Keokuk, a S. E. county of Iowa, drained by Skunk river; area, 576 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 19,434. The surface consists partly of prairie, interspersed with groves of timber, and the soil is generally fertile. The Sigourney branch of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railroad terminates at the county seat. The chief productions in 1870 were 342,876 bushels of wheat, 1,297,459 of Indian corn, 236,410 of oats, 97,943 of potatoes, 91,713 lbs. of wool, 517,665 of butter, and 35,833 tons of hay. There were 11,253 horses, 21,-458 cattle, 27,551 sheep, and 32,225 swine, 11 carriage factories, 2 woollen factories, 3 flour mills, and 9 saw mills. Capital, Sigourney.

Keokuk #1

Keokuk, a city of Lee co., Iowa, situated in the S. E. corner of the state, at the foot of the lower or Des Moines rapids of the Mississippi, here crossed by a railroad and wagon bridge, and 2 m. above the mouth of the Des Moines, 205 m. above St. Louis, and 135 m. S. E. of Des Moines; pop. in 1850, 2,478; in 1860, 8,136; in 1870,12,766. It is built partly at the foot and partly on the summit of a bluff 150 ft. high, which contains excellent limestone, and has broad regular streets with many handsome houses. It is the terminus of the Des Moines Valley railroad; and the Toledo, Wabash, and Western, the Toledo, Peoria, and Warsaw, the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Mississippi Valley and Western, and the Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska railroads also centre here. The Keokuk and Kansas City and Keokuk and Mt. Pleasant railroads are in course of construction. The rapids in the Mississippi, extending 12 m. with a fall of 24 ft., render Keokuk the natural head of navigation for steamers of the largest class, and furnish abundant water power. The United States is now constructing a canal around them. The city was made a port of delivery in 1854, and has an important trade.

The business of pork packing is carried on to some extent, and there are flouring mills, iron founderies, etc, three banks with an aggregate capital of $400,000, and a savings bank. The college of physicians and surgeons, established in 1849, in 1872 had 10 professors and instructors and 105 students. The Keokuk library association possesses 7,000 volumes. The public schools, including a high school, are well organized and largely attended. There are two daily and three weekly (one German) newspapers, and 17 churches.