20th century
In 1905, after purchasing its rival newspaper, The Davenport Leader, the name became The Davenport Democrat & Leader, under the city editorship of Ralph W. Cram.
The newspaper was sold to Lee Enterprises in 1915; thereafter, Cram became editor and publisher until 1940. Davenport was dropped from masthead in 1937,[3] and by 1951 the newspaper adopted the name of Morning Democrat.[4]
The Blue Ribbon News began publication in 1878; by 1886, it was known as the Davenport Daily Times. The newspaper, which struggled for many years, was sold in 1899 to A. W. Lee (founder of Lee Enterprises) for $120,000.
Both newspapers continued to grow in circulation before being combined into one newspaper — Times-Democrat — in 1964. By 1974, with circulation expanding throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the newspaper was given its current name.
In December 1989, the Quad-City Times moved into its current building at 500 E. Third St., in Davenport, Iowa. The facility, completed for $23.8million, includes a five-story press room, mail room, warehouse, and editorial offices. The facility also houses Trico, the newspaper's commercial printing business.
The Quad-City Times has been on the leading edge of technology, becoming the first all-electronic newspaper in 1973. Electronic pagination began in 1988, with all-digital photography taking root by 1994.
