Keokuk Iowa

Keokuk Iowa is the town where I go and do most of my shopping and such.  It is situated on the Mississippi River and was once a booming river town, before river towns became less needed.  There are still barges that run up and down the river, at least until the river freezes and then all barge traffic stops.  Keokuk is one of the towns that the bald eagles stop at during the winter months.  The lock and dam keep the waters relatively clear of ice so they can catch fish.  I love watching these guys in the wintertime.

Bald eagle in a tree in Keokuk

Keokuk does a Civil War battle reenactment every year of the Battle of Pea Ridge in the spring time and they have activities all throughout the weekend during the reenactment.  It's a lot of fun to come and visit and see the actors play out this battle.  It is held in Rand Park, which is the park in town where you can sit and watch the Mississippi River over the bluff.  They have park benches and places to walk.  Cars park along the roads during lunch hour to relax for a bit before heading into work.

I love the old buildings down on mainstreet, a lot of them are closed up but you can walk down mainstreet and just imagine when the town was bustling with activity.  They also have some older pre-Civil War houses that are HUGE and beautiful stonework.  I hope to be able to get pictures of the buildings and mainstreet itself closer to summertime.  Until then, here is a picture of the town sign as soon as you cross over the river from Illinois.

Looking at Keokuk from the Illinois side of the river