In 1836, the
first dam was completed in what was then Charleston. It was a great
source of power to grind flour and cut wood, both necessary to a growing
town which, in 1839 changed its name to St. Charles. 1857 saw an iron
bridge constructed across the Fox River, replacing several failed wooden
ones, during a time when the city experienced great growth, aided by the
influx – not unlike sister city Geneva to the south – of hard-working
Swedish immigrants. The years of 1920-1940 brought now-familiar names
like the Cable Piano Factory and Moline Malleable, Hotel Baker and Arcada Theatre to
St. Charles, the philanthropic contributions of the
Gates, Norris and Baker families.
