Editing Keokuk, Iowa

{{For|the county|Keokuk County, Iowa}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Keokuk, Iowa
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = "The Gate City", "Power City", "Geode Capital of The World"
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = keokuk iowa.jpg
| image_caption      = Main Street (January 2009)
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = 
| image_map          = Lee_County_Iowa_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Keokuk_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location within [[Lee County, Iowa|Lee County]] and [[Iowa]]
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Iowa]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Iowa|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lee County, Iowa|Lee]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Kathie Mahoney
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1832
| established_title1 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date1  = December 13, 1848<ref name="CData">{{cite web|url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Keokuk-Iowa.html|title=Keokuk, Iowa|publisher=City-Data|access-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref>
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_19.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 10.55
| area_land_sq_mi    = 9.10
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.45
| area_total_km2     = 27.32
| area_land_km2      = 23.57
| area_water_km2     = 3.75
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 9513{{decrease}}
| pop_est_as_of      = July 1, 2023
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 9900
| population_density_sq_mi = 1088
| population_density_km2 = 420.08
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = −6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 568
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|23|50|N|91|23|06|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 52632
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code          = [[Area code 319|319]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 19-40845
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = <ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|458054}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://cityofkeokuk.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCencusEst2023">{{cite web|title=census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/keokukcityiowa/PST045223}}</ref>
}}
'''Keokuk''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|iː|ə|k|ʌ|k}}<!--w unreduced final vowel--> is a city in and a county seat of [[Lee County, Iowa]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the [[United States Census, 2020|2020 census]].<ref name=cen2020>{{cite web |title=2020 Census State Redistricting Data |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/Iowa/ |website=census.gov |publisher=United states Census Bureau |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> The city is named after the [[Sauk people|Sauk]] chief [[Keokuk (Sauk chief)|Keokuk]], who is recognized with a statue in Rand Park. It is in the extreme southeast corner of Iowa, where the [[Des Moines River]] meets the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]. It is at the junction of U.S. Routes [[U.S. Route 61|61]], [[U.S. Route 136|136]] and [[U.S. Route 218|218]]. Just across the rivers are the towns of [[Hamilton, Illinois|Hamilton]] and [[Warsaw, Illinois]], and [[Alexandria, Missouri]]. Keokuk, along with the city of [[Fort Madison, Iowa|Fort Madison]], is a principal city of the [[Fort Madison-Keokuk micropolitan area]], which includes all of Lee County, Iowa, [[Hancock County, Illinois|Hancock County]], [[Illinois]] and [[Clark County, Missouri|Clark County]], [[Missouri]].

==History==
[[File:Keokuk IA Barber 1865p527cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Keokuk in 1865.]]
Situated between the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers, the area that became Keokuk had access to a large trading area and was an ideal location for settlers. In 1820, the US Army prohibited soldiers stationed along the Mississippi River from having wives who were Native American.<ref>Sloat, Jerry. "Lee County, Iowa".</ref> Dr. Samuel C. Muir, a surgeon stationed at Fort Edwards (near present-day [[Warsaw, Illinois]]), resigned his commission rather than leave his Indian wife and crossed the river to resettle. He built a log cabin for them at the bottom of the bluff, and became the area's first white settler. 
 
As [[steamboat]] traffic on the Mississippi increased, more European Americans began to settle here. Around 1827, [[John Jacob Astor]] established a post of his [[American Fur Company]] at the foot of the bluff. Five buildings were erected to house workers and the business. This area became known as the "Rat Row".

One of the earliest descriptions of Keokuk was by [[Caleb Atwater]] in 1829:

{{blockquote|The village is a small one containing twenty families perhaps. The American Fur Company have a store here and there is a tavern. Many Indians were fishing and their lights on the rapids in a dark night were darting about appearing and disappearing like so many fire flies; the constant roaring of the waters, on the rapids the occasional Indian yell, the lights of their fires on the shore, and the boisterous mirth of the people at the doggery attracted my attention occasionally while we were lying here. Fish were caught here in abundance.<ref>Caleb Atwater (1831) ''Remarks made on a tour to Prairie du Chien: thence to Washington City, in 1829''. p. 58-59. Columbus, Ohio: Issac Whiting</ref>}}

The settlement was part of the land designated in 1824 as a [[Half-Breed Tract]] by the United States Government for allotting land to [[mixed-race]] descendants of the [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and [[Meskwaki]] tribes.<ref name=Lee/> Typically children of European or British men (fur traders and trappers) and Native women, they were often excluded from tribal communal lands because their fathers were not tribal members. Native Americans considered the settlement a neutral ground.<ref>Sloat, Jerry. "Lee County, Iowa". p. 44</ref> Rules for the tract prohibited individual sale of the land, but the US Congress ended this provision in 1837, creating a land rush and instability.<ref name=Lee>[http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialee/data/halfbreed.htm "The Half-Breed Tract"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202205100/http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialee/data/halfbreed.htm |date=2008-02-02 }}, Lee County History. Retrieved 1/28/08.</ref>

Centering on the riverboat trade, the settlement continued to grow. The village became known as Keokuk shortly after the [[Blackhawk War]] in 1832. Why residents named it after the Sauk chief is unknown. Keokuk was incorporated on December 13, 1847. Soon after, Captain W. Clark would be elected as the first mayor. On December 14, 1848, Keokuk was incorporated as a city by the 2nd [[Iowa General Assembly|General Assembly of the State of Iowa]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cityofkeokuk.org/community/history-of-keokuk/ | title=History of Keokuk | website=City of Keokuk}}</ref>

Barnard States Merriam was elected mayor in 1852 and reelected in 1854.

In 1853, Keokuk was one of the centers for outfitting additional immigrant [[Latter-Day Saints]] [[American pioneer|pioneers]] for their handcart journey west; 2,000 Christian Latter-Day Saints passed through the city.<ref>Jenson, Andrew. ''Encyclopedia History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'', p. 398</ref>

Keokuk was the longtime home of [[Orion Clemens]], brother of [[Samuel Clemens]], better known as Mark Twain. Samuel's visits to his brother's home led him to write of the beauty of Keokuk and southeastern Iowa in ''[[Life on the Mississippi]].''<ref>[http://www.online-literature.com/view.php/life_mississippi/58?term=iowa ''Life on the Mississippi.''] Mark Twain. Ch. 57</ref>

At one time, because of its position at the foot of the lower rapids of the Mississippi, Keokuk was known as the Gate City.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bartlett|first= John Russell|date= 1877|title= Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States|url= https://archive.org/details/dictionaryameri02bartgoog|publisher= Little, Brown, and Company|page= [https://archive.org/details/dictionaryameri02bartgoog/page/n296 241]}}</ref> During the [[American Civil War]], Keokuk became an embarking point for Union troops heading to fight in southern battles. Injured soldiers were returned to Keokuk for treatment, so several hospitals were established. A national cemetery was designated for those who did not survive. After the war was over, Keokuk continued its expansion. A medical college was founded, along with a major-league baseball team, the [[Keokuk Westerns]], in 1875.

In 1913, [[Lock and Dam No. 19]] was completed nearby on the Mississippi River. The population of Keokuk reached 15,106 by 1930.<ref>Jensen. ''Encyclopedic History'', p. 398</ref> During the last half of the 20th century, Keokuk became less engaged in Mississippi River trade and more dependent on jobs in local factories.

==Geography==
Keokuk is in Iowa's southeast corner along the [[Mississippi River]] and just northeast of the [[Des Moines River]]. [[Hamilton, Illinois]], lies to the east across the Mississippi on [[U.S. Route 136]].<ref>''Keokuk, Iowa'' and ''Hamilton, Illinois,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1964 (1977 rev.)</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|10.58|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|9.13|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|1.45|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=2012-07-02 }}</ref> The [[List of U.S. states by elevation|lowest point]] in the state of Iowa is {{convert|480|ft}}, located to the immediate south-west of Keokuk where the confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers creates a [[tripoint]] between Iowa, [[Illinois]] and [[Missouri]].

===Climate===
Keokuk has a [[humid continental climate]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliGCStT.pl?ia4381|title = Date, Period of Record General Climate Summary - Temperature}}</ref> It is known for having recorded the highest temperature ever in Iowa, {{convert|118|°F}}, on July 20, 1934.<ref name=extremes>{{cite web |url= http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records |title= State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) |author= National Climatic Data Center |author-link= National Climatic Data Center |access-date= 2015-02-14}}</ref>

{{Weather box 
| location = Keokuk, Iowa (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present)
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 72
| Feb record high F = 78
| Mar record high F = 88
| Apr record high F = 92
| May record high F = 102
| Jun record high F = 104
| Jul record high F = 118
| Aug record high F = 110
| Sep record high F = 102
| Oct record high F = 94
| Nov record high F = 82
| Dec record high F = 73
| year record high F = 118

|Jan avg record high F = 57.4
|Feb avg record high F = 62.1
|Mar avg record high F = 73.8
|Apr avg record high F = 82.7
|May avg record high F = 88.5
|Jun avg record high F = 93.7
|Jul avg record high F = 96.5
|Aug avg record high F = 96.4
|Sep avg record high F = 91.9
|Oct avg record high F = 84.9
|Nov avg record high F = 71.0
|Dec avg record high F = 60.1
|year avg record high F = 98.5

| Jan high F = 33.0
| Feb high F = 38.0
| Mar high F = 49.7
| Apr high F = 62.4
| May high F = 72.8
| Jun high F = 82.0
| Jul high F = 85.6
| Aug high F = 84.0
| Sep high F = 77.4
| Oct high F = 65.0
| Nov high F = 50.5
| Dec high F = 38.2
| year high F = 61.6
| Jan mean F = 24.9
| Feb mean F = 29.1
| Mar mean F = 40.1
| Apr mean F = 51.9
| May mean F = 62.7
| Jun mean F = 72.3
| Jul mean F = 76.1
| Aug mean F = 74.4
| Sep mean F = 66.8
| Oct mean F = 54.7
| Nov mean F = 41.6
| Dec mean F = 30.3
| year mean F = 52.1
| Jan low F = 16.7
| Feb low F = 20.3
| Mar low F = 30.6
| Apr low F = 41.4
| May low F = 52.6
| Jun low F = 62.5
| Jul low F = 66.6
| Aug low F = 64.8
| Sep low F = 56.3
| Oct low F = 44.4
| Nov low F = 32.6
| Dec low F = 22.5
| year low F = 42.6

|Jan avg record low F = -3.2
|Feb avg record low F = 1.6
|Mar avg record low F = 12.7
|Apr avg record low F = 28.6
|May avg record low F = 40.2
|Jun avg record low F = 52.4
|Jul avg record low F = 58.9
|Aug avg record low F = 56.5
|Sep avg record low F = 43.2
|Oct avg record low F = 30.7
|Nov avg record low F = 17.5
|Dec avg record low F = 4.4
|year avg record low F = -7.0

| Jan record low F = −22
| Feb record low F = −27
| Mar record low F = −11
| Apr record low F = 11
| May record low F = 28
| Jun record low F = 40
| Jul record low F = 50
| Aug record low F = 43
| Sep record low F = 30
| Oct record low F = 13
| Nov record low F = −3
| Dec record low F = −20
| year record low F = −27
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.61
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.82
| Mar precipitation inch = 2.54
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.21
| May precipitation inch = 5.26
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.21
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.08
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.77
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.42
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.32
| Nov precipitation inch = 2.56
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.95
| year precipitation inch = 39.75
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 8.0
| Feb precipitation days = 7.9
| Mar precipitation days = 9.1
| Apr precipitation days = 11.0
| May precipitation days = 12.6
| Jun precipitation days = 10.4
| Jul precipitation days = 9.4
| Aug precipitation days = 7.6
| Sep precipitation days = 7.1
| Oct precipitation days = 8.6
| Nov precipitation days = 7.9
| Dec precipitation days = 7.7
| year precipitation days = 107.3
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=extremes/><ref name= nws >
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=dvn
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00134381&format=pdf
| title = Station: Keokuk Lock Dam 19, IA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 25, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 2478
|1860= 8136
|1870= 12766
|1880= 12117
|1890= 14101
|1900= 14641
|1910= 14008
|1920= 14423
|1930= 15106
|1940= 15076
|1950= 16144
|1960= 16316
|1970= 14631
|1980= 13536
|1990= 12451
|2000= 11427
|2010= 10780
|2020= 9900
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name=cen2020/>
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[United States census|census]] of 2020,<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-census-main.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> there were 9,900 people, 4,138 households, and 2,495 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 1,088.0 inhabitants per square mile (420.1/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 4,756 housing units at an average density of 522.7 per square mile (201.8/km<sup>2</sup>). The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial]] makeup of the city was 88.2% [[White Americans|White]], 3.7% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 0.2% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.6% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 0.6% from other races and 6.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] persons of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.

Of the 4,138 households, 28.2% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.8% were cohabitating couples, 30.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.7% of all households were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 25.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.0% were from 25 and 44; 24.3% were from 45 and 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 10,780 people, 4,482 households, and 2,818 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,170|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 5,199 housing units at an average density of {{convert|565|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 91.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.0% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], < 0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.3% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.8% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 4,482 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.

Population spread: 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 11,427 people, 4,773 households, and 3,021 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,247.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 5,327 housing units at an average density of {{convert|581.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.87% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.90% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.27% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.52% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.45% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.99% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 4,773 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.97.

Population spread: 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,586, and the median income for a family was $39,574. Males had a median income of $31,213 versus $21,420 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $17,144. 11.9% of the population and 8.1% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 13.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

==Arts and culture==
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2015}}
[[Image:Mississippi River Lock and Dam Number 19 near Keokuk Iowa.jpg|thumb|Keokuk, Iowa at bottom, with the Mississippi River, lock and dam No. 19, power plant, rail bridge and highway bridge.]]
[[File:NWalkerKeokuk3.jpg|thumb|upright|Keokuk Monument, by [[Nellie Walker]]]]

Attractions in Keokuk include:
*[[Lock and Dam No. 19]], a [[hydroelectric power plant]] located on the Mississippi River. Built in 1913, it was the largest single powerhouse electric generating plant<ref name="ReviewOfReviews1913">
{{Cite journal
  | last         = Shaw
  | first        = Albert
  | title        = Dedicating the Great Keokuk Dam
  | place        = New York
  | publisher    = The Review of Reviews Company
  | journal      = The American Review of Reviews
  | issue        =  4
  | pages        = 407
  | date         = October 1913
  | volume       = XLVIII
  | url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=06HDO2eeZPQC&pg=PA97
  }}</ref> and longest dam in the world, with the longest and highest voltage transmission line in the world.

* The Grand Theatre, a performing arts center.
*Chief Keokuk Monument, a marble slab and bronze statue marking the grave of [[Sauk people|Sauk]] leader [[Keokuk (Sauk leader)|Keokuk]], erected in 1913 by [[Nellie Walker]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://genealogytrails.com/iowa/lee/monuments.htm | title=Lee County Monuments | last=Danielson | first=Cathy | website=Genealogy Trails History Group | access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref> 
* [[Keokuk National Cemetery]]
* Keokuk Veteran's Memorial
* Miller House Museum
* George M. Verity River Museum.

==Sports==
Keokuk has deep baseball history that started in 1875 when the [[Keokuk Westerns]] played in the [[National Association of Professional Base Ball Players|National Association]]. On May 4, 1875, the Westerns and the [[History of the Chicago Cubs#1870: The Chicago White Stockings Base Ball Club|Chicago White Stockings]] (today's [[Chicago Cubs]]) played the first professional baseball game in Iowa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailygate.com/article_68204216-111d-11e5-b5ee-73529d33ab75.html|title = Keokuk, Montrose significant to Iowa baseball}}</ref> The [[Keokuk Indians]] minor league team played in the [[Iowa State League]] (1904–1907), [[Central Association]] (1908–1915), [[Mississippi Valley League]] (1929–1933) and [[Western League (1900–1958)|Western League]] (1935). After the Indians (1904–1915, 1929–1933, 1935), Keokuk was home to the Keokuk Pirates (1947–1949), Keokuk Kernels (1952-1957), Keokuk Cardinals (1958–1961) and the [[Keokuk Dodgers]] (1962).<ref name="baseball-reference.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Keokuk&state=IA&country=US&empty=0|title = Keokuk, Iowa Encyclopedia}}</ref> The team was an affiliate of the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Cleveland Indians]] and the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]].<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/> Notable players included baseball pioneer [[Bud Fowler]], 1961 Home Run Record Holder [[Roger Maris]], Player/Announcer [[Tim McCarver]] and three time World Series Champion with the New York Yankees Jack Saltzgaver.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/#1931|title=The History of Keokuk, Iowa Baseball|access-date=February 17, 2016|archive-date=February 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223203704/http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/#1931|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Keokuk is nicknamed "The Racing Capital of the World" and "Home of Champions" for having many racing drivers win races and championships.<ref name="KeokukRacingLegend">{{cite news |last1=Camerson |first1=Brad |title=Keokuk racing legend Dick Hutcherson dies at age 73 |url=http://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/daily_gate/sports/keokuk-racing-legend-dick-hutcherson-dies-at-age-73/article_27206265-5b1f-5e6e-858e-1a988095a021.html |access-date=August 29, 2021 |work=Daily Gate City |date=November 8, 2005}}</ref> [[Don White (racing driver)|Don White]] was the first driver to impact nationally;<ref name="KeokukRacingLegend" /> he won the 1954, 1955 and 1958 [[International Motor Contest Association|IMCA]] national championships.<ref name="DailyGateCityObit">{{cite news|last1=Cameron|first1=Brad|title=Keokuk racing legend Don White dies at 87|url=http://www.dailygate.com/sports/article_b02d154c-637a-574f-b56d-f3f87a73e6ce.html|accessdate=May 5, 2016|publisher=Daily Gate City|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref> White's brother-in-law [[Ernie Derr]] won the 12 IMCA national championships between 1953 and 1971.<ref name="HOF">{{cite web |last1=Grett |first1=Wayne |title=Ernie Derr |url=https://data.desmoinesregister.com/hall-of-fame/single.php?id=467 |website=[[Des Moines Register]] |publisher=[[Gannett]] |accessdate=May 8, 2020}}</ref> White helped [[Dick Hutcherson]] get started; Hutcherson won the 1963 and 1964 IMCA championship before moving to [[NASCAR]] and finishing second in points.<ref name="KeokukRacingLegend" /> [[Ramo Stott]] won the 1970 and 1971 [[Automobile Racing Club of America|ARCA]] and 1976 [[USAC Stock Car]] championships. White, Derr, Hutcherson, and Stott were nicknamed "The Keokuk Gang".<ref>{{cite web |title=19th Annual IMCA "Harris Clash" at Knoxville on Tuesday and Wednesday |url=https://www.knoxvilleraceway.com/mobile/Article/1237/19th-annual-imca-harris-clash-at-knoxville-on-tuesday-and-wednesday |website=[[Knoxville Raceway]] |access-date=August 29, 2021 |date=July 4, 2010}}</ref> [[Ron Hutcherson]], Dick's brother, also competed nationally.<ref name="KeokukRacingLegend" />

People living in the area support athletic teams in [[Saint Louis, Missouri]], differing from other parts of Iowa, which support other sports teams.<ref name=JacobsBenRepubIowa>{{cite web|last=Jacobs|first=Ben|url=https://newrepublic.com:443/article/166775/iowa-red-state-republican-party|title=How Iowa Fell in Love With the Republican Party|work=[[The New Republic]]|date=2022-06-28|accessdate=2023-05-28}}</ref>

== Education ==
The [[Keokuk Community School District]] has two elementary schools (George Washington, and Hawthorne), Keokuk Middle School, and [[Keokuk High School]]. Several additional elementary schools have been closed over the years (Torrence, Lincoln, Garfield, Wells Carey, and Jefferson).  The middle school was damaged by a fire in 2001<ref>[http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=96718355-69C0-4910-BA9CDC02956BE746 Radio Iowa: Fire damages Keokuk school, arson could be cause<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070619190907/http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=96718355-69C0-4910-BA9CDC02956BE746 |date=2007-06-19 }}</ref> and replaced by a new school on a lot next to the high school.

Private education is provided by [[Keokuk Catholic Schools]] (St. Vincent's School) and Keokuk Christian Academy. Keokuk Catholic previously had a senior high school division, Cardinal Stritch High School; in 2006 it merged into [[Holy Trinity Catholic Schools|Holy Trinity High School]] in [[Fort Madison, Iowa|Fort Madison]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Spees, Megan|url=http://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/years-later-keokuk-catholic-schools-still-strong/article_5c0d6513-07ce-537b-80a4-5d4403ab8cf9.html|title=160 years later, Keokuk Catholic Schools still strong |publisher=Mississippi Valley Publishing (news site)|date=2013-09-26|access-date=2018-09-17}}</ref>

A campus of [[Southeastern Community College (Iowa)|Southeastern Community College]] is located in Keokuk.

== Notable people ==
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{{col div}}
* [[Edward P. Alexander]], author, historian, and educator
* [[Herman C. Baehr]], 36th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio
* [[William H. Clagett]], politician
* [[Orion Clemens]], first and only secretary of Nevada Territory and brother of Mark Twain
* [[William Lane Craig]], analytic philosopher and Christian apologist
* [[Samuel Ryan Curtis|Samuel Curtis]], military officer
* [[Mary Fels]], philanthropist, suffragist, Georgist
* [[Bud Fowler]], first professional African American baseball player
* [[Nathaniel Lyon Gardner]], botanist, born in Keokuk<ref name=UCB>[http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb3s200523;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00004&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=calisphere,%20accessed%2027%20January%202011. "Nathaniel Lyon Gardner, Botany: Berkeley"]. University of California: In Memoriam, 1937.</ref>
* [[Jerry Harrington]], baseball player
* [[James B. Howell]], newspaper editor and U.S. Senator, resided in Keokuk<ref>"James B. Howell," ''National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Volume 9.'' New York: James T. White and Company, 1899; pg. 450.</ref>
* [[Howard Hughes]], aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director, and philanthropist
* [[Howard R. Hughes, Sr.]], businessman and inventor; father of Howard Hughes
* [[Rupert Hughes]], novelist, screenwriter, film director, historian; uncle of Howard Hughes
* [[Dick Hutcherson]], stock car driver
* [[Ron Hutcherson]], stock car driver
* [[John N. Irwin]], Governor of Idaho Territory (1883) and of Arizona Territory (1890&ndash;1892)
* [[Edward Kimball]], actor
* [[Lloyd Steel Lourie]], orthodontist
* [[Samuel Taylor Marshall]], lawyer and founder of [[Beta Theta Pi]] fraternity
* [[Elsa Maxwell]], gossip columnist, socialite
* [[Edward Joseph McManus]], U.S. federal judge and Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1959 &ndash; 1961)
* [[Grace Medes]],  biochemist
* [[Samuel Freeman Miller]], Supreme Court justice
* [[Conrad Nagel]], actor and a founder of the Academy Awards 
* [[Richard Page (musician)|Richard Page]], lead vocalist and bass player for the band Mr. Mister
* [[George Pomutz]], Union Army officer and diplomat
* [[Mike Pyle (American football)|Mike Pyle]], NFL player
* [[Palmer Pyle]], NFL player<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nfl.com/players/palmerpyle/profile?id=PYL332232|title=Palmer Pyle|publisher= [[National Football League|NFL]]|access-date=2011-01-16}}</ref>
* [[John M. Rankin]], Iowa state legislator and judge
* [[Hugh Thompson Reid|Hugh T. Reid]], Union Army general
*[[Jack Saltzgaver]], Major League Baseball Player New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates
* [[Jeremy Soule]] composer of video game soundtracks<ref name="GBJSoule">{{cite web|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/jeremy-soule/72-17632/|title=Jeremy Soule|publisher=Giant Bomb|access-date=2011-01-16}}</ref>
* [[Frank Steunenberg]], Governor of Idaho (1897–1901)
* [[Ramo Stott]], stock car driver
* [[James Vandenberg]], football quarterback
* [[Don White (racing driver)|Don White]], stock car driver
* [[Verner Moore White]], artist, painted oil of Keokuk presented to President Theodore Roosevelt
* [[Annie Turner Wittenmyer]], social reformer and relief worker
{{div col end}}

== In popular culture ==
Keokuk is mentioned among funny place names by [[Krusty the Clown]] in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' sixth-season episode "[[Homie the Clown]]".<ref>{{Citation|last=Missy Stowell|title=Seattle!|date=2016-04-26|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKVVxYfk7Y0| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ZKVVxYfk7Y0| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|access-date=2019-04-01}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Iowa}}
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Iowa]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
<!-- Todo: put Ross reference in a citation tag. See WP:CITET Gosgood -->
For a depiction of Keokuk during its early boom years see:
Michael A. Ross, "Cases of Shattered Dreams: Justice Samuel Freeman Miller and the Rise and Fall of a Mississippi River Town," ''Annals of Iowa'', 57 (Summer 1998): 201-239.

==External links==
{{Commons category}} <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded -->
{{NIE Poster|Keokuk (Iowa)|Keokuk, Iowa}}
*{{official website|https://cityofkeokuk.org/}}

{{Lee County, Iowa}}
{{Iowa county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Keokuk, Iowa| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Iowa]]
[[Category:Cities in Lee County, Iowa]]
[[Category:County seats in Iowa]]
[[Category:Iowa populated places on the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:Lowest points of U.S. states]]