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 Tuesday, 1 June 1909
1 issue
2 Wednesday, 2 June 1909
1 issue
3 Thursday, 3 June 1909
1 issue
4 Friday, 4 June 1909
1 issue
5 Saturday, 5 June 1909
1 issue
6 Sunday, 6 June 1909
7 Monday, 7 June 1909
1 issue
8 Tuesday, 8 June 1909
1 issue
9 Wednesday, 9 June 1909
1 issue
10 Thursday, 10 June 1909
1 issue
11 Friday, 11 June 1909
1 issue
12 Saturday, 12 June 1909
1 issue
13 Sunday, 13 June 1909
14 Monday, 14 June 1909
1 issue
15 Tuesday, 15 June 1909
1 issue
16 Wednesday, 16 June 1909
1 issue
17 Thursday, 17 June 1909
1 issue
18 Friday, 18 June 1909
1 issue
19 Saturday, 19 June 1909
1 issue
20 Sunday, 20 June 1909
21 Monday, 21 June 1909
1 issue
22 Tuesday, 22 June 1909
1 issue
23 Wednesday, 23 June 1909
1 issue
24 Thursday, 24 June 1909
1 issue
25 Friday, 25 June 1909
1 issue
26 Saturday, 26 June 1909
1 issue
27 Sunday, 27 June 1909
28 Monday, 28 June 1909
1 issue
29 Tuesday, 29 June 1909
1 issue
30 Wednesday, 30 June 1909
1 issue