Stephanie Makosky
Melissa Burant of Bettendorf, Paul Harrington of Port Byron and Karen Schaar of Davenport row down the Mississippi River in Moline in preparation for the Sept. 19 Taming of the Slough. The adventure race will consist of a two-mile canoe/kayak row, an eight-mile mountain biking course, a two-mile run, and an off-road hill climb. More photos from this shoot
On Sylvan Island, two worlds intertwine as the past meets the present in this natural area on the Mississippi River.
"We're in the middle of a city, but it's quiet and peaceful," said Norm Moline of Rock Island, a geology professor at Augustana College there. "It's a gem that's kind of unknown."
The island wasn't always a park, and it wasn't always an island. In 1871, the U.S. government and the Moline Water Power Company cut the channel to transform the oak-hickory savanna peninsula into an island.
This was only the first of many transformations. Today, the city of Moline considers the island a "passive recreation" park, its primary uses being hiking, biking and fishing. It is open 6 a.m. to dusk.
Jesse Perez of Moline remembers fishing, hunting and swimming on the island in his youth with his friends, the "Stone Quarry Gang."
"We had everything, and it was right in our backyard," Perez said. "It was like home over there."
Critters and bugs scurry across pathways made of old factory bricks and hauled-in gravel. Surrounded by trees, the path becomes a factory floor. Dirt paths lead to old factory walls, now only three feet high.
"You know you're in an industrial site," Moline said, admiring the contrast of brick and brush.
It was always part of the plan to leave factory remains. Without it, "it wouldn't look any different than any woods ... It reminds people there used to be something going on here," he said.
The man-made island was home to Moline Water Power in 1871 and a limestone quarry near the turn of the century. Sylvan Steel Co.,later Republic Iron and Steel Company, purchased the land in 1894. Steel production ended in 1956, and some, incomplete demolition was done then.
The federal government owns three-fifths of an acre for the Rock Island Arsenal power plant and MidAmerican Energy owns two acres on the east end.
For years, the land sat in limbo, becoming a dumping grounds. The city of Moline purchased the remaining 34.8 acres in 1966, with plans for a park. However, Moline said these plans laid dormant.
He remembers many plans for the land floated around, including a nine hole golf course. But no action was ever taken.
In 1971, Moline led a group of students on an "industrial archeology" project to learn about the island and its resources.
"Out of that, we had the idea of a nature park, historical park and fishing park," he said.
Although no plans were pushed, groups visited the island and cleaned up the accumulated garbage.
"We carted the junk out of here," Moline said. One weekend, seven large dump truck loads were hauled off the island, with everything from stoves, grocery carts, sofas and rusty beer cans. "It was as dense as looking at grass."
Today, garbage bins line seven designated trails. "Now you really have to look for trash," he said.
In the 1970s and '80s, people inclined to keep the island a natural park welcomed the lack of action. "No news was good news," he said. "The vegetation kept growing."
The island has now undergone "secondary succession" with 40 years of growth.
About 1992, Lissa Madsen and the Black Hawk chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America invited the public to help clean up.
The Izaak Walton League met Perez and his Stone Quarry Gang. Together, they formed the Sylvan Island Dreamers, a nonprofit organization, with Gary Madsen as president. Many members like Perez lived in the nearby Floreciente neighborhood and had parents who worked in the steel mill.
"Basically we wanted a nature park how it is now," Madsen said.
The Dreamers raised money for projects and continued to clean. Projects included the trails, many of which are handicap accessible. Additional, undesignated walking and biking trails have been created by exploring visitors and groups.
A visitor's center was constructed with the help of Thomas Rogers' family containing information about the island's history and wildlife.
"Right now, we come out and fine tune it," Madsen said.
Both Madsen and Perez said the majority of the work on the island has been financed through fundraising, costing the city little money.
Two overlooks were completed and benches, a water fountain and signs were installed. Future developments include a trailhead on the mainland entrance, which has been in the works for years. River Action, the nonprofit environmental group based in Davenport, also involved with the island, hopes to bring water trails to the area as well.
Today the city concentrates on maintaining open areas and trails and clearing brush that gets out of hand.
"It's really being maintained as is," said Rodd Schick, Moline Park Operations manager. "We want to keep what's there as far as passive recreation, expand on it and clean it up more."
He said volunteer groups, especially the Dreamers, with whom the city closely works, help the city immensely with ongoing cleanup.
"Slowly but surely we're cleaning some of the stuff that's out there," Schick said.
Other groups, like Friends of Off-Road Cycling (FORC), have brought mountain-bike races to the island and conduct cleanups in the wooded areas. River Action hosts events like Ride the River andTaming of the Slough, which is happening this month.
Through the years, the efforts of individuals and groups have made the park what it is today.
As Moline puts it, "It's been a lesson in perseverance."
Taming of the Slough
What: The Quad Cities' very own Adventure Race that will include:
* Canoe or kayak Sylvan Slough (2 miles)
* Mountain bike on Sylvan Island (8 miles)
* Run through downtown Moline and off-road hill climb (2 miles)
When: Sept. 19 at 8 a.m.
Where: The Quad City Rowing Association boathouse 17th Street at the Mississippi River, Moline.
Register: Go online at riveraction.org or call (563) 322-2969 and ask for Jeff. Early registration prices last through Sept. 12.
Stephanie Benhart is a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is majoring in news-editorial journalism with a minor in Spanish.
