Photo: The 33rd Ordnance Company works on heavy maintenance overhaul on the Rock Island Arsenal in this photograph taken Nov. 20, 1924. (Photo courtesy of the Rock Island Arsenal)

The Rock Island Arsenal is an economic, strategic and historically significant backbone of the Quad-Cities community.

To mark the 150th anniversary of congressional action establishing the Arsenal, The Dispatch, The Rock Island Argus and the Quad-City Times are collaborating in an unprecedented editorial project, a special section to be published on Sunday, June 10.

The Arsenal at 150

The special broadsheet publication and associated reporting will celebrate the rich history of the Arsenal, its key role in the nation's defense and its future importance to our region's economy. The special section will be filled with historic photos, little-known facts about the Arsenal and real-life stories of Q-C residents who have worked there.

That's where you, our readers, come in.

How has the Arsenal affected your life?

Have you or your family members been employed there for generations?

Did you meet your significant other there?

Did you relocate to the Quad-Cities because of the Arsenal?

Scour your attics for photos, diaries and family letters that could help tell the Arsenal story.

Whatever your connection to the installation, email your story to ArsenalStories@gmail.com. If you have a related photo, attach it in jpg format. Be sure to include your name and daytime phone number.

You also can send your stories via regular mail to either The Dispatch-Argus, 1720 5th Ave., Moline, IL 61265, or the Quad-City Times, 500 E. 3rd St., Davenport, IA 52803. Please label your submission "Arsenal Stories."