PHOTOS: CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
here used to be a time when the Mississippi River was America’s busiest thoroughfare — the main drag of commerce in a growing nation. Cities sprang up along its shores and pushed inward, carving out a home in the rich land around it. Barges floated along its waters, steamships pushed through its mighty current, and Mark Twain would celebrate life on the river. In Iowa, some of those cities would grow into lumber capitals of the world, others would quadruple their ranks — and one would become a bucolic burg that would give birth to one of the Wild West’s most famous showmen and a put a pair of pickers in people’s living rooms across the nation. LeClaire is nestled along the shores of the Mississippi River, a short drive from the Quad Cities, and just off the I-80 bride that spans the world-famous waterway. The city has become a go-do destination for travelers and tourists who want to enjoy a relaxing day along the river, shopping, visiting a museum, sightseeing on a river cruise, and enjoying all the various flavors of food and drink served up at its restaurants and breweries — but LeClaire is far from a sleepy river-town. The community is one of the fastestgrowing cities in the Quad Cities Metropolitan area, seeing a 65% jump in population from 2000-2020, going from just under 2,900 people to just over 4,700.
Downtown LeClaire (above), as seen from the Illinois side of the Mississippi River (facing page).
A Shaw Media Publication | Lake Lifestyle | December 2023 | 11
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11/15/2023 11:24:43 AM