"Hollywood on the Mississippi"Keokuk was centrally located due to its position at the head of navigation at the rapids of the Mississippi.
Keokuk was the longtime home of Orion Clemens, brother of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Sam's visits to his brother's home led him to write of the beauty of Keokuk and southeastern Iowa in "Life on the Mississippi"
In 1850 there were 2,475 people in Keokuk. In 1930 there were 15,106 residents.
In 1875 the Keokuk Westerns participated in the National Association, the first professional baseball league. They went 1-12 before going out of business.