Keosauqua, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Keosauqua is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa
, United States
. The population was 1,066 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Van Buren County.
and Sauk name for the Des Moines River
, "Ke-o-saw-qua", which literally translates as "Bend in the River". The Hotel Manning, a three story relic from the Des Moines River's steamboat days, is Keosauqua's most notable landmark. Also located in Keosauqua are many other notable historic sites. The 1847 Pearson House was a stop on the underground railroad
.
The Honey War was fought south of Keosauqua in what is now Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. Lacey-Keosauqua is one of the largest state parks in Iowa and was built by the Civil Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Keosauqua hosts its annual Fall Festival the second full weekend in October.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (7.59%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,066 people, 467 households, and 270 families residing in the city. The population density
was 728.7 people per square mile (281.9/km²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 345.2 per square mile (133.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.59% White, 0.19% African American, 0.28% Asian, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.09% of the population.
There were 467 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,833, and the median income for a family was $37,063. Males had a median income of $25,489 versus $19,904 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,097. About 7.7% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
.
in continuous use; it was built in 1840. The adjacent Hangman's Hollow is the site of the first legal hanging
in the state of Iowa.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,066 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Van Buren County.
History
The word Keosauqua derives from the MeskwakiMeskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
and Sauk name for the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
, "Ke-o-saw-qua", which literally translates as "Bend in the River". The Hotel Manning, a three story relic from the Des Moines River's steamboat days, is Keosauqua's most notable landmark. Also located in Keosauqua are many other notable historic sites. The 1847 Pearson House was a stop on the underground railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
The Honey War was fought south of Keosauqua in what is now Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. Lacey-Keosauqua is one of the largest state parks in Iowa and was built by the Civil Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Keosauqua hosts its annual Fall Festival the second full weekend in October.
Geography
Keosauqua is located at 40°43′56"N 91°57′47"W (40.732089, -91.963027).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (7.59%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,066 people, 467 households, and 270 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 728.7 people per square mile (281.9/km²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 345.2 per square mile (133.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.59% White, 0.19% African American, 0.28% Asian, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.09% of the population.
There were 467 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,833, and the median income for a family was $37,063. Males had a median income of $25,489 versus $19,904 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,097. About 7.7% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Keosauqua is home to the Van Buren Warriors, one of two High Schools in Van Buren County.The other is the Harmony Rockets in Farmington, IowaFarmington, Iowa
Farmington is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 756 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Farmington is located at , on the east bank of Des Moines River....
.
Government
Keosauqua is the location of Iowa's oldest courthouseVan Buren County Courthouse (Iowa)
The Van Buren County Courthouse in Keosauqua, Iowa, United States was built in 1843. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource...
in continuous use; it was built in 1840. The adjacent Hangman's Hollow is the site of the first legal hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in the state of Iowa.
Notable people
- Smith W. BrookhartSmith W. BrookhartSmith Wildman Brookhart , was twice elected as a Republican to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. He was considered an "insurgent" within the Republican Party; his criticisms of the Harding and Coolidge Administrations and of business interests alienated others within the Republican...
(1869–1944) US Senator from Iowa - Henry Clay CaldwellHenry Clay CaldwellHenry Clay Caldwell was a United States federal judge and Union Army officer.-Early years:Caldwell was born in what is now Marshall County, West Virginia, in 1835, in what was then Indian territory, and was largely self-educated, a circumstance credited with the cultivation of a homespun philosophy...
(1832–1915) United States federal judgeUnited States federal judgeIn the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
and Union Army officer. - Edward K. ValentineEdward K. ValentineEdward Kimble Valentine was a Nebraska Republican politician.-Biography:Born in Keosauqua, Iowa, he attended common schools and learned to become a printer. During the Civil War he was a member in the Union army served in the Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Sixty-seventh Regiment...
(1843–1916) US Representative from NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.... - George G. WrightGeorge G. WrightGeorge Grover Wright was a pioneer lawyer, Iowa Supreme Court justice, law professor, and Republican United States Senator from Iowa....
(1820–1896) US Senator from Iowa
See also
- BentonsportBentonsportBentonsport is a historic district in Van Buren County, Iowa, in the area of Keosauqua, Iowa, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.It dates from 1839...
is a 35-acre historical districtHistoric district (United States)In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972. - Lake SugemaLake SugemaLake Sugema [Pronounced sōō•jē’•mə] is a constructed artificial lake southwest of Keosauqua, Van Buren County, in southeast Iowa, United States. It is located south of the Des Moines River, west of State Highway 1 and north of State Highway 2.The maximum depth of the lake is , with a mean depth...
is a constructed artificial 574 acres (2.3 km²) lake. - The Great Flood of 1851Flood of 1851The Great Flood of 1851 occurred after record-setting rainfalls across the U.S. Midwest and Plains from May to August, 1851. Hardest hit was the State of Iowa, with significant flooding extending to the Lower Mississippi River basin. Historical evidence suggest flooding occurred in the eastern...
- USS KeosauquaUSS Keosauqua (1864)USS Keosauqua was a proposed United States Navy screw sloop-of-war or steam frigate that was cancelled in 1866 without being completed.Keosauqua was a wooden-hulled bark-rigged Contoocook-class screw sloop-of-war or steam frigate with a single funnel slated to be built for the Union Navy late in...
was a proposed and partially built United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ship during the civil war. - Des Moines RapidsDes Moines RapidsThe Des Moines Rapids between Nauvoo, Illinois and Keokuk, Iowa-Hamilton, Illinois is one of two major rapids on the Mississippi River that limited Steamboat traffic on the river through the early 19th century....
limited SteamboatSteamboatA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
traffic through the early 19th century. - Sullivan LineSullivan LineThe Sullivan Line is the border between Missouri and Iowa.The line was initially created to establish the limits of Native American territory ; disputes over the boundary were to erupt into the Honey War; and the boundary was to be the basis for the Iowa portion of the Mormon Trail.In 1804, in the...
is the history of the border between Missouri and Iowa. - Shimek State ForestShimek State ForestShimek State Forest is an Iowa state forest maintained by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Its five units are strung along the Des Moines River a few miles above its confluence with the Upper Mississippi River in Lee and Van Buren Counties in the southeast corner of Iowa...
External links
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Keosauqua