|
 Keokuk is a major industrial town
with plenty of available labor and industrial sites. More information on
Keokuk as an industrial focal point, visit the homepages of the Keokuk
Chamber of Commerce and the Keokuk Economic Development Corporation. Keokuk
has small town ambience in its downtown area which is aided by Main Street
Keokuk, Inc..
Keokuk is a community of roughly 13,000 overlooking the
panoramic Mississippi River and home to Iowa's
only National Cemetery. Once a hub of activity
during the Civil War, being a assembly point for
Iowa Volunteers, a hospital center with a medical college, and five war-time
hospitals. There are many historic homes and other sites to see, as well as
many things to do. A complete listing of what to see and do, is
available at Keokuk Area Convention
and Tourism Bureau.
Other Facts:
- This area
was once called "Puck-e-she-tuck" which translates into
"Foot of the Falls."
- Dr.
Samuel C. Muir became the first settler. After a directive from soldiers
that it was no longer permissible to have Indian wives, he resigned
rather than abandon his wife and their children. He didn't have enough
money to support his family so he leased his place to Reynolds and
Culver.
- The
settlement had several nicknames "The Point" and "Rat
Row"
- July
of 1842, 21 years after the arrival of the first settler, the population
was estimated at only one hundred fifty people.
- The Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge was built by Andrew
Carnegie and associates. The first train went across on April 19, 1871.
The bridge was damaged in 1881 when it was struck by the steamboat War
Eagle, but it was rebuilt. In 1916 it was replaced with a double-deck
span.
|
ABOUT LEE COUNTY
