Day in history for February 23, 2004

1854 -- 150 years ago

Thousands of visitors are in Rock Island today to celebrate the arrival of the first train on the shores of the Mississippi. Speeches, parades, the booming of cannons, the illumination of houses and stores, and a banquet are the order of the day.

1879 -- 125 years ago

The popular play ''Uncle Tom's Cabin,'' will be presented by the Gotthald and Rial Company in Dart's Hall.

1904 -- 100 years ago

Fifty deaths were caused by football last fall, leading to the question: Does the game pay? Augustana College is considering forbidding the game to its students.

1929 -- 75 years ago

The Paulsen tract has been bought by the board of education as additional ground for the new senior high school being planned in the center of Rock Island population.

1954 -- 50 years ago

A dope addict's confession of a 1947 murder has served to intensify a Rock Island police investigation of dope peddling in the Quad-Cities area. Police Chief Claus C. Miller said several important leads on dope sales now are being probed. Lonnie Wright, 53, Rock Island, voluntarily confessed to the slaying of Jack Winfield, 40, Davenport, in 1947.

1979 -- 25 years ago

The Illinois Department of Conservation has awarded a $200,000 grant for renovation and expansion of Geneseo's 26-year-old public swimming pool. The matching fund grant was sought to finance a $400,000 swimming pool rehabilitation and expansion project that would double the size of the pool.

Back: Available days in February 2004