Editing Montrose, Iowa (section)

==History==
[[File:Lee ft dm rapids 1837.jpg|thumb|left|[[Robert E. Lee]] map of the head of the [[Des Moines Rapids]], 1837, showing Fort Des Moines No. 1, later Montrose, Iowa.]]
The area around Montrose has been occupied continuously since at least the 1780s, when [[Quashquame]]'s village was established nearby. The area was strategically important because it is at the head of the [[Des Moines Rapids]], a major impediment to river traffic that caused large boats to land in this area and transfer freight overland to avoid the rapids.<ref>Hallwas, John E. (2001) ''Keokuk and the Great Dam.'' Arcadia Publishing, Chicago.</ref> Montrose was the location of Fort Des Moines No. 1, a military post from 1834 to 1837. In 1836 the commander of Fort Des Moines, Lieutenant-Colonel Mason, would begin to plat out the town. Later that year David W. Kilbourne would finish laying out the town, and would name it Montrose.<ref name="earlymontrose" >{{cite web | url= https://iagenweb.org/lee/biography-history/history/1914Vol1/1914-towns-villages.htm | title=1914 Towns and Villages | date=2019 | website=IAGenWeb Project}}</ref> From 1839 to 1846 Montrose was the home of many members of the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]]. This was especially true in 1839 when many people lived in an abandoned barracks at Montrose that served as a good short term residence while homes were being built in nearby [[Nauvoo, Illinois]]. Among Montrose's residents at this time were [[Brigham Young]], [[Wilford Woodruff]] and [[Erastus Snow]]. Despite legends that the streets of Montrose were aligned to allow a direct view of the [[Nauvoo Temple]] across the Mississippi River in Illinois,<ref>Wills, Christopher. Associated Press (AP), December 7, 2007.</ref> the streets actually align with the 1834 layout of Fort Des Moines.<ref>several maps exist of Fort Des Moines showing the same alignment as modern Montrose, including one drawn by [[Robert E. Lee]], (1837) ''Map of the Des Moines Rapids of the Mississippi River. Surveyed by Lt. R. E. Lee, September 1837.'' National Archives, Washington, D. C.</ref>

Montrose was incorporated in 1857, with Doctor J. Anderson elected the first mayor in June. Montrose became an important river town until the construction of a canal near Keokuk ended the [[lightering]] business.<ref name="earlymontrose" />