2022 Fall Trip: Fisherman's Corner, Hampton, Illinois

Sunday, 9/18: 267 miles and camped at Fisherman's Corner COE, Hampton, IL

A combination of US 61, 14, 35 and finally 61 again.

Fisherman's Corner COE Campground, site 19.

We were on the road about 9:30 today and arrived about 3:00 at Fisherman's Corner.  We took a combination of roads today, US 61, 14, 35 and finally 61 again, which generally took us through small towns, along the river, and rural countryside.  The traffic was light and stress free, a very nice drive.  We were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset this evening.

The drive today from Wabash to Fisherman's Corner took us right through the middle of a geological phenomenon called the Driftless Area. I had never heard of it until my cousin's husband in Madison explained it. For some unknown reason, an area covering parts of 4 states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois) was never glaciated during the last ice age 15,000 years ago. The glaciers parted and went around this area. Therefore there is no glacial till, called drift, and the geology is as it was pre glaciation. Thus the river plain is often surrounded by high bluffs, having never been leveled by the glaciers, overlooking the river.

Fisherman's Corner is a US Army Core of Engineers campground, and it was an excellent find.  We have never stayed at a COE campground before, but we sure will in the future.  Here is a well written web post from rvatlas.com about the COE and their campgrounds.  Located right on the Mississippi River we had a great a view of Lock and Dam 14 Fisherman's Corner.

The metropolis covering both sides of the Mississippi here is often called the Quad Cites.  According to the website quad cities.com, this is the present day makeup.

"The Quad Cities actually consists of five neighboring cities flanking the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois in the Midwestern United States. The July 1, 2007, population of the four-county metropolitan area is estimated at 376,160. The Quad Cities, in order of descending population, are:

1. Davenport, Iowa
2. Moline, Illinois
3. Rock Island, Illinois
4. Bettendorf, Iowa
5. East Moline, Illinois

Before World War II, the area was known as the “Tri-Cities“, and included only Davenport, Rock Island and Moline.  With the growth of Rock Island County, East Moline was eventually given “equal status,” and the region became known as the “Quad Cities” during the early 1960s.

By the 1970s, Bettendorf had grown such that many people in the community openly discussed the adoption of the name “Quint Cities“. However, by this time, the name “Quad Cities” had become known well beyond the area, and Quint Cities never caught on. As Bettendorf passed East Moline in size, it became one of the Quad Cities—a name that is now technically a misnomer, as the area includes five cities each with a population of over 20,000."

The world headquarters for John Deere, the farm and construction equipment manufacturing giant is located here.  John Deere Harvester Works combine factory, East Moline, Illinois.There is an assembly plant in nearby East Moline.  It seemed like about every hour a tractor trailer load of Deere equipment, in most cases combines but also an occasional excavator, drove past the campground.

As you can see from many of the photo's, an area of still water by the campground was covered by huge mats of American lotus.

American Lotus

Like most of our stops on this journey, there is so much more to see and do. Hopefully another time. Next stop on our Mississippi journey is the St. Charles and St. Louis, Missouri area. Until then.....