Bettendorf,
Iowa http://www.bettendorf.org lies in the original Wisconsin Territory, which was purchased from the Sac and
Fox Indians in the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832. The first white settlers established
a village named Lilenthal, commemorating an early tavern and dance hall. The village
of Gilbertown developed alongside Lilenthal in 1858, honoring Elias Gilbert, who
plotted the original site. At that time, the residents were predominately German
and were employed as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners. The
two villages eventually combined to become the town of Gilbertown. |
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Around
1900, William and Joseph Bettendorf were gifted 70 acres of riverfront land on
condition that they move their iron wagon business from Davenport to Gilbertown.
In 1903, the town of 440 citizens petitioned for incorporation, requesting to
change the town's name to honor the brothers whose factory was a major influence
in the early development of the city. In the late 1940s, a site adjacent to Bettendorf, known as Riverdale, was chosen by the Aluminum Company of America http://www.alcoa.com to be the site of the world's largest aluminum rolling mill. This, and the attendant spin off developments from it, caused Bettendorf to enter a period of explosive growth in population which has sustained itself to the present day. |
| Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce 2117 State Street Bettendorf, IA 52722 563.355.4753 563.344.4203 fax Admin |