(February 24, 2026) With one of the best river views in the Quad Cities, Prospect Park in Davenport is a must-see. Perched above River Drive and the Mississippi River near the Village of East Davenport, this scenic spot has long been a local favorite.
Originally known as Prospect Terrace Overlook, the park is now getting well-deserved recognition thanks to a new historic marker and designation from the State Historical Society of Iowa. And it all started with a little neighborhood curiosity.
Diane Franken wanted to know more about the place she calls home. So, she teamed up with local historians Judy Belfer, Karen Anderson, and John Brassard, Jr. to research and apply for a grant to bring a historic marker to the hilltop park. The marker traces the park’s roots to the Louisiana Purchase and the era of westward expansion.
The marker reads:
“Prospect Park is part of the 23-acre Prospect Park Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Nearby on September 28, 1836, nineteen Meskwaki and Sauk elders were compelled to sign the ‘Treaty with the Sac and Fox Indians’ which transferred this territory to the U.S. Government. It opened the first legal land grant program west of the Mississippi and north of the state of Missouri. Noted artist and author George Catlin served as a witness to the treaty. He sketched some of the one thousand native people encamped in this area.
This historic district is significant as an 1890s residential area that was developed with a public park as the principal feature, much like Central Park in New York City. Most of the land was sold to and platted in 1894 by the Prospect Park Company. Four acres were sold to the Davenport Board of Parks Commissioners. The remainder of the land was then available for lots for the city’s elite and recognized for its exceptional architecture. In 1896, the first three homes were built.”
Those original homes still stand today:
- The Ralph E. Lindsay House (224 Prospect)
- The Charles D. Davison House (204 Prospect)
- The Henry Jager House (1610 Prospect)
Each home is situated with a park frontage and an unobstructed river view preserved by the park’s design. The park was part of a larger plan by Davenport to develop public parks throughout the city. While the architecture and landscape are impressive, residents will tell you that the real magic of Prospect Park goes beyond the scenery.
“It is also special because of the people we have lived next to throughout our years here,” Franken said. “They all see their homes as important historic places to be cared for and handed down to a new generation.”