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Joe Nobiling
This “study of place” or history of the island known today as Arsenal Island, was a senior project in my Bachelor's Degree program at Goddard College of Plainfield, Vermont. The research was done in the fall semester and the website was built in the spring semester.

There are two reasons why I chose to do this project. The first reason is because as a Visual Information Specialist with the Army Corps of Engineers, website development is one aspect of visual information and an area that strongly interests me. I've coded the entire site in HTML with some Java Scripting. The second reason I chose to do this project has to do with my background as a folk musician and storyteller. I've always been interested in stories. Especially stories about fiddle tunes, tall tales, and history. Seeking answers to a question like, “Where did that come from?” has interested me.

The research into Rock Island's story or history was very gratifying. I was born and raised in Moline, Illinois and the island has always held a mystique about it since it is a military reservation. Studying about the geology of the island opened a whole new area of knowledge to me that I'd never looked into before. I learned a lot about this homeland of mine as well as the island's geological composition. It was just plain fun! The books I used as resources, listed in the bibliography, held wonderful bits of information.

I stopped at 1900 because the story of the island was well established at that point. After 1900, the island is well on its way to becoming one of our nation's largest arsenals. The history from then on just wasn't as fascinating to me. It was probably the most difficult part of my research. I had researched up into the middle 1960s. I had to go that far in order to find a stopping point which, for me, was 1900.

Hopefully, you'll find this site interesting and worthwhile. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments. If, at some point in the future, you see me 'fiddling around', as I often do, be sure to come and say "Hi!"

Thanks for visiting this site.

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Web Page Design by
Joe Nobiling, IM
(309) 794-5671
Clock Tower Building
Rock Island, Illinois 61204-2004
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last updated
13 April 2000