Quad Cities USA Celebrate a Grand Excursion, from Chicago to St. Paul

The Quad Cities is where it all begins for Grand Excursion 2004! This once-in-a-lifetime celebration from June 25-July 5 includes opportunities for people to take historic riverboat cruises on the Mississippi River, ride the rails once again on an historic steam engine train, and follow the scenic river from the Quad Cities to the Twin Cities on a bicycle. This year?s event is the 150th anniversary of the original Grand Excursion in 1854.

All of the cities that make up the Quad Cities community are taking part in this huge Grand Excursion event with numerous special events happening throughout the area. The Quad Cities is located on the Mississippi River and is made up of the riverfront cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois.

Ride a Boat

Five of the seven riverboats arrive in the Quad Cities on Friday, June 25th to offer an assortment of harbor cruises, breakfast, lunch and dinner cruises, race/parade cruises, and moonlight cruises. See the Quad Cities from the deck of the Harriet Bishop, Anson Northrop, Julia Belle Swain, Sprit of Peoria, or Celebration Belle who are all participating in the Grand Flotilla. The boats are offering cruises starting Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, June 26th from the docking site in Bettendorf, Iowa. Tickets for these cruises can be purchased at www.grandexcursion.com or call 1-866-GEX-2004.

Saturday afternoon two matriarchs of the river?the Mississippi Queen and Delta Queen?arrive in the Quad Cities and will be greeted by the other five riverboats before all proceeding through the Lock and Dam back to the docking sites. A ceremony on land in LeClaire Park in Davenport, Iowa, will be the best place to see all the boats together. On Sunday, July 27th all seven riverboats of the Grand Flotilla continue upriver on the Grand Excursion route.

Ride the Train

The original Grand Excursion of 1854 celebrated the first railroad tracks reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. It brought national attention to the Upper Mississippi River region. To commemorate the original excursion, the historic steam locomotive Milwaukee #261 will carry passengers from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, on Friday, June 25th arriving at the Modern Woodmen of America at 5:30 pm with a grand welcoming ceremony.

Then the train will stay in the Quad Cities for the weekend and people can purchase tickets to make day trips to Sabula and Bureau County. Three classes of service offered on all rail trips. Tickets for the train can be purchased at www.grandexcursion.com or call 1-866-GEX-2004.

Ride Your Bike

As another component to Grand Excursion, follow the riverboat and the train upriver on a bicycle. Cyclists for this 400-mile trip will ride alongside the beautiful vistas of the bluffs of the upper Mississippi River. The ride begins in the Quad Cities and takes off with the boats on Sunday morning, June 27. Registration starts on Saturday so cyclists can come to the Quad Cities to take part in the scheduled festivities.

In addition to experiencing the Grand Excursion, bicyclists can savor being part of the first organized “excursion” on the northern section of the Mississippi River Trail. The ride will cover approximately 35 to 70 miles each day. For complete information on the Bike Ride or to register on line, visit www.grandexcursion.com or call 941-613-1731 through March 2004 or 563-386-7157 beginning April 1, 2004.

Celebrate in the Quad Cities

As a kick-off to Grand Excursion, the Quad Cities has numerous special events; festivals, concerts, and activities scheduled June 25-27 to compliment Grand Excursion and the area?s river and railroad heritage.

Visit the Hospitality Landing at the docking site of the Grand Flotilla boats to start your Grand Excursion journey! Visitors will be entertained with strolling performers and local bands throughout the weekend. Information and free transportation via a circulator shuttle to all community events will be available from the Landing at 1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf.

To learn more about what?s going on in the Quad Cities during the weekend from June 25-27, 2004, visit www.visitquadcities.com for information online or call the Quad Cities Grand Excursion office at 309-762-0707.

Grand Excursion 1854
The original event celebrated America?s first railroad connection to the Mississippi River. This event hosted more than 1,200 dignitaries, politicians?including President Millard Fillmore, journalists, business leaders, and artists on a journey that led by rail from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois; then by steamboat up river from Rock Island to Saint Paul, Minnesota. It brought a lot of national attention to the Upper Mississippi River region.

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April 30, 2004   Posted in: United States North