Keokuk
| Keokuk | |
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 Aerial view of Keokuk with the Mississippi River |
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| Location in Iowa | |
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| Basic data | |
| Foundation : | 1829 (incorporated 1837) |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Iowa |
| County : | Lee County |
| Coordinates : | 40 ° 24 ′ N , 91 ° 24 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
| Residents : | 10,343 (as of 2017) |
| Population density : | 436.4 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 27.4 km 2 (approx. 11 mi 2 ) of which 23.7 km 2 (approx. 9 mi 2 ) is land |
| Height : | 174 m |
| Postcodes : | 52632 |
| Area code : | +1 319 |
| FIPS : | 19-40845 |
| GNIS ID : | 0458054 |
| Website : | www.keokuk.com |
Keokuk [kiːəkʌk] is a small town and adjacent to Fort Madison one of two administrative seats of Lee County in the southeast of the US -amerikanischen state of Iowa . The population was 10,343 in 2017.
The city is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River in the Mississippi River at the intersection of the three states of Iowa, Missouri and Illinois .
The name of the city goes back to the chief Keokuk of the Sauk tribe , whose grave is in Rand Park on the northern edge of the city center.
geography
Keokuk lies at 40 ° 24'09 "north latitude and 91 ° 23'40" west longitude. The city extends over an area of 27.4 km², which is spread over 23.7 km² of land and 3.7 km² of water.
Keokuk is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River, which forms the border with the state of Missouri, in the Mississippi River. This forms the border with Illinois. At the confluence of the two rivers, the point with the lowest sea level in Iowa is 146.3 m .
US Highways 61 , 136 and 218 meet in Keokuk . The highways 61 and 136 lead in a south-westerly direction together over a bridge over the Des Moines River in Alexandria , Missouri, 8.4 km away . Highway 136 leads west over the Keokuk – Hamilton Bridge, opened in 1985 (before that over the neighboring Keokuk Municipal Bridge ) over the Mississippi to the center of Hamilton in Illinois, 4.7 km away . To the north, it is 21 miles on Highways 61 and 218 to Fort Madison.
The nearest major cities are Davenport 191 km upstream in a north-northeast direction, Des Moines 288 km to the northwest, and St. Louis 291 km downstream in a southeast direction.
history
Keokuk was in the center of the rapids on the Mississippi and therefore important for navigating the river. One of the earliest descriptions of Keokuk is from Caleb Atwater in 1829:
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.
The place is very small, maybe 20 families live in it. The American Fur Trading Company has a branch here and there is a pub. Many Indians fished in the river and their lights on the rapids were reminiscent of fireflies by their constant appearing and disappearing on a dark night; the steady rushing of the water, the occasional calls of the Indians, the light of their fires on the bank and the exuberant happiness of the people ... sometimes caught my attention as long as we lay here. Fish was caught in abundance here.
Mormons who fled Missouri from persecution settled in Keokuk in 1839. Her ward was an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in what was then Center Nauvoo , Illinois. Most of the members of this religious group moved west in 1846. In 1853, the Mormon pioneers commemorated the train west with a train of 2,000 people through the city of Keokuk.
Keokuk was long the home of Orion Clemens , the brother of Samuel Clemens known as Mark Twain . His visits to his brother inspired him to describe Keokuk and southeastern Iowa in his book Life on the Mississippi .
In 1850 Keokuk had 2,475 inhabitants, in 1930 there were already 15,106.
In 1875 the Keokuk Westerns were one of the founding members of the National Association and thus the first professional league in baseball .
Demographic data
The United States Census 2000 determined a population of 11,427. These were distributed over 4,773 households in 3,021 families. The population density was 481.7 / km². There were 5,327 buildings, which corresponds to a building density of 224.5 / km².
The population in 2000 was 92.87% White , 3.90% African American , 0.27% Native American , 0.52% Asian, and 0.46% other. 1.99% said they came from at least two of these groups. 1.09% of the population were Hispanics from any of the above groups.
25.4% were under 18 years of age, 8.6% between 18 and 24, 25.5% between 25 and 44, 22.9% between 45 and 64 and 17.8% 65 and older. The average age was 38 years. For every 100 women there were 88.4 men, among those over 18 years of age 83.9.
The median income per household was $ 31,586 and the median family income was $ 39,574. The average income for men was $ 31,213 and that of women was $ 21,420. The per capita income was $ 17,144. Around 8.1% of families and 11.9% of the total population had their income below the poverty line .
Attractions
In Keokuk, Lock and Dam No. 19 the 19th dam (Dam) to regulate the water level of the Mississippi including the necessary lock (Lock) for shipping. A run-of-river power station built in 1913 generates electricity. At the time of its construction, this was the world's largest power plant with a single generator. Much of the technical equipment is still in its original state today.
The old lock, built in 1913, was replaced by a larger one in 1957.
The Grand Theater was built on the foundations of the opera house, which burned down in 1923. Today it belongs to the city of Keokuk and is also still used as a venue. Important artists such as John Philip Sousa and Maynard Ferguson have worked here in the past .
The drinking water produced at Keokuk's waterworks has been named the Most Tasty Drinking Water in Iowa by the Iowa Water Council .
The city is home to the Keokuk National Cemetery , the Keokuk Veteran's Memorial, the Miller House Museum , the George M. Verity River Museum .
sons and daughters of the town
- Frank Steunenberg (1861–1905), politician
- Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), journalist
- Conrad Nagel (1897–1970), film actor
- John N. Irwin (1913–2000), politician and diplomat
- Edward J. McManus (1920–2017), politician and lawyer
- Dick Hutcherson (1931–2005), racing car driver and entrepreneur
- Jeremy Soule (* 1975), composer
Individual evidence
- ↑ US Postal Service - ZIP Codes
- ^ Find a County
- ↑ US Census Bureau: American FactFinder - Community Facts. Accessed December 5, 2018 .
- ↑ www.classbrain.com ( Memento from December 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Caleb Atwater (1831) Remarks made on a tour to Prairie du Chien: thence to Washington City, in 1829 . Pp. 58-59. Issac Whiting, Columbus.
- ↑ Andrew Jenson Encyclopedia History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 398
- ↑ Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain chap. 57
- ↑ Jandrew Jenson Encyclopedic History , p 398
- ↑ US Census Bureau - Keokuk, Iowa
- ↑ www.keokukiowatourism.org ( Memento from October 30, 2006 in the Internet Archive )