"Iowa vs Illinois: 1862" Topic

The Quad Cities online has a daily blurb showing what was printed in the newspaper on this day in the past. For yesterday (Feb 13) 150 years ago they noted:

1862: If Uncle Sam indulges in the luxury of a civil war; Young America seems to think he has just as good a right to do so. Accordingly there has been going on, nearly all winter, a regular civil war between Rock Island boys and Davenport boys armed with sticks, clubs and pistols -- usually on the ice between the two cities.

" and pistols " ???

The boys were tough back then.

Tough indeed. I had to read that over to make sure, but that's what it states. The "ice between the two cities" is the Mississippi River.

they must have been using paintball pistols

It's hard to imagine the Mississippi freezing over.

It's hard to imagine the Mississippi freezing over.

link

"armed with sticks, clubs and pistols -- usually on the ice between the two cities."

Other than the pistols, it sounds like they were playing hockey.

I lived in that area all of my life until retirement 10 years ago. I remember my parents and other old timers mentioning how the Mississippi would freeze over back before all of the dams were put in. They would even drive their cars across it.