Our Story

QC PastPort focuses on bringing the rich history of the Quad Cities to life.

Founded in the summer of 2018, the idea of QC PastPort was sparked by Rachel Thomas and Natalie Linville-Mass at the Big Table event, where locals gathered to brainstorm ways to improve the Quad Cities. Linville-Mass says, “We had some great discussions about building pride in who we are as Quad Citizens. People shared their concerns about losing landmark buildings and the need for our leaders to recognize their importance in defining our community.” 

Inspired by this event, we developed an innovative way to actively share our heritage with both locals and visitors, helping everyone connect more deeply with our historical past. There is a gravity to be in the place where it happened. Fueled by this vision, Rachel and Natalie began developing the concept and branding for a series of interactive signs at historic destinations throughout the QC, allowing everyone to understand how we arrived at this moment and envision our future.

In November of 2020, MetroLINK awarded us our first contract to create 6 destinations located near and around the Channel Cat Ports. By May 2021, we launched the first five signs, and over the summer, the City of Rock Island and Visit QC joined us in providing funding for an additional 20 destinations. To date, QC PastPort has 21 historical destinations with interactive signs installed throughout the Quad Cities, with 8 more nearing completion.

Our history enriches our communities and can serve as an economic driver in the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities Chamber hosted a panel of relocation experts who manage relocation efforts for large corporations around the world. All of them were pleasantly surprised by our quality of life, with some of them noting their unfamiliarity with the area’s history after seeing our signs along the Mississippi River’s bike path. This feedback solidified our plan for an interactive signage program called QC PastPort.

Originally, QC PastPort was developed as a non-profit organization with a governing board. But the momentum was hard to maintain, because of heavy outside commitments with the founding group. After much discussion, it was decided this organization would be better served as a for-profit company with dedicated employees, allowing us to better serve our mission.

The endeavor takes a huge team to make it a reality. We extend our gratitude to the many non-profits and talented individuals who have shared their stories and assisted us in crafting our narratives, including our audio production expert Jim O’Hara, gifted graphic designer Melissa Garcia, the teams at One-Step and QC Custom Signs, head researcher Linda Anderson, scriptwriter Josh Boelter, the staff at Media Link, and the talented actors who brought our stories to life. We also appreciate the support from numerous local government divisions facilitating the placement of our signs in historic areas; as well as so many individuals in our area who have shared their support in making this possible. 

Thank you, Quad Cities! With your help and support, we’ve created a unique and fun adventure for all of us to discover at your own pace and for all ages.      

Now, we hope you draw inspiration and have some fun as you discover one of our signs, participate on our social media pages, and listen to the audio productions of the talented regional folks who take us to the place where it happened. Bon Voyage!