The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Bettendorf lies in the original Wisconsin Territory, which the United States bought from the Sac and Fox Indians after defeating them in the Black Hawk War. The territory was ceded in the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832. The first European-American settlers established a village they called Lilienthal, after an early tavern and dance hall. The village of Gilbert developed alongside Lilienthal in 1858, honoring Elias Gilbert, who platted the original site. At that time, the residents were predominantly German immigrants and worked as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners. The two villages eventually combined to become the town of Gilbert.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Bettendorf’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bettendorf’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Bettendorf
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Bettendorf, decade by decade
2000
4 historic places in Bettendorf
4 places in Bettendorf are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1983Joseph F. Bettendorf House
Listed 1994Regina Coeli Monastery
Listed 2013Forest Grove School No. 5Listed 1984Bettendorf-Washington SchoolThen & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.