Moline, IL

Moline, IL was one of the early cities to receive a National Humane Alliance fountain in 1906. Rufus Walker was the person most responsible in Moline for securing the fountain which was installed at 7th Street and 4th Avenue and turned on in July, 1907. The site was popular as it had access from five directions and the area was a major shopping hub for the city. It was later moved to 5th Avenue.

At some point, the fountain was moved to Prospect Park and over time was simply forgotten and disappeared in heavy undergrowth. Sometime in the 1960s Mayor James F. Arndt found the fountain and started to work with Ralph Birks, superintendent of parks and recreation, to get it restored and given a more prominence location near the west entrance to Riverside Park. They were aided by the Chamber of Commerce's Community Beautification and Improvement Committee. The fountain stopped working in 1998.

Then in 2011, the fountain was put back into operation through efforts of the Friends of Riverside Park Gardens. Though the pedestal is missing, the fountain is working and lions head spigots deliver water to the original basin. The lions heads are not the original and they now have a gold plating.

Background information for this story can be found here.

Updated June 30, 2024

For more on the National Humane Alliance Fountains click here.


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