The Rock Island Argus

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Title: The Rock Island Argus IIIF collection link
City: Rock Island, Ill.
County: Rock Island
Frequency: Daily
History: Rock Island Daily Argus (1861); Daily Evening Argus (1861); Evening Argus (1861-1871); Rock Island Argus (1871-1872); Rock Island Daily Argus (1872-1873); Daily Argus (1873-1877); Rock Island Argus (1877-1885); Argus (1885-1886); Rock Island Daily Argus (1886-1893); Rock Island Argus (1893-1920); Rock Island Argus and Daily Union (1920-1923); Rock Island Argus (1923-1971); Argus (1971-1986); Rock Island Argus (1986-current). Continues: Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, Ill. : 1859 : Triweekly).
Available online: 2 January 1889 - 30 June 1915 (8235 issues)

Located on the Mississippi River, Rock Island, Illinois, is one of the Quad Cities, along with Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf and is the seat of Rock Island County (Yes, there are five cities included within the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area). Rock Island gets its name from the largest island in the Mississippi River, which was formerly called Rock Island and is now called Arsenal Island.

The Rock Island Argus is one of Illinois' oldest newspapers and has been in continuous publication since 1851, when a weekly paper titled Rock Island Republican was founded by F. S. Nichols. In 1854, Colonel J. B. Danforth purchased the paper and began publishing a daily edition, along with the weekly. In 1859, Danforth, who was a Democrat, changed its name to the Rock Island Argus, to distinguish it as separate from the Republican Party.

In 1882, John W. Potter bought the Rock Island Argus, and when he died in 1898, his wife, Minnie, took over its operation. The Rock Island Argus only had 500 subscribers when John Potter took it over, but, by all accounts, the newspaper thrived under Minnie Potter's leadership. The Potter family owned and managed the entire family of Rock Island Argus newspapers, including Rock Island Daily Argus (1886-93), the Rock Island Argus (1893-1920), and its successors until the paper was purchased by the Small Newspaper Group in 1985.

On October 16, 1908, the "worst fire in [the] city's history" broke out. It was brought on by an explosion of coal dust in the yards of the Rock Island Lumber Company. The Argus published a special "Midnight Fire Edition" and reported that "millions of feet of lumber" were "devoured" before the fire could be put out. Three people were injured; 500 men were "thrown out of employment"; and an estimated $550,000 in total damages was reported.

The Rock Island Argus is still in publication today, with its headquarters now in Moline, Illinois. The Small Newspaper Group—which also owns the Dispatch—combined the two newspapers, with the content varying only in their respective mastheads.

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1 Wednesday, 1 November 1899
1 issue
2 Thursday, 2 November 1899
1 issue
3 Friday, 3 November 1899
1 issue
4 Saturday, 4 November 1899
1 issue
5 Sunday, 5 November 1899
6 Monday, 6 November 1899
1 issue
7 Tuesday, 7 November 1899
1 issue
8 Wednesday, 8 November 1899
1 issue
9 Thursday, 9 November 1899
1 issue
10 Friday, 10 November 1899
1 issue
11 Saturday, 11 November 1899
1 issue
12 Sunday, 12 November 1899
13 Monday, 13 November 1899
1 issue
14 Tuesday, 14 November 1899
1 issue
15 Wednesday, 15 November 1899
1 issue
16 Thursday, 16 November 1899
1 issue
17 Friday, 17 November 1899
1 issue
18 Saturday, 18 November 1899
1 issue
19 Sunday, 19 November 1899
20 Monday, 20 November 1899
1 issue
21 Tuesday, 21 November 1899
1 issue
22 Wednesday, 22 November 1899
1 issue
23 Thursday, 23 November 1899
1 issue
24 Friday, 24 November 1899
1 issue
25 Saturday, 25 November 1899
1 issue
26 Sunday, 26 November 1899
27 Monday, 27 November 1899
1 issue
28 Tuesday, 28 November 1899
1 issue
29 Wednesday, 29 November 1899
1 issue
30 Thursday, 30 November 1899