was

converted into an armory in 1840 which was then converted again into the Rock Island Arsenal

in 18619 The Arsenal would not be completed until 1893 and the Arsenal would see its first real

action during the Spanish-American War making leather goods for the army10 According to a

publication from the Rock Island Arsenal ldquoThe Spanish-American War marked the beginning of

a new era for Rock Island Arsenalrdquo11 The Arsenal at this time saw its first big employment jump

to 2900 and for the first time Quad Cities businessmen and lobbyists actively fought against the

downsizing of the Arsenal after the war now seeing that ldquothe community had a substantial stake

in keeping up employment at the Arsenalrdquo12 Despite this however employment at the Arsenal

would dip back to around 1200 employees in the post-war years and would remain at this level

until the onset of the First World War13

The First World War saw a large increase in employment numbers at the Rock Island

Arsenal which had a huge impact on the Quad Cities and Rock Island particularly in terms of

population The availability of jobs is always a significant pull factor for people moving into a

community The outset of World War I had an enormous impact on the availability of jobs in the

Rock Island area especially considering the rapid expansion of the employment in the Rock

Island Arsenal According to the Arsenal Publishing Company

For some time prior to the outbreak of the World War in 1914 the employees at Rock

Island Arsenal totaled approximately 1800 men and 175 womenhellip the disturbance on the

Mexican border started increased activitieshellip High speed and maximum production then

8 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 325-326 9 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 326-329 10 Nothstein ldquoRock Islandrdquo 335-337 11 Rock Island Arsenal A Short History of the Island of Rock Island 1816-1966 including the story of the

time capsule (Rock Island Illinois Rock Island Arsenal 967) 24 12 Robert Bouilly ldquoArsenal Islandrdquo in Quad Cities Joined by a River ed Frederick Anderson (Davenport

Lee Enterprises 1982) 127 13 Bouilly ldquoArsenal Islandrdquo 127

5

became the watchword and employees were added at a rate close to 250 or 300 each

month14

This rapid expansion of employees at the Arsenal would continue throughout the

continuation of the First World War increasing in its rapidity after the United States entered the

war until the number of employees at the Arsenal had reached nearly 15000 in November of

191815 With over 10000 new jobs available at the Rock Island Arsenal with conditions for

employees that ldquocannot be equaled by any other body of men in the vicinityrdquo16 you would

expect that there would be a great number of people interested in moving to the Quad Cities to

take advantage of the work Indeed there is a great amount of evidence to suggest this is the

case by examining census data newspaper articles and secondary scholarship

The availability of jobs at the Rock Island Arsenal during First World War led to a

significant increase in the population of the surrounding area There was a population of only

24000 in the city of Rock Island and only just over 70000 in the entire county according to the

1910 Census17 With the sheer number of jobs becoming available at the Arsenal the city and

county would see a drastic population jump as people moved to the Quad Cities to take up jobs at

the Arsenal The population of Rock Island County would jump from 70404 in the 1910 Census

to over 92000 in the 1920 census an increase of over 22000 people18 The population jump in

the city of Rock Island itself was even more staggering Per the 1920 Census while the

14 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 16 15 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 16 16 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 46 17 United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population and Housing 1910 Statistics for Illinoisrdquo Dana

Durand (Washington DC Government Printing Office 1913) 462

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments36894832v2ch04pdf[022name2222FitH22807] 18 United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population and Housing 1920 State Compendium Illinoisrdquo

Sam L Rogers and WM Stewart (Washington DC Government Printing Office 1924) 102

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments06229686v8-

13ch5pdf[022name2222FitH22814]

6

population of the city increased by less than 5000 people from 1900 to 1910 the city saw that

growth more than double during the course of the war with the city gaining more than 10000

people from 1910 to 192019 However the jump in growth was not simply limited to the city and

county of Rock Island the entire Quad City area benefitted during this time period According to

the Arsenal Publishing Company ldquoGrowth of the cities surrounding the Arsenal has been

rapidhellip Population of the five municipalities increased from 96117 in 1910 to 146880 in 1920

a rate of growth far above the average the country over being more than fifty per centrdquo20 During

the period that the Rock Island Arsenal had a drastic increase in employment numbers census

data shows that Rock Island and the Quad Cities also showed a drastic increase in population

count

This increase in the population of Rock Island and the surrounding areas can be directly

tied to the expansion of the workforce at the Rock Island Arsenal Unfortunately as the 1910

Census points out census records ldquodo not include the statistics for an establishment operated by

the Federal Government-the arsenal at Rock Islandrdquo21 However the data still indicates that the

population coming into the Quad City area was taking up jobs at the Rock Island Arsenal If the

majority of the population moving into the area was taking up jobs in the Arsenal you would

expect that the number of employees engaged in manufacturing in this area would stay relatively

the same since the employees at the Arsenal are not listed on the census At the same time you

would expect to see a drastic disproportional increase in the value of goods produced in the area

which would normally make little sense if the number of workers stayed relatively stable

Indeed this is exactly the phenomenon we see when examining census data for this region

19 Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 203 20 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 124 21 Census Bureau ldquo1910 Censusrdquo 253

7

Looking at the data for the cities of Rock Island Moline and Davenport the three biggest cities

in the Quad Cities the number of wage-earning manufacturing employees increases by a total of

only around 1500 employees The city of Davenport actually shows a significant decrease in the

number of employees in manufacturing22 Nevertheless in all three cities there was a massive

increase in the value of products being produced between 1909 and 1919 altogether the three

cities combined to increase the value of manufactured products from forty-three million dollars

to around one-hundred million dollars well over doubling their value despite a relatively meagre

increase in the number of workers23

The city of Rock Island in particular nearly quadrupled the value of manufactured goods

produced in the city24 In contrast in nearly every other instance a significant increase in the

value of manufactured goods is paired with a significant increase in the number of workers

employed in manufacturing In Centralia and Champaign for example the value of goods

produced triples but this is coupled with the number of employees in these towns also increasing

drastically from 273 in Centralia to a combined 2000 employed in manufacturing25 Even in

larger cities such as East St Louis this trend holds true There an incredible increase in the

value of goods produced is coupled with an increase in employees by over 3000 What this

phenomenon in the Quad Cities indicates is that the people moving to the area were largely

taking up jobs at the Rock Island Arsenal which the census does not keep employment data on

The rapid influx of workers into the Quad City area due to the availability of jobs at the

Rock Island Arsenal had a significant impact on the community especially in terms of housing

22 Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 315 422 23 Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 315 422 24 Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 315 25 Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 315

8

The tens of thousands of people moving into the area needed a place to stay and there are few

communities that have the spare room to house this number of people without accommodations

According to the Rock Island Arsenal regarding the workers coming into the city ldquoAll were

housed without much inconvenience though the government undertook a project to provide

homes in all five citiesrdquo26 This account shows that the workers essentially changed the landscape

of the Quad Cities as they required additional housing in order to live and work for the Arsenal

But this housing project did not just change the physical landscape of the Quad Cities it changed

the job landscape as well The government housing projects required workers to build the houses

and these workers often came from the Quad Cities According to an article in the Rock Island

Argus ldquoAt present there are 1687 workmen employed on the government housing projects on

this side of the riverrdquo27 This created nearly 1700 additional jobs available to the Quad Cities in

addition to the increased Arsenal employment even months after the war in Europe had

concluded

The housing boom though exacerbated an already existing housing problem as the

government housing project could not field enough homes to house the new workers As a 1918

article in the Moline Dispatch notes the Quad Cities had been experiencing a housing shortage

ldquolong before the thousands of war workers began their pilgrimage to (the Quad Cities)rdquo28 The

influx of workers that the Arsenal created worsened an existing problem and the housing

program simply could not keep up According to an article in the Rock Island Argus the program

built relatively few houses and these were not completed until after the conclusion of the war

26 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 120 27 ldquoReduce Number of House Workmenrdquo Rock Island Argus January 23 1919

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage436351311terms=rock2Bisland2Barsenal2Bgovernment2Bhousing 28 ldquoGamble Predicts All Housing Work Will Be Completed Hererdquo The Moline Dispatch December 16

1918 httpswwwnewspaperscomimage339204620terms=rock2Bisland2Bhousing2Bshortage

9

ldquoOne of the most successful as well as the first of the government housing projects in the

country was conducted in Rock Island Moline and East Moline and which was consummated

with the sale of 460 houses in the three citieshelliprdquo29 Only 460 homes were built and sold before

1920 and this does not nearly cover the over ten thousand who came to work at the Arsenal

during the First World War Indeed according to the Quad City Times which published an

article about the government housing project in 1918 only around 600 total homes were

completed in the entirety of the Quad City area30 In order to house all the workers who came in

to work at the Arsenal which according to the Quad City Times was over 14000 people31 the

over twenty people would have had to share each house many of which only had four or five

rooms and measuring only twenty-four by thirty-two feet32 This illustrates how the influx of

workers into the Rock Island Arsenal created a severe housing shortage in the Quad Cities

The acute housing shortage that the population influx created led to a squatter problem in

the Quad Cities with new residents needing to find alternative shelter due to the lack of available

housing The Bretschnieder brothers were one of many Quad City residents forced to find a place

to live According to an article in the Rock Island Argus ldquoUnable to find a home in the Tri-cities

suitable for living purposes George and Harry Bretschnieder the former a machinist and the

latter a tool and die maker at the Rock Island Arsenal brought their cabin boat lsquoNinawarsquo from

29 ldquoHousing Sales Given Impetus in Tri-Citiesrdquo Rock Island Argus December 31 1919

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage436517509terms=Housing2BSales2BRock2BIsland2BArsenal 30 Alma Gaul ldquoHomes for the Homefront 600-plus Homes were Built for War Workersrdquo Quad City

Times March 23 2018 httpsqctimescomnewslocalhomes-for-the-homefront--plus-homes-were-built-

forarticle_fcb42e57-eb9d-5431-a4cb-683e0ebb9e10html 31 Gaul ldquoHomes for the Homefrontrdquo Quad City Times 32 ldquoArchitects Furnish Expert Description of Government Houses Being Erected In City and Detailed

Explanation of Constructionrdquo Rock Island Argus December 31 1918

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage436510950terms=rock2Bisland2Barsenal2Bgovernment2Bhousing

10

Chicago and are now living in itrdquo33 Despite the lack of alternatives Quad City and Arsenal

authorities often attempted to break up these squatter camps In 1917 a year before the

Brettschneider brothers arrived the Rock Island Arsenal ordered a ldquosquatter townrdquo of houseboats

near the Arsenal be dispersed under the threat that their boats be towed out to the Mississippi

and be allowed to drift away34 Squatter camps and houseboat towns would continue to be a

problem throughout the housing crisis with conflicts often arising between the authorities and

the camps In 1919 for example an article in Davenportrsquos Daily Times notes that authorities

were going to attempt to collect rent from a squatter campshantytown but many residents were

making it clear that they ldquowill refuse to pay and claim squattersrsquo rightsrdquo35

The impact of the Rock Island Arsenal on the Quad Cities during the First World War is

not limited to the population influx and the housing problems that coincided with it There were

also significant economic impacts that the Arsenal made on the surrounding Quad Cities Over

the course of the First World War the United States government invested an incredible amount

of money into the Rock Island Arsenal According to the Arsenal Publishing Company the

federal government allotted almost $110000000 to the Rock Island Arsenal over the course of

the war36 The Arsenal Publishing Company also breaks down how this money was spent with

ldquo$6652654031hellip devoted to the manufacture of war materialshellip $1712051551 for laborrdquo37

These numbers also included another 17 million for new machinery and buildings 4 million for

33 ldquoHousing Problem Solved When Two Use Motorboatrdquo Rock Island Argus September 25 1918

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage436341955terms=Rock2BIsland2BArsenal2Bworkers2Bmoving2B

in 34 ldquoHouseboats to be Moved Outrdquo Rock Island Argus April 9 1917

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage436379787terms=rock2Bisland2Bsquatters 35 ldquoMust Pay Rent or Move from City Propertyrdquo The Davenport Daily Times February 22 1919

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage302460820terms=rock2Bisland2Bsquatters 36 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 8-9 37 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 9

11

temporary structures and 15 million for a proving grounds in Savannah Illinois38 As you can

see over the course of the war the government invested tens of millions of dollars into the

Arsenal with over 17 million going directly into the pockets of Quad Cities workers in the form

of wages for their labor This number does not even accurately depict the volume of money

invested into the Quad City community in the form of wages The Arsenal Publishing Company

states that ldquoIt must be understood however that these figures are for the manufacturing

department of the Arsenal and do not include the huge sums expended for labor and material by

the construction companies at work thererdquo39 All of these expenditures combined constitute a

huge economic investment in the Quad City community

This sizable investment would have a significant impact on the economic wellbeing of

Quad City community In Warrsquos Greatest Workshop published only a few years after the

conclusion of the war it states that the community was much more affluent than other

communities at the time ldquohellipthe people are well above the average taking the country over in

education and wealth The percentage of families with an income of $3000 or more is 706

against an average of 194 per cent for the entire United States The percentage with incomes

between $1800 and $3000 is 2360 while that for the entire country is but 1106 per centrdquo40

This prosperity that the Quad Cities saw in the postwar years was reflected in increased

construction and development of the area A year-end issue of the Rock Island Argus noted that

over a million dollars had been spent on construction efforts in 1924 including tripling the

amount of sidewalk laid from the previous year with all indications being that construction

38 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 9 39 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 16 40 Arsenal Publishing Company Warrsquos Greatest Workshop 120

12

efforts would increase in the year after41 Much of this can be attributed to the great amount of

funds invested into the community during the First World War

The demobilization of the Arsenal after the First World War also had a significant impact

on the community of the Quad Cities With the end of the war the federal government began

greatly reducing the number of employees in the Rock Island Arsenal According to Thomas

Slattery employment at the Rock Island Arsenal ldquoreached its lowest ebb of 618 in 1924rdquo42

Robert Bouilly paints an even bleaker picture claiming that employment was reduced to just

22543 Dropping employment at the Arsenal by nearly 13000 workers the Quad City was bound

to feel the effects of such drastic layoffs According to the 1930 Census for Illinois the

population for Rock Island County at this time was 9819144 The population for the county of

Rock Island jumped by over 31 to 22000 people between the 1910 and 1920 censuses

Therefore a growth of less than 6000 people between 1920 and 1930 is well below the increase

that the county saw during the First World War Indeed compared to data in the 1920 Census

this is the lowest rate of population growth the county had seen since between 1880 and 189045

The cities of Rock Island and Moline saw a similar stunting of their growth gaining only around

2000 residents each according to the 1930 Census46 This is significantly lower than the

approximately 5000 residents the cities had been gaining per census before the war47

41 ldquoMillion Spent for Buildings of Many Kindsrdquo Rock Island Argus December 31 1924

httpswwwnewspaperscomimage482382936terms=rock2Bisland2Bconstruction2Btotals 42 Slattery Rock Island Arsenal An Arsenal for Democracy 3 43 Bouilly ldquoArsenal Islandrdquo 130 44 United States Census Bureau ldquoFifteenth Census of the United States 1930 Population Vol III Part Irdquo

RP Lamont and WM Stuart (Washington DC Government Printing Office 1932) 606

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments10612963v3p1ch05pdf[022name2222FitH2279

9] 45 United States Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 12 46 United States Census Bureau ldquo1930 Censusrdquo 612 47 United States Census Bureau ldquo1920 Censusrdquo 29-30

13

This lack of growth shown in Rock Island and Rock Island County was not reflected in

the other communities in Illinois indicating that the stunted growth we see during this time

period was connected with the layoffs at the Arsenal Examining the census data for 1920 and

1930 other cities were seemingly unaffected by whatever was causing the stunted growth in

Rock Island For example the cities of Chicago and Champaign both continued to grow at the

rate they had during and before the war gaining 500000 and 5000 residents respectively48

Some cities even saw huge population boosts such as Springfield which gained 10000 residents

during the decade49 What this indicates is that the rest of the state was not impacted by whatever

severely stunted Rock Islandrsquos growth during this decade implying that the massive layoffs at

the Rock Island Arsenal was a likely culprit

Another reason that Rock Islandrsquos population growth was so low after the layoffs at the

Arsenal is because as sources indicate many of the workers of the Rock Island Arsenal left the

area after they were laid off Indeed as early as 1920 many workers of the Rock Island Arsenal

indicated that if layoffs were to come they intended to leave the Quad Cities According to an

article in the Rock Island Argus ldquoIf there is a big layoff ahead you canrsquot rest assured that these

men will be absorbed into your local factories The men at the Arsenal are the pick of the

countryhellip If the Arsenal closes they will go where their class of work is in demand and the tri-

cities will lose close to 8000 familiesrdquo50 When the massive layoff at the Arsenal came to

fruition ldquohellippractically every former employee who had any knowledge whatsoever of small

arms work had secured employment with commercial firms engaged in that line of work and had

48 United States Census Bureau ldquo1930 Censusrdquo 609 49 United States Census Bureau ldquo1930 Censusrdquo 612 50 ldquoSay Manufacturers Oppose Continuing Operation of Arsenal on Present Planrdquo Rock Island Argus April

17 1920


in

14

gone East to the seat of those industriesrdquo51 This helps to explain why Rock Island saw such a

dearth of people coming into the county during this decade not only was the Arsenal no longer

offering enticing job opportunities as was seen during the First World War but many of the

former workers of the Arsenal would go on to leave the Quad Cities

The Second World War would bring change to the Rock Island Arsenal during the 1940s

and this in turn would have a significant impact on the surrounding Quad City community In the

mid-1930s the Rock Island Arsenal would receive more work updating obsolete equipment and

producing material for the Navy which put ldquothousands of men to workrdquo52 The number of

workers in the Arsenal would continue to rise reaching over 2700 in 193953 After American

entry into the war in 1941 employment at the Arsenal skyrocketed into its highest level ever

numbering 18675 workers in 194354

Just like during the First World War this rapid skyrocketing in employment numbers at

the Arsenal had a significant impact on the surrounding Quad City communities particularly in

the form of population growth According to the United States Census Bureau from 1930 to

1940 while the Arsenal was in its initial stages of mobilization the county of Rock Island

jumped by over 10000 people from 98000 to over 11300055 The city of Rock Island itself also

returned to its pre-slump rate of growth gaining 5000 people56 Once again these jumps in

population are not shown in the population figures for cities outside of Rock Island indicating

51 Rock Island Arsenal Short History of the Island of Rock Island 28 52 Rock Island Arsenal Short History of the Island of Rock Island 30 53 Rock Island Arsenal Short History of the Island of Rock Island 32 54 Rock Island Arsenal Short History of the Island of Rock Island 32 55 United States Census Bureau ldquoSixteenth Census of the United States 1940-Population Volume II

Characteristics of the Population- Part IIrdquo Jesse H Jones (Washington United States Government Printing Office

1943) 522 httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments33973538v2p2ch6pdf 56 United States Census Bureau ldquo1940 Censusrdquo 626

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments33973538v2p2ch7pdf

15

that the jump is likely due to the employment spike at the Arsenal Springfield for example

which had saw a jump of over 10000 the decade before gained less than 4000 during this

decade57 The city of Champaign also saw a small lull in growth gaining only 3000 while the

city of Chicago actually stalled in population growth growing by only 20000 when normally it

would grow by approximately 50000058 Even in these early stages of the Arsenalrsquos

mobilization we see that the expansion of the Arsenal had a significant impact on the population

of the Quad Cities

The decade upon the United Statesrsquo entry into the war 1940-1950 had an even greater

impact on the population of the Quad Cities This was the Arsenalrsquos greatest period of expansion

where it would reach its peak employment of 18000 and because the Rock Island Arsenal made

a conscious effort to recruit workers from outside the Quad Cities According to the Rock Island

Arsenalrsquos pamphlet A Short History ldquoAs it became more difficult in 1940 to obtain applicants

for skilled positions approximately one hundred radio stations in Iowa Illinois Wisconsin and

Michigan were requested to broadcast the urgent need for skilled workershellip various newspapers

were requested to publish news itemshelliprdquo59 These advertisements would carry on throughout the

rest of the war and would often post the daily rates of labor for the available jobs such as in the

Proviso Township Heraldrsquos article ldquoGovernment Needs Machinistsrdquo60 The Arsenal would call

on peoplersquos patriotic duty in order to try and recruit in their advertisements saying they were

57 United States Census Bureau ldquo1940 Censusrdquo 626 58 United States Census Bureau ldquo1940 Censusrdquo 619 637 59 Rock Island Arsenal Short History of the Island of Rock Island 32-33 60 ldquoGovernment Needs Machinistsrdquo The Proviso Township Herald January 22 1942

httpwwwidaillinoisorgcdmcompoundobjectcollectionmpplid1650rec1

16

calling on those who were ldquohellippatriotically inclined and willing to helprdquo61 These factors attracted

many into moving into the Quad City area during this decade

According to the 1950 Census the City of Rock Island gained yet another 6000 residents

before 1950 bringing its total to nearly 5000062 Many cities near Rock Island and the Arsenal

also saw significant population jumps during this decade including Coal Valley Township and

Black Hawk Township both of which doubled their populations from 1940 to 195063

Meanwhile settlements in the county that were significantly further from the Arsenal including

Reynolds Andalusia Township and Edgington Township saw minimal if any population

growth during this decade showing that the growth in the county was centered around the

Arsenal64 Overall the County of Rock Island saw a boom of over 20000 residents between

1940 and 1950 a mark far exceeding the 6000 residents gained during the lean years at the

Arsenal65

Just as in the First World War this rapid influx of population created a housing issue for

the Quad City community While some of this was alleviated with many new residents moving

into townships just outside the city such as Blackhawk township the housing problem still

required action This included more federal housing projects with one of the first of them the

Arsenal Courts opening as early as May of 194166 The Rock Island community also received

61 ldquoRecruiters in Arsenal Seek More Workersrdquo The Rock Island Argus January 11 1945


in 62 United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population 1950 Volume I Number of Inhabitantsrdquo Charles

Sawyer and Roy V Peel (Washington United States Government Printing Office 1952) 13-11

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments23761117v1ch05pdf 63 United States Census Bureau ldquo1950 Censusrdquo 13-23 64 United States Census Bureau ldquo1950 Censusrdquo 13-23 65 United States Census Bureau ldquo1950 Censusrdquo 13-23 66 ldquoArsenal Courts Being Occupiedrdquo The Moline Daily Dispatch May 13 1941


in

17

special permission from the federal government to build housing for the workers at the Arsenal

According to historian Roger Biles ldquoWhile housing construction came to an abrupt halt in most

Illinois communities during the war Rock Island received special permissionhellip to build

emergency housing to offset the local shortagerdquo67 The employment spike at the Arsenal thereby

created another housing problem for the Quad City community that had to be overcome with

federal aid

Finally the spike in employment during the Second World War impacted the daily lives

of Quad Citians by providing ample work opportunities and a way to contribute to the war effort

Despite the fact that the Arsenal had reached its highest level of employment in its history it still

did not have enough workers to fulfill all of the orders coming in This led to a situation where

Quad City residents volunteered their time at the Arsenal to do their patriotic duty and earn a

little extra money For example Sadie Kling who was a fifty-nine-year-old grandmother at the

time would volunteer her days off at the Rock Island Arsenal in order to ldquohelp my countryrdquo68

The Rock Island Arsenal had a significant impact on the development and daily life of

Rock Island and the Quad Cities between the first and second world wars The drastic

mobilization and demobilization during this time period led to population booms and significant

slowdowns brought people into the cities and drove them away again and helped shape the area

into what it is today Rock Island and the Quad Cities still stands ready for the next time the

Arsenal gives out the call that Rock Island needs machinists

67 Roger Biles Illinois A History of the Land and Its People (DeKalb Northern Illinois University Press

2005) 246 68 ldquoGrandmother Gives Days Off to a War Plantrdquo The Chicago Daily Tribune March 3 1943

httpssearchproquestcomhnpchicagotribunedocview1767169961208DBE9B9FD4DCBPQ72accountid=1498

2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers

Chicago Daily Tribune (1943)

Davenport Daily Times (1919)

Moline Dispatch (1918 1941)

Proviso Township Herald (1942)

Quad City Times (2018)

Rock Island Argus (1917-1919 1920 1924 1945)

Government Documents

Arsenal Publishing Company of the tri-cities Warrsquos Greatest Workshop Rock Island Arsenal

Historical Topographical and Illustrative Rock Island Illinois The Arsenal Publishing

co of the Tri-cities not Inc 1922

Rock Island Arsenal ldquoA Short History of the Island of Rock Island Including the Story of the

Time Capsulerdquo Rock Island Illinois Rock Island Arsenal 1967

United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population and Housing 1910 Statistics for Illinoisrdquo

Dana Durand Washington Government Printing Office 1913

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments36894832v2ch04pdf[022nam

e2222FitH22807]

United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population and Housing 1920 State Compendium

Illinoisrdquo Sam L Rogers and WM Stewart Washington Government Printing Office

1924 102 httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments06229686v8-


United States Census Bureau ldquoFifteenth Census of the United States 1930 Population Vol III

Part Irdquo RP Lamont and WM Steuart Washington Government Printing Office 1932

httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments10612963v3p1ch05pdf[022n

ame2222FitH22799]

United States Census Bureau ldquoSixteenth Census of the United States 1940-Population Volume

II Characteristics of the Population- Part IIrdquo Jesse H Jones Washington United States

Government Printing Office 1943


United States Census Bureau ldquoCensus of Population 1950 Volume I Number of Inhabitantsrdquo

Charles Sawyer Roy V Peel Washington United States Government Printing Office

1952 httpswww2censusgovprod2decennialdocuments23761117v1ch05pdf

20

Secondary

Biles Roger Illinois A History of the Land and Its People Dekalb Northern Illinois University

Press 2005

Bouilly Robert ldquoArsenal Islandrdquo Quad Cities Joined by a River ed Frederick Anderson

Davenport Iowa Lee Enterprises 1982

Nothstein Ira Oliver Rock Island and the Rock Island Arsenal Journal of the Illinois State

Historical Society 33 no 3 (1940) 304-40 httpwwwjstororgstable40187950

Slattery Thomas J Rock Island Arsenal An Arsenal for Democracy World War II 50th

Anniversary Rock Island Illinois Historical Office US Army Armament Munitions and

Chemical Command 1992

1

ldquoAvailability of workershellip was vital to the successful operation of Rock Island Arsenal

in the World War just as it must be in any future military crisis in which the country may

become involvedrdquo1 Industries and businesses have a huge impact on the development of a

community No business can be successful without labor provided by communities and

communities rarely grow without the availability of jobs provided by businesses In this same

way the Rock Island Arsenal has had a huge impact on the surrounding communities of Rock

Island Moline Davenport and Bettendorf collectively known as the Quad Cities Indeed in an

article published in 2018 Aarik Woods points out that the Rock Island Arsenal is far and away

the largest employer in the region and the economic impact of the Arsenal on the Quad Cities

was more than one billion dollars2 With that large of an economic impact it is safe to say that

the success of the Arsenal and the success of the Quad Cities are tied at the hip However the

Rock Island Arsenal often goes through extreme variation in production and employment

numbers with ldquoThe Arsenalrsquos employment and production traditionally being cyclical in

naturehellip increasing during national emergencies and declining during peacetimerdquo3 These

mobilization and demobilization patterns of the Arsenal were most pronounced during the period

between the first and second world wars This pattern with how vital the Arsenal is to Rock

Island and the Quad Cities would have a significant impact on the community However the

connection between the Arsenal and the Quad Cities is something that has gone largely

1 Arsenal Publishing Company of the tri-cities Warrsquos Greatest Workshop Rock Island Arsenal Historical

Topographical and Illustrative (Rock Island Illinois The Arsenal Publishing co of the Tri-cities not Inc 1922)

120 2 Aarik Woods ldquoRock Island Arsenalrsquos Annual Economic Impact more than $1 Billionrdquo Our Quad Cities

January 23 2018 httpswwwourquadcitiescomnewsrock-island-arsenals-annual-economic-impact-more-than-1-

billion 3 Thomas J Slattery Rock Island Arsenal An Arsenal for Democracy World War II 50th Anniversary

(Rock Island Illinois Historical Office US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command 1992) 3

2























3
























4
























5


month14























6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








2























3
























4
























5


month14























6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








3
























4
























5


month14























6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








4
























5


month14























6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








5


month14























6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








6










count













7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








7






















8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








8













concluded











9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








9
























10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








10
























11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








11






















12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








12























13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








13






















17 1920


in

14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








14























15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








15







of the Quad Cities














16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








16












Arsenal65












in

17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








17






federal aid

















2

18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








18

19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








19

Bibliography

Primary

Newspapers
















e2222FitH22807]








ame2222FitH22799]








20

Secondary


Press 2005








20

Secondary


Press 2005






