Mississippi River Visitor Center — Attraction in Rock Island Arsenal

Located on the grounds of the US Army's Rock Island Arsenal, the Visitor Center is a nice facility located next to the river locks at Dam number 15 on the Mississippi river.

It features clear views of the locks and the vintage swing-span bridge, interesting displays on lock operation, river commercial traffic, Corps history and duties, bald eagle viewing (in winter time), and features a small movie theatre.

The US Army Corps of Engineer's Ranger (Mike) was very outgoing and gave an interesting tour of the nearby, Civil War era, Rock Island Arsenal Clock Tower building, which is home to the Corps' District Headquarters.

Initially built as a store house for weapons and equipment, the building still retains some original features relating to that use, such as a pulley and rope system to raise material to upper floors. There are also historical displays of the Corps river operation, and a six-flight walk up into the Tower to see the 1877 clock mechanism that drives the hands of the four, 12-foot diameter clocks and the 3500 pound bell.

Because the facilty is located on the grounds of an operational US Army facility, you must enter via the bridge from Moline and pass through a security checkpoint. Visitors must stop at the nearby security Visitor center and fill out simple forms which allow them to run a quick background check. You are then issued a photo ID good for one year which allows you to enter onto the Arsenal.

That ID allows you access to not only the Corps' River Visitor Center, but also the Arsenal's outdoor displays of vintage tanks and artillery pieces, a museum housing a history of the Arsenal and a large display of all kinds of firearms, the original, the vintage Quarters One which was the residence of the base Commander ( and second only to the White House in size), National Cemetery, and Confederate Cemetery.

Any visit to the Quad Cities should include the Mississippi River Visitor Center and...

Mississippi River and it’s history. The Mississippi River has played an important role in the history of the United States, serving as a key transportation route for goods, people, and military forces, and being central to the development of trade, agriculture, and commerce in the country. The Mississippi River is the second-longest river system in the continental United States, flowing from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The Greenville Bridge is the longest and last bridge to cross the Mississippi River in Arkansas, connecting Refuge, Mississippi, and Shives, Arkansas. The Greenville Bridge has served as the crossing...

On a 2 day canoe trip when we misjudged an attempt to portage around the lock and dam. We didn’t realize that the island is actually a government installation and we had not entered it properly. We realized our mistake and asked for help from the USACE Employee at the Visitor center. He was incredibly helpful in getting us on the right track and instructed us to use the lock (we had never done before). He even called ahead for us.

He also gave us a pamphlet with all the lock and dam contact information and a recommendation to use the USACE App for navigation charts.

You sir...