THE HAUNTED 56 ACRE FOREST
COME IF YOU DARE….

Open to the public starting October 5th Friday and Saturday nights:
7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Call 309-523-9430 www.qchauntedforest.com

Experience the deepest, darkest haunted forest in the Quad Cities!  Do You Dare?  You, The Innocent, will begin your journey of horror in the most terrifying hay rack ride ever.  Completely enclosed in darkness you will have no idea where you are going.  Suddenly and irrevocably you must disembark the safety of the hay rack and find yourselves in the middle of 56 acres of unrelenting darkness.  On foot you must find your way back to civilization through petrifying trails of horror and doom.  The horrible sounds, hideous creatures and chain saws threatening life and limb will leave you screaming and begging for someone, anyone to help you out of this frightful experience.  But NO ONE CAN HELP YOU NOW!!   *****ATTENTION! ****** Be Prepared to do a lot of walking up and down hills and through trails and mazes.  Please reconsider coming to the Haunted Forest if you are unable to negotiate rough terrain.

The QC Haunted Forest will also be offering several indoor interactive inflatable games this year as well as a Photo Opportunity for you and your friends, snacks, hot and cold beverages as well as a full bar.  Come Early – Stay Late!

The Legend

In 1845 there were four outlaws who traveled up and down the Mississippi River by raft, robbing and looting as they went along. They were not real hardcore criminals. Just thieves basically. They typically scoped a place out and robbed it when the people weren’t home.

All along the river they had heard tales of a wealthy man named Colonel George Davenport. He was the first white settler in this prairie land. The US Army had sent him here to build a fort on “ Rocky Island,” which is now called “ Arsenal Island” today.

Colonel Davenport ran a fur trading operation with the Indians which became extremely profitable. As the success grew, he built a magnificent mansion right on the Island shores of the Mississippi River. All of his valuables he kept in a safe on the second floor of that house. As a matter of fact, there was a well known rumor that he kept $20,000 in that safe in his home.

This rumor intrigued the four river bandits, and they planned to rob Colonel Davenport’s house on July 4 th, 1845. They had reason to believe that George would be with his family at Independence Day festivities on the island. But for some reason that we will never know, George decided to stay back at the house. Perhaps he wanted to take a rest. Maybe he had some more work to do, but whatever the reason, he should not have stayed.

George was upstairs when he heard a noise, some glass breaking. He went down the stairs and headed towards his office when he discovered the scruffiest bunch of men he had ever seen – River Bandits! Dirty, smelly and wild looking. In that split second, he could see that they were surprised too. They had NOT expected to find him there.

A struggle ensued between the four bandits and George was hit in the leg with a musket ball. As he began to bleed to death, the bandits dragged him to the safe. The Colonel tried to convince them that there was nothing of much value in the safe. Of course, they didn’t believe him and forced him to open it. Imagine their rage when they discovered a mere $600 instead of $20,000! They took the money, looted the house looking for the rest of the treasure and left George Davenport to bleed to death in his bed.

When his sons returned and found their father dead, they posted “REWARD” signs all around the area. Soon three of the murderers were caught, but one was never found (alive, that is!). A public hanging was held on the island and a huge crowd gathered to watch. The rumor is that before these guys died, one told all the details about the missing guy. His name was Earl and he had headed towards the prairie land. The murderer swore that there would be REVENGE is Davenport’s sons didn’t find him and bring him to his proper justice.

Apparently after the murder, Earl headed here to the prairie land. He knew he would be able to safely hide from civilization here. He was confident that he would be safe from the white men andsafe from the Indians. But what he hasn’t counted on was needing to be safe from his fellow murderers…

For our guests over 21, we are
the only haunted attraction with a liquor license and a fully stocked bar.
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