Places or warships named after Chief Keokuk:

Keokuk is located at 40°24′9″N 91°23′40″W / 40.4025°N 91.39444°W / 40.4025; -91.39444 (40.402525, -91.394372). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²), of which, 9.2 square miles (23.7 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km²) of it (13.42%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Iowa is located on the Mississippi River in Keokuk, where it flows out of Iowa and into Missouri and Illinois. The confluence is located about a mile west of downtown.

Situated between the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers, the area that became Keokuk was an ideal location for settlers. In 1820, an order was sent up and down the Mississippi River prohibiting soldiers to have Native American wives. Dr. Samuel C. Muir, a surgeon stationed at Fort Edwards (near present day Warsaw, Illinois), was so fond of his wife he resigned his position and crossed the river. He built a log cabin at the bottom of the bluff, thus making him the area’s first white settler.

As river traffic on the Mississippi increased, more whites began to settle. Around 1827, Jacob Aster established a post of the American Fur Company at the foot of the bluff. Five building were built to house workers and the business. This area became known as the “Rat Row.”

One of the earliest descriptions of Keokuk was made by Caleb Atwater in 1829:

The village is a small one containing twenty families perhaps. The American Fur Company have a store here and there is a tavern. 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. Fish were caught here in abundance.

The settlement was part of the land designated as a Half-Breed Tract by the United States Government. Native Americans considered the settlement a neutral ground.

Centering around the riverboat traffic, the settlement continued to grow. The village became known as Keokuk shortly after the Blackhawk War. The reason the settlement is named after the Sauk chief is unknown. Keokuk was incorporated on December 13, 1847.

In 1853 the Mormon pioneers were outfitted for their journey west in Keokuk, with over 2,000 of them passing through the city.

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.

Keokuk began to boom during the Civil War. It became the embarking point for the troops heading to fight in southern battles. Injured soldiers were returned to Keokuk so several hospitals were established and a national cemetery was designated for those who did not survive.