KEOKUK, keokuk, Iowa, is situated in the southeast corner of the State at the confluence of the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers and at the foot of the Des Moines rapids of the Mississippi River. In 1873 the government, at a cost of $8,000,000, built a seven-mile canal around the rapids and made continuous naviga tion possible between New Orleans and Saint Paul, but in February 1905 Congress passed a bill granting the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power Company the right to dam the river and construct a hydro-electric plant at this point, and the seven-mile canal with its three locks, which was far too small for present day traffic, was displaced by the power plant. The new lock built to replace the old canal is one of the largest in the world. The cost of this lock and a new °up to the minuteo dry dock was borne by the power company. Keokuk, called the Power City and the Gate City, is served by five railroads and several water transporta tion lines. The old single deck bridge at this point has been reconstructed into a double deck bridge, the railroads and street cars using the lower level and the upper level forming a high bridge that lands the highway traffic at the summit of the hill on the Iowa side. The cheap
hydro-electric power, generated by the $27,000, 000 power plant, has attracted factories of all descriptions to Keokuk, among them being a $2,250,000 smelter —a subsidiary of the National Lead Company— lumber mills, flower works; cereal mills, box factories, starch and drug works, etc.
Situated on a bluff 120 feet above the river level, the city has ideal drainage which no' doubt accounts for the healthful condition of the city and surrounding country.
Besides those mentioned, other notable features are the Federal building, the govern. ment weather bureau station, Union railway depot, courthouse, Masonic temple, public li brary, school buildings, National cemetery and Rand Park containing the grave of Keokuk; the Indian chief after whom the city is named.
Keokuk is operated under the commission form of government and has a population of 16,500.