Henry Farnam Evening

This March will be the 18th annual Henry Farnam Evening hosted by the Quad Cities Henry Farnam Committee. The committee is an independent group of volunteers and representatives of local organizations who wish to celebrate significant historical events, people, and places in the Quad Cities area, especially as it relates to the broader regional and national trends. River Action is the sponsor of the event as these celebrations have a particular emphasis and focus on the Mississippi River.

The dinner is named in honor of Henry Farnam, the principal builder of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, the first to reach the Mississippi River from the east in 1854. He was also the contractor for the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi, which connected Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa in 1856. Each dinner features a toast to Henry Farnam.

Each dinner embraces a specific theme, typically tied to anniversaries of important local events of the past. This year the main focuses of the event will be the development of water power in the QCA from 1820-1862; Patrick Allie is the Director of the Rock Island Arsenal Museum and will talk on the development of water power in the area that helped convince John Deere to set up operations in Moline. A dedicated poem titled A Grand Detour to be read by Dale Haake, former QCA poet laureate. The last segment of the event will focus on John Deere and the Development of American Agriculture. Leading this segment will be Neil Dahlstrom who has worked at John Deere for over 20 years and now serves as the Heritage Marketing and Archives Manger. He has published three books, most recently Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture. Dahlstrom will talk on the four key eras of Deere development from the 1830s to the late 1990s.

The event will be held Thursday, March 26th at the Rogalski Center on Locust Street in Davenport. Doors open at 5pm with heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, displays, and a raffle. The program and speakers begin at 6pm. Attendance is $35 dollars per person or a table for 6 can be reserved for $180. Please purchase tickets at riveraction.org/henryfarnam or RSVP by March 15th if you plan to attend.