The first annual Quad Cities Archive Crawl will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Archive Crawl is a three-part educational experience that will lead participants through three archival collections in the Quad Cities.
The Archive Crawl is a celebration of local history and artifacts spanning from the area’s indigenous populations to present day inhabitants. Unique collections and materials provide the community with an educational opportunity to explore significant moments of our history.
“A group of representatives from libraries, archives, and museums across the Quad Cities has been meeting for the past year talking about this idea to do a crawl. The crawl will bring awareness to the collections that we have here in the Quad Cities,” said Lisa Huntsha, a member of the arrangements committee and host organization for the Crawl.
History is fascinating and this Archive Crawl is the perfect opportunity to explore three different collections. The Crawl allows the community learn more about local artifacts of the past and the present. First-year student Liam Kelly states, “I think learning about even the most mundane of past events can give us insights into how our ancestors once lived.”
Participating institutions include Augustana’s Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at the Davenport Public Library, and the St. Ambrose University Library. Some of the artifacts that will be included on this crawl include love letters from an Augustana student to a teacher who lived across the river in Iowa. To hear more about this piece and others, be sure to stop by the Augustana Crawl location.
This event is free and open to all public. Free bus transportation will be available throughout the day to transport participants between each location. All are encouraged to stop by and check out the abundance of interesting artifacts at each location.