East Moline

East Moline, city, Rock Island county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the Mississippi River, some 160 miles (260 km) west of Chicago. With Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, it forms a complex known as the Quad Cities. The area was long inhabited by Sauk and Fox Indians. Settled in 1895, it was originally called Port Byron Junction. It developed as a centre of manufacture of farm implements, particularly following the establishment of the East Moline Land Company (1896). It was incorporated as a village in 1903 and renamed East Moline. The earlier village of Watertown (1857) was later annexed by East Moline. The manufacture of farm machinery (particularly combines) remains central to the city’s economy; also produced are aluminum and industrial coatings. Food processing and the military (at the nearby Rock Island Arsenal) are other important economic factors. At Campbell’s Island State Memorial an obelisk marks the site of a battle (1814) during the War of 1812 between troops led by Lieutenant John Campbell and Sauk and Fox Indians under Black Hawk. Inc. city, 1907. Pop. (2000) 20,333; (2010) 21,302.