[6] The city is named after the 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.

In 1820, the US Army prohibited soldiers stationed along the Mississippi River from having wives who were Native American.

[7] 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.

One of the earliest descriptions of Keokuk was by Caleb Atwater in 1829: The village is a small one containing twenty families perhaps.

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.

On December 14, 1848, Keokuk was incorporated as a city by the 2nd General Assembly of the State of Iowa.

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.

[13] At one time, because of its position at the foot of the lower rapids of the Mississippi, Keokuk was known as the Gate City.

[14] During the American Civil War, Keokuk became an embarking point for Union troops heading to fight in southern battles.

A medical college was founded, along with a major-league baseball team, the Keokuk Westerns, in 1875.

[15] During the last half of the 20th century, Keokuk became less engaged in Mississippi River trade and more dependent on jobs in local factories.

[17] The lowest point in the state of Iowa is 480 feet (150 m), 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.

[28] The team was an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

[28] 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.

[31] White's brother-in-law Ernie Derr won the 12 IMCA national championships between 1953 and 1971.

[30] Ramo Stott won the 1970 and 1971 ARCA and 1976 USAC Stock Car championships.

Several additional elementary schools have been closed over the years (Torrence, Lincoln, Garfield, Wells Carey, and Jefferson).

[41] 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.