7, also known as the Bonaparte and Keosauqua Locks, comprise a discontinuous historic site located along the Des Moines River in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States.
The locks are the only structures that are known to exist for the Des Moines River Improvement Project.
[2] Steamboats were the primary means of transportation into the interior of Iowa, but the river was only navigable at certain times of the year and that made the shipping season too short and unpredictable.
[2] The project ended in 1858 because it was mismanaged, and the Keokuk and Des Moines River Railroad was being developed to cover the same territory at the same time.
The recesses for the lower gates are still visible, as are some of the iron rings that were used to tie boats to the sides.
It is surrounded by a farm field and a grove of trees about 30 feet (9.1 m) from the river bank.