HISTORY
or,
The Emigrant's Guide, and State Directory"
by J.B. Newhall; Burlington, Iowa; 1846
SCOTT COUNTY. This is one of the river counties, situated north of Muscatine, and occupying nearly a central position in the Territory, from north to south; there being four counties below and four above, bordering upon the Mississippi.
In the interior of Scott, remote from the river, there is a deficiency of timber. Probably the prairies are among the largest of any of the surveyed portions of the Territory, although handsomely undulating and fertile. Nature, as if to compensate for the absence of timber in the interior, appears to have selected the region bordering upon the Mississippi, as one of her chosen spots. Ever since the earliest settlement of Iowa, this portion has been justly esteemed among the most desirable and fascinating regions of the boundless West. Being entirely free from low bottom lands, (the usual causes of disease,) it was early selected by the sagacious pioneers, among the favored spots of the upper Mississippi valley. Perhaps no other country in the world presents so happy a combination of picturesque beauties, blended with excellence of soil and salubrity of climate, as the vicinity of Rock Island. All, who have ever visited this charming region, concur in expressing their admiration of the surpassing beauties of nature's inimitable works.
Davenport is the seat of justice of Scott county, and the most important town in the county. It is beautifully situated, on a plain upon the western shore of the Mississippi, directly opposite the town of Rock Island, Illinois. It contains a handsome brick court house; a large and spacious hotel, constructed at a cost of about $30,000; sustains a weekly newspaper, numerous mercantile establishments, and all the various mechanic arts, trades, &c. (See Davenport Directory.)
Rockingham is also a beautifully located village, situated upon the Mississippi, about three miles below Davenport. Population of Scott county in 1838, 1252; in 1840, 2193; and in 1844, 2750.
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