<< Scroll for More

Railroad cars roll out the end of the Bettendorf Co. shops.

In 1886, Joseph and William brought their design for a metal wagon wheel from Peru, Illinois, to Davenport, and founded a company to manufacture the wheel, which was in great demand as it was both substantially more durable than the competition with the wires connecting the rim of the wheel to the hub more tightly secured and the country was experiencing a weird of major growth in terms of agricultural land being worked and industrial production. They would also diversify their operations to make steel gears for wagons.

The company soon became the largest manufacturer in Davenport as it added the creation of other parts into the mix: A boltless truck for cars in the explosively growing railroad industry. Because these undercarriages lacked bolts, they would not be shaken loose in use, which proved to be in high demand.

The original factory at the edge of downtown Davenport was becoming insufficient for the company’s needs, so a new factory was planned. Unfortunately, 1902, it burned.

However, wheels had already begun turning to start anew.

The Bettendorfs had arranged a deal with the nearby townspeople of Gilbert, Iowa, in which the town would pay to purchase the land for Bettendorf from a former mayor of Davenport in hopes that the presence of the Bettendorf Company would drive commerce and population growth for the town.

In 1903, around the time the new factory was completed, a vote of 440 eligible residents was held to incorporate the town and rename it in honor of the Bettendorfs.

 

 

 

Back To Bettendorf Wheel Company