Colona Road

In the mid 19th century, the primary transportation corridor from Moline to the east was below the bluffs through what was to become East Moline, then Carbon Cliff, Colona, and eastward. This was the path chosen by the first railroad to visit the area, completed in 1854. Sometime in mid century, however, a road atop the bluff midway between the Mississippi and Rock River valleys connected Colona with the bluff area in Moline. It became known as Colona Road and served farms (including dairy farms and apple orchards) and coal mines east of Moline. Now called “Avenue of the Cities,” it was 23rd Avenue in Moline and 42nd Avenue in East Moline for most of the 20th Century.

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