keokuk power plant tour

Take a look inside the Power House in Keokuk

by Chrissy Mueller

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 03:40:12 GMT — UPDATED: June 30 at 9 p.m.

The Keokuk Power Plant opened its doors Saturday for the first time in 24 years.

Visitors got a look inside the power plant and a tour of the lock to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the plant's opening.

The tours and displays set up for the public were also meant to preview a bigger celebration planned for next year to celebrate 100 years.

"We've been working for two or three years now with both Hamilton, Keokuk and surrounding areas on committees getting ready for 100th anniversary and part of the planning for that is we decided to do this introductory 99th anniversary celebration to get people interested and excited and thinking about the 100th anniversary next year," Hydro Operations Manager Warren Witt said.

Power plant representatives say the 100th anniversary celebration will feature full blown power plant tours and trolley rides across the dam.

______________________________________

Have you ever wondered how your electricity is generated, before it makes it to your house?

Keokuk Energy Center's run-of-river power plant harvests the natural energy of falling water from the river to generate electricity, producing clean and renewable energy.

"The pond and the tailwater here is about at a 35 foot differential, so that's your potential energy and the water runs down through the units and falls at 35 feet. Each one of our units is turning at about 62 RMPs and it passes about 30,000 gallons a second," Plant Superintendent Larry Weiman explained.

This weekend, June 30th and July 1st, the public will get a chance to tour the hydroelectric power plant in Keokuk, Iowa.

"It was built between 1910 and 1913. It was quite a feat at the time. For three year construction of a plant this size...we probably couldn't get permits in that time nowadays," Weiman said.

When the energy center was built it was far ahead of its time, breaking several records including highest transmission line, longest line and largest transformers.

"They've done a spectacular job building the plant there's very few areas that you could look at and say oh they made a mistake here or this doesn't look like they way it should be. The guys were very good craftsmen and it's a very well build plant," Weiman said.

The walking tour will take visitors across the lock and into the actual power plant where displays will offer more on the plant's history.

The open house will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Industrial History

These are notes that I am writing to help me learn our industrial history. They are my best understanding, but that does not mean they are a correct understanding.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Mississippi dam and 1913 powerhouse #19 at keokuk, ia.

- Longest monolithic concrete dam; - Largest privately-funded hydropower construction project; - Largest turbines ever constructed; - Heaviest rotating weight suspended on a single bearing; - Largest penstocks; - Largest inland dry dock; - Only pneumatically-raised lock gate; - Only commercial hydroelectric facility on the Mississippi River; - First long-distance transmission line; - First high-voltage transformers; and - First high-voltage insulators.

Another notable feature of the plant - the generator rotor, turbine and shaft assemblies - may be the largest ever built. A single bearing that was four times larger than anything built previously supports each assembly. Engineers were uncertain a scale-up of the roller bearing would be adequate to provide the desired service life for the system. Only half of the turbines were installed with roller bearings. The others were installed using a new type of bearing that had just been invented by Kingsbury Thrust Bearings . These new bearings were so effective that they replaced all of the roller bearings at the plant within the following decade. After a century of virtually continuous operation, none has needed more than minimal repair. [1]

 Impacts of the raised water level

Raising the level of the Mississippi River to create a 60-mile-long lake posed problems along the Iowa shoreline. The company wound up buying out almost half of three towns and moving the residents higher up on the bluff. Another challenge was raising the elevation of nearly 14 miles of track that belonged to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and ran along the Iowa river bank.[1]

References:

If you like water power governor control theory and history, check out the oldwoodward.com history site.

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Keokuk Energy Center: Harnessing the Power of the Mississippi

As the largest hydroelectric station on the Mississippi River and the site of a number of firsts for the industry, the Keokuk Energy Center in Iowa has been making history since it began operating in 1913. Keokuk is the latest inductee to the Hydro Hall of Fame.

By Kent Martin

Standing 10 stories above the top water level and running almost a mile long, Keokuk Energy Center and Dam near Keokuk, Iowa, is the largest privately owned and operated dam and hydroelectric generating plant on the Mississippi River.

More than 1 million cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated when the run-of-river Keokuk Energy Center was built in 1913. Today, it’s one of three hydroelectric plants in the Ameren Missouri system, with the others located at Bagnell Dam Osage Energy Center in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., and at Taum Sauk Energy Center near Lesterville, Mo.

Over the decades, Ameren Missouri has invested millions of dollars in the modernization and maintenance of the Keokuk plant and dam. Keokuk Energy Center has 15 main turbine-generator units with a net capacity of 142 MW. All of the Keokuk units originally produced 25 Hertz power. However, now all the units have been converted to produce 60 Hz power for local area distribution and transmission to other locations throughout the Ameren Missouri service territory.

Hydropower is important to the reliability of Ameren Missouri’s electric supply because unlike the company’s nuclear and fossil fuel plants, hydro plants can be started in minutes, providing needed power in case of a system emergency. Hydro plants also play a key role in helping meet electrical demand during “peak” periods.

For its long service life and great number of “firsts” for the hydropower industry, Keokuk Energy Center and Dam has been inducted into the Hydro Hall of Fame for 2013.

100 years in the making

Keokuk Energy Center first began generating electricity for Union Electric customers in 1913, when energy drawn from the power of the raging river waters in Keokuk was a novel idea. The largest power plant and dam in the world at the time, Keokuk was considered an engineering marvel. As is typical with many great accomplishments, however, construction of the Keokuk plant encountered disappointments and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The idea for the Keokuk site came from a young lieutenant named Robert E. Lee, who surveyed the land for the U.S. War Department in 1836. He suggested that the great power he witnessed in this turbulent section of the Mississippi River, known as the Des Moines Rapids, could be harnessed in some fashion. This part of the river included such notable characteristics as a 23-foot fall in a 12-mile stretch. The Des Moines Rapids blocked virtually all upstream navigation.

By 1848, leaders in the community of Keokuk established a company to build a structure that would take advantage of the river’s power. A dam would help place the rapids under water and provide an opportunity to harness the navigational potential of the river with a set of locks. This would also position Keokuk as a town that could provide power to textile and grain mills.

Lack of financing, largely the result of the struggling national economy in the 1850s and 1860s, stalled this effort until 1868, when the U.S government moved ahead to build a 9-mile canal around the rapids to help with river navigation. The idea of building a dam to generate power remained just that: An idea.

Once Thomas Edison developed a system for electricity distribution in 1880, interest in the Keokuk site was revived, and it began to be viewed as a “natural” location for a hydroelectric plant. But it wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that a group of businessmen from the region organized the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power Company to harness the rapid flow of the river.

The company began with limited funds – $2,500 (almost $68,000 today) – and the city councils of Keokuk and nearby Hamilton, Ill., added ,500. It sought to raise additional funds to develop the project by approaching the Secretary of War, requesting a study that confirmed it was possible to build a dam from bluff to bluff (7/8 of a mile in length). Congress passed and President Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill in February 1905, giving the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power exclusive rights to build a dam at this location, so long as they began construction within five years. The company sent its proposal to engineers and financial interests throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and even Australia, but no one stepped up to help further finance the project.

Then, in September 1905, Hugh L. Cooper – who had engineered the construction of a hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls, N.Y., the Toronto Power Generating Station (which ceased operating in 1974), and was rapidly gaining a reputation as a renowned engineer and enthusiastic problem-solver – wrote the company to express his interest in the Keokuk dam. He invited a committee of Keokuk and Hamilton representatives to visit Niagara to see his work up close and quickly convinced the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power executives of his ability to manage development of the Keokuk project.

Even under Cooper’s direction, however, financing remained a problem. In September 1905, members of Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power agreed to a contract with Cooper, in which in return for $20,000 (more than $500,000 today), the amount they had spent on the plan so far, they would give to a Toronto syndicate represented by Cooper a two-year option to take over their franchise. During those two years, the Toronto syndicate would take surveys and make preliminary engineering plans and cost estimates to decide if they still wanted to proceed. But just one year later, in 1906, the San Francisco earthquake sent shock waves throughout the insurance industry, and the Toronto interests that initially backed the Keokuk and Hamilton plan withdrew their support.

Cooper had to scramble quickly because an option in his contract gave him and his supporters the right to buy out Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power’s stock franchise within two years. It took Cooper almost two years and most of his own wealth before he was able to secure backing from a group of financiers from the eastern U.S., Canada, England, France, Germany and Belgium.

Cooper and Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power also landed contracts in 1910 to deliver 44.7 MW of electricity to three customers located more than 100 miles south in St. Louis, Mo., at a time when no electric power had been transmitted more than a few miles: The Union Electric Light and Power Company, Laclede Gas Company and United Railways Company, which operated the St. Louis Street Railway Company. The plan was to attract additional investors who would back construction of the project.

Cooper and Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power determined the electricity transmitted to St. Louis would be 110,000 volts, which meant developing high-voltage transformers, transmission towers and insulators. Today’s high-voltage transmission technology is based on principles and equipment designed for the Keokuk project. Some of the same towers and insulators installed at Keokuk are still in use today. In fact, much of the original equipment in the entire system remains unchanged to this day.

Construction begins

Construction of the Keokuk Dam and Power Plant began Jan. 10, 1910. The entire project was being financed with private funds. However, the lock and dry dock were turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a condition of the original construction permit. Both the power plant and dam were completed in 1913.

Raising the level of the Mississippi River to create a 60-mile-long lake posed problems along the Iowa shoreline. The company wound up buying out almost half of three towns and moving the residents higher up on the bluff. Another challenge was raising the elevation of nearly 14 miles of track that belonged to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and ran along the Iowa river bank.

The complexity of the Keokuk plant construction required considerable creativity by Cooper and his team. First, they had to build the largest concrete dam ever made. The powerhouse, dam, lock, dry dock and ice fender had to be one concrete monolith that measured 2.5 miles in length, to span the river. The ice fender is a barrier that extends from the west end of the dam toward the Iowa shore and diverts the annual ice flow of the river toward the dam to protect the powerhouse. The dam is 7/8 of a mile in length, 29 feet wide at the top, 42 feet wide at the bottom and 53 feet high. Total length of the dam, powerhouse, lock, dry lock and sea wall is about 9,000 feet.

A massive traveling crane was customized for the Keokuk project; at 250 feet in length, the crane could deposit cofferdam cribs as much as 125 feet beyond the end of the section just finished.

Workers positioned the concrete piers upon which the forms were mounted by “shooting” a line back toward the piers they had just poured using a standard surveyor’s transit, a process repeated for each of the 119 piers. Any error in measurement was additive on to any previous errors. In the end, they met the end point of the wall of the powerhouse within less than 1/8 inch of the intended target – an achievement that would be considered very good today even with the most modern lasers.

Sections of the dam by the archways had to be built first to mitigate excessive pressure from the Mississippi River on the completed section. As one section was completed, the cofferdam was removed and the river was allowed to flow through the arches. Cooper built a bridge across the Mississippi while a second team followed to fill in the spillways. By constructing the dam without spillways, Cooper was able to span the river with minimal resistance from the river flow, since the piers comprised about 16% of the total length of the dam.

After completion of the arches and bridgeway, spillway bays were built one by one. Builders worked on one archway at a time and constructed a 5-foot-tall block of spillway bays all the way across the Mississippi. Then another 5 feet was added, opening by opening, which helped equalize water pressure all along the length of the dam during construction. So the spillways were raised sequentially, as all arches in a specific section of the dam were raised to an intermittent level and workers then started over and raised them again until they reached the final elevation.

Nature presented its own challenges to construction. The winter of 1911 to 1912 was very harsh, causing 2.5 feet of ice build-up above the dam. Cooper had the upstream cofferdam heightened and reinforced, stockpiled thousands of sand bags and brought three steam shovels to be prepared when the ice broke up. In March 1912, the ice began breaking up, jamming large chunks of ice in the gap between the cofferdam and powerhouse, but the dam withstood the assault.

Those large ice chunks, however, began backing up the Mississippi River when they formed a jam about 5 miles downstream. Crews worked around the clock for four days plugging leaks and strengthening the lower cofferdam. Finally, the ice jam broke and the river began flowing again. But in a few days, a storm drove waves over the top of the sand bags, and water poured down into the excavation. More workers were called to shore up the dam before winds finally subsided and the waters dropped.

By the end of July 1912, the final section of cofferdam was built, and both upper and lower legs of the cofferdam were finished by September. In May 1913, the final spillway was topped off and the lock was opened as two excursion steamers passed through side by side. The government assumed formal control of the new lock at that time. Navigation also benefited from construction of the new lock: Ships could move through the new lock in about 20 minutes, compared with several hours with the old locks.

On June 23, 1913, the 110-kV transmission line to St. Louis was energized.

100 years of firsts

The Keokuk Energy Center has provided several notable “firsts” for hydroelectricity in the U.S.:

– Longest monolithic concrete dam; – Largest privately-funded hydropower construction project; – Largest turbines ever constructed; – Heaviest rotating weight suspended on a single bearing; – Largest penstocks; – Largest inland dry dock; – Only pneumatically-raised lock gate; – Only commercial hydroelectric facility on the Mississippi River; – First long-distance transmission line; – First high-voltage transformers; and – First high-voltage insulators.

Union Electric Co. purchased the facilities in 1925. Today, Keokuk Energy Center remains the largest privately owned and operated dam on the Mississippi River.

Another notable feature of the plant – the generator rotor, turbine and shaft assemblies – may be the largest ever built. A single bearing that was four times larger than anything built previously supports each assembly. Engineers were uncertain a scale-up of the roller bearing would be adequate to provide the desired service life for the system. Only half of the turbines were installed with roller bearings. The others were installed using a new type of bearing that had just been invented by Kingsbury Thrust Bearings. These new bearings were so effective that they replaced all of the roller bearings at the plant within the following decade. After a century of virtually continuous operation, none has needed more than minimal repair.

In the years since it began operating, Keokuk Energy Center has seen a variety of changes and improvements. The 25-cycle generators were converted to 60-cycle generators in the 1940s and 1950s. The final units were converted in 2002. In 2001, Ameren Missouri began converting and replacing the original turbines, first installed when the plant opened in 1913, with more efficient stainless steel turbines. Automation came to Keokuk Energy Center in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lasting impact

Besides the environmental advantages of hydropower itself, Keokuk Energy Center benefits the environment in other ways. Ameren Missouri owns about 2,000 acres of flowage land (land subject to flooding), some covered by water at the Keokuk site. The dam provides sufficient water levels to support an important transportation corridor for barge traffic that moves everything from coal and fertilizer to a large volume of grain up and down the river.

As a major driver in the regional economic engine, Keokuk Energy Center has served as a stable source of employment for generations of residents from Iowa, Illinois and Missouri for the past century. Today, Keokuk Energy Center continues to provide customers with safe and reliable electricity throughout the Ameren Missouri system.

Kent Martin is communications executive at Ameren Missouri.

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Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Museum

Preserving The History Of America's First Great Dam

Our mission is to preserve and promote the history of the Keokuk-Hamilton Dam

by collecting and restoring pertinent memorabilia and artifacts; creating interactive exhibits and informative displays; and educating museum visitors of all ages.

 COLLECTIONS 

     The Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Museum holds  collections of artifacts, photographs, documents, and books that trace the history of the hydroelectric powerhouse and dam. 

     These collections have been generously  donated by individuals and Ameren-Missouri.

 HISTORY 

   In 1910, hundreds of construction workers began construction of  the dam.  The last piece of concrete was poured on May 31, 1913, nearly two years ahead of schedule. 

   The lock opened June 12 with the first watts of electricity being generated on July 1.  

 ABOUT US 

     Following the widely attended 100 year anniversary celebration on Jun 29 - 30, 2013 of the construction of the lock and dam, community leaders in Hamilton, Illinois and Keokuk, Iowa established  America’s First Great Dam Foundation in 2015 and created the Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Museum.

HUGH LINCOLN COOPER

H ugh Lincoln Cooper was born April 28, 1865 in Sheldon, Minnesota, less than three weeks after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox.

Although he had no formal technical training, through self-study and practical field work, Hugh was employed to oversee the construction of bridge projects.  In 1891, Cooper became interested in hydroelectric power and left bridge-building to learn about the construction and equipment used in harnessing water to generate electricity. He became a hydraulic engineer on his own, eventually forming the Hugh L. Cooper Company, designing a hydroelectric dam across the Mississippi River between Keokuk, Iowa, and Hamilton, Illinois.  Completed in 1913, the Keokuk Water Power Project marked a significant change in hydroelectric generating practice because it employed a wide, slow-moving river to drive its turbines.   (American Society of Civil Engineers)

While at work in Keokuk, Hugh Cooper and his wife, Fanny, became life-long friends with many in the area.  Hugh Lincoln Cooper died on June 24, 1937, and although his gravesite is located in New Canaan, Connecticut, perhaps the most enduring monument to the genius of his ‘life’ and work is to be found spanning the Mississippi River right here in our own city.

Dam museum to reopen in Keokuk

A museum in Keokuk featuring the history of the first dam built across the Mississippi River will reopen soon.

The Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Museum, 428 Main St., initially opened in November 2019. The exhibits include artifacts and photographs of the dam from when it was built between 1910 and 1913. The dam spans the river between Keokuk, Iowa on the west side and Hamilton, Illinois on the east side.

The museum was open for only a few months before the pandemic forced the building to close in March 2020. Soon after reopening in April 2021, another building two doors down was condemned, which forced the museum to close again last August for safety precautions.

The condemned building has since been demolished and the site has been cleared.

Kirk Brandenberger, Executive Director of the Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, said he hopes the museum can reopen as soon as May 1.

“In the last couple of years, it has been closed more than it’s been open,” Brandenberger said. “But now we’re looking forward to it being open, again.”

Brandenberger said when the museum reopens, new exhibits will be on display, including a 27-foot-long mural of the dam.

The mural was initially hung 50 years ago in the Chuckwagon Café, a restaurant that was located down the street from the museum.

Brandenberger said many people visited the museum before it closed. He said people from 25 states and three foreign countries traveled to Keokuk to tour the museum during the few months it was open last year.

“People are waiting for it to be back open, again, so they can see it and so they can learn about the lock and dam,” he said. “A lot of people have a connection, a grandfather or uncle or someone who worked on the dam or who was at least here during that time. And so there is a lot of interest in the dam.”

Today, the dam operates as part of Lock and Dam No. 19. Electricity utility provider Ameren Missouri owns the dam and the adjacent hydroelectric power plant, Keokuk Energy Center.

The power plant sits alongside the lock, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates. The lock helps ships and barges navigate the upper Mississippi River, and the power plant generates enough electricity to power 75,000 homes each year.

Lock and Dam No. 19 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tri States Public Radio produced this story.  TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department  please consider making a financial contribution .

Our Downsized Life

The Best Things in Life Aren't Things

Historic Keokuk – A Powerhouse on the Mississippi

As we explained in our previous post, Ft. Madison, Iowa – A Historic Little Town on the Mississippi River , Andy worked at the hospital in Ft. Madison and we parked our RV at a campground in nearby Keokuk. We found plenty of places to explore in the area. This post highlights a couple of Keokuk’s historic sites on the Mississippi River.

Lock & Dam No. 19

For more information regarding Lock & Dam No. 19, check out this article Hydro Review: Keokuk Energy Center

Observation Deck

The Toll Booth still sits in its original location, which is now used as parking for the deck.

Victory Park

This scenic park along the riverfront offers a close-up view of the barges traveling in and out of the Lock & Dam. It also offers walking trails, picnic, and fishing areas. It is also the location of the George M. Verity Riverboat Museum.

The George M. Verity River Museum

We visited the Verity Tug on a Sunday afternoon. We were the only visitors and received a personal tour from volunteer Bill Dennis. He was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. He was also patient as we explored the different parts of the tug and took numerous pictures.

One of the sternwheel’s three decks, the main deck is home to the propelling machinery.

Second Deck

Above the Main Deck is the Second Deck. This deck, with narrow hallways, contains the kitchen, dining area, and cabins.

Pilot House

Built of steel, with large sliding windows all around, the Pilot House is raised above the level of the second deck to allow the steersman 360-degree visibility. Steering was controlled by levers attached to steam cylinders in the engine room. The cylinders turned the central rudder with a long tiller arm.

Paddlewheel

After the original wheel suffered multiple fractures, an experimental paddlewheel was installed in 1945. The double helical wheel on the Verity is the only surviving paddlewheel of its kind.

The double helical wheel used bucket planks with a herringbone pattern rather than planks perpendicular to the water. The wheel is 19 feet in diameter and 22 feet long. The buckets on the wheel dip three feet into the water.

Our next post will be about living in Keokuk and the places of interest we found there. If you want to be notified when a new post is ready, just complete the Subscribe Form  at the bottom of this page. 

“Let me explain it to you so you know I understand, and maybe ask a few more questions.”

References:

•  Lock & Dam No.19  https://nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/ia/lee/districts.html
• Geo. M. Verity https://nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/ia/lee/state.html

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IHJ Exploring History: Lock and Dam No. 19 Historic District — Keokuk’s Mississippi River lock and dam is an engineering marvel

For more information about the Lock and Dam No. 19 Historic District in Keokuk visit keokukiowatourism.org.

May/June 2023 (Volume 15, Issue 3)

By Carson Ode

The genius of man over the ages has resulted in accomplishments that are mind-boggling. Men and women who are given intelligence and talents well beyond the comprehension of the average person leave the rest of us scratching our heads. “How did they do that?” Lock and Dam No. 19 Historic District, completed in 1913, falls into the “How did they do that?” scenario.

The genius behind this awesome dam, located adjacent to Keokuk on the Upper Mississippi River, was Hugh Lincoln Cooper. Born in Sheldon, Minn., Cooper began showing his genius as a 16-year-old when he undertook his first engineering project building a 40-foot bridge across a creek. The rock-and-timber structure was still serving its function 50 years later. It was the cornerstone of the career of this self-taught genius that led to assignments designing and implementing some of the world’s most complex and challenging water projects. No brick-and-mortar schools were involved, but through extensive self-study and practical field work, this was a highly educated man with a creative and practical mind.

After graduating from high school, he took on an apprenticeship with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad where his engineering skills were utilized to build bridges using material beyond rocks and timber. In 1891, Cooper became interested in hydroelectric power and left bridge building to immerse himself in learning about the construction and equipment used in harnessing water to generate electricity.

He took a position with a firm in Dayton, Ohio, that built water wheels and installed them in power plants. This was followed by constructing power plants in Jamaica, West Indies and Ellenville and Dodgeville, N.Y. The projects became more involved as he spent three years designing and building a power plant for the Sao Paulo Tramway, Light & Power Co. in Brazil.

Among the impressive commissions he took on prior to the Keokuk lock and dam was a seemingly impossible plan to harness the raging Horseshoe Rapids above Niagara Falls. He silenced the skeptical by devising a design for the Electrical Development Co. of Ontario that successfully met the objective. The construction of the power plant was completed in 1907.

In the early days of the 20th century, the Keokuk & Hamilton Water Power Co. prepared a pamphlet (prospectus) detailing some data concerning the Mississippi River and the Des Moines Rapids just above Keokuk. It was the end of the line for river traffic with water depths of only two-and-a-half feet. The priority of their aims was to raise capital and secure a competent engineer to take charge of building a dam. One of these pamphlets fell into the hands of Cooper. At this point in his life, Cooper had a worldwide reputation of taking on very complex projects from Jamaica and Brazil to Niagara Falls.

On Sept. 15, 1905, a committee in charge of the affairs of the Keokuk & Hamilton Water Power Co. entered into a contract with Cooper, by which the stock and franchise of the company were turned over to his syndicate, on the condition that the dam and power plant were to be completed by Feb. 10, 1915. Raising capital was a challenge until Stone & Webster of Boston, Mass., entered with a proposition to finance the project. Of the capital stock, 35 percent of it was raised in the United States and the remaining 65 percent came from foreign countries, predominantly England, France, Germany, Belgium and Canada.

TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY AND OTHER FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal .

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Keokuk Hydro-Power System

Spearheaded by Hugh Cooper, the Keokuk Dam & Power Plant served as a prototype for many future power plants. The project harnessed the hydropower of the Mississippi River, between Keokuk, Iowa and Hamilton, Illinois.

The crest of the dam is nearly a mile long. The dam structure features 119 arch spans between six-foot-thick piers and a 110-foot-wide pneumatic lock. Combined with the lock, the dam reduced travel time for steamboats by nearly two hours.

This was the largest privately-funded construction project in the world when completed, and one of only two North American sites to generate 25-cycle power at the time.

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Power plant profile: keokuk, us.

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Keokuk is a 148MW hydro power project. It is located on Mississippi river/basin in Iowa, the US. According to GlobalData, who tracks and profiles over 170,000 power plants worldwide, the project is currently active. It has been developed in a single phase. The project construction commenced in 1910 and subsequently entered into commercial operation in 1913. Buy the profile here.

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Ameren corp.

Description The project is currently owned by Ameren with a stake of 100%. Keokuk is a run-of-river project. The hydro power project consists of 2 turbines, each with 9MW nameplate capacity. The hydro power project consists of 13 turbines, each with 10MW nameplate capacity. The project has 15 electric generators installed at the site.

Development status The project construction commenced in 1910 and subsequently entered into commercial operation in 1913.

For more details on Keokuk, buy the profile here.

This content was updated on 4 January 2024

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American Hydro to modernise two units at Keokuk Hydroelectric plant in Iowa, USA

American Hydro, part of Wärtsilä Corporation, has been awarded a major contract to perform rehabilitation services and complete the upgrade and refurbishment of the Unit 5 & 15 turbines at Ameren’s historic Keokuk Hydroelectric plant in Iowa, USA. The order with Ameren Corporation was booked in July.

American Hydro designed, manufactured and delivered new 200-inch, 120,000-pound Francis type runners for these units under a previous contract. The new contract includes all field labor and supervision to conduct a simultaneous two-unit outage, disassembly of the major turbine and generator components, shop and field rehabilitation and machining, installation of the new runners and refurbished turbine components, and commissioning of the upgraded turbines.  Engineering and planning are currently underway, and the outages are scheduled to start this fall and finish in the spring of 2021. Upon completion of this work, American Hydro will have upgraded all 15 turbines at the Keokuk plant. 

"For more than 100 years, the Keokuk Energy Center has provided clean, carbon-free energy to customers. Its continued safe, efficient operation is foundational to Ameren's net-zero carbon emissions goal," said Warren Witt, director of hydro operations at Ameren Missouri.

From Gerry Russell, Vice President of American Hydro: ”This contract represents the culmination of a 20 year partnership to upgrade the Keokuk hydroelectric plant. We appreciate the trust Ameren has placed in American Hydro throughout this process.”

The 142 MW Keokuk hydroelectric plant was originally commissioned in 1913 and has been in continuous operation with the original equipment since that time. It is the largest privately owned and operated dam and hydroelectric generating plant on the Mississippi River. The plant is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Lock and Dam No. 19.

Ameren Corporation is based in St. Louis, serving 2.4 million electric, and 900,000 natural gas customers across 64,000 square miles in central and eastern Missouri and the southern four-fifths of Illinois.

Media contact for more information on this release:

All Wärtsilä releases are available at https://www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at http://news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded.

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Main Street Keokuk, Inc.

Downtown is THE place in our community to live, work, and play

Walking Tour

Keokuk’s rich history is showcased in the spaces and places you’ll find on the Cultural & Entertainment District’s Historic Walking Tour. Dating back to the mid-19th century, each home and historic site included here is part of a unique tapestry of American stories told in and by our charming, riverside community.

Back Alley Residential District Possessing some of the oldest homes in Keokuk, the Back Alley Residential District features a wide array of architectural styles. Built by titans of industry, riverboat captains, and prominent politicians eleven properties in the district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the home of Civil War General Samuel Curtis.

202 Blondeau Street

Henry Halsey Clark built the 20 room home shortly after the Civil War. Mary Huiskamp Calhoun inherited the home from her father Henry and several generations of the family have occupied the home.

101 N. Second Street

Built in 1870 as a home and office for Dr. John Sanford. Sanford served as an Iowa State Senator from 1846-48 and Dean of the Keokuk College of Physicians & Surgeons from 1850-1860.

110-112 N. Second Street

Built in the 1840s by John Cleghorn, this home was once lifted up so that a third story could be added to the bottom of the building.

116 Concert Street

Built by William McGavic, a thriving businessman, using slave labor between 1847 and 1852, this home was later reportedly part of the underground railroad. McGavic supposedly watched his riverboats from the tower. Later this house was owned and restored by Liz Clark who had a gourmet restaurant in the house for many years.

205 N. Second Street

Hugh Sample, who became the mayor of Keokuk in 1858, built this Italianate-style home the following year. He and his wife Sarah lived here until Sample’s death in 1870. Considered the “finest and most intact example” of its style in Keokuk, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

123 High Street

Theodore Baldwin, a pioneering Keokuk businessman and citizen, built this home in 1877.

126 High Street

The Alfred E. Matless House was given to Matless by his long-time employer Herman Huiskamp, who owned Huiskamp Bros. Shoe factory.

206 High Street

Major General Samuel Curtis built this Greek Revival-style home in 1849. Curtis was an engineer, a congressman, Mayor of Keokuk, and most notably served as the General at the Battle of Pea Ridge. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. General Curtis’ deep ties to Keokuk are immortalized in bronze at Victory Park.

328 N. Second Street

J. W. Bishop, who was a riverboat captain and coal mine owner, built this home in 1880.

226 Morgan Street

Frank J. Weess Home built this home in 1881. Weess was considered wealthy and owned several businesses and properties in Keokuk. Beginning in 1976, the home was restored by Tom & Sandy Seabold and an Art Gallery was located there for 35 years. The Second Empire style house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

226 Fulton Street

The home was built by an Episcopalian Rector in 1855.

511 N. Third Street

William Worth Belknap built this Greek Revival-style home in 1854. Belknap was a brevetted Civil War General, served as the Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant, and was impeached for improper conduct by the US House of Representatives. Significant because of its association to Belknap, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

524 N. Third Street

John W. Scroggs built this home in the 1870s. Scroggs was a lumberyard owner.

525 N. Third Street

Built in 1840 and called “Port Sunshine,” the home was once owned by Lorene Curtis Diver, who wrote a booklet called “Sound Waves” which offered her graphic description of the construction of the powerhouse and dam on the river below. Diver’s vast social influence led to the home hosting the first meeting of the Iowa DAR and the site where the Audubon Society of Iowa was established.

307 Franklin Street

“Honest John” McCune, a prominent riverman and grocer, built this home in 1898. The street used to continue to the original front of the house, which faced Third.

317 Franklin Street

Dr. John Sandford built the house in the 1850s. Owners of the home have included James B. Howell, a publisher of the Daily Gate City, and Felix T. Hughes, grandfather of Howard R. Hughes. Hugh Lincoln Cooper, the builder of the Keokuk Dam, lived in the home during the construction of the dam, from 1911 to 1913.

329 Franklin Street

John B. Knight built this home in the 1850s and it was moved from another site and reassembled in this location. It was known as the “Traveling House.”

220 N. Fourth Street

Enos H. Harrison, who established the Keokuk branch of the Iowa State Bank and served four terms as a Keokuk alderman, built this home in 1857. The home is a combination of Federalist, Greek Revival, and Second Empire styles and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

318 N. Fourth Street

Dr. Rufus H. Wyman built this home and his granddaughter Elsa Maxell, who was the famed international hostess, was born here.

426 N. Fourth Street

Asaph Buck, wholesale grocer, built this home in 1870.

507 N. Fourth Street

Abraham Chittenden, found of the First Congregational Church, built this home in 1855.

519 N. Fourth Street

S. Dwight Eaton built this home in 1856 and was the Chief Engineer and Superintendent of the Keokuk, Fort Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad, known today as the Rock Island Railroad. Civil War Col. John Walker Rankin later lived here.

312 N. Fifth Street

Felix T. Hughes, a lawyer and grandfather of Howard Hughes built this home in 1880. Howard spent many summers visiting this home.

318 N. Fifth Street

Samuel Freeman Miller, a US Supreme Court Justice, built this Italianate style home in 1859. Miller was a physician and lawyer nominated to the Court by Abraham Lincoln, the first of its kind to a person living west of the Mississippi. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is now the location of the Lee County Historical Museum.

Park Place & Grand Avenue Residential District Once described as the “Miracle Mile,” the Park Place-Grand Avenue Residential District boasts 15 blocks of some of the most stately homes in Keokuk. Much of the area was once the private estate of famed Keokuk businessman, J.C. Hubinger from 1887 to 1908. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, the district has been lauded as “the best place to live in Keokuk” since the first homes were built there in 1856.

2 Park Place

Built in 1885, William Sinton owned the home and his mule-drawn wagons moved much of the freight from Keokuk’s wholesalers to the railroad depots.

404 Orleans Avenue

Ross Baker built this home in 1904. The Baker family, heirs to the patent medicine fortune, lived there.

414 Orleans Avenue

Built in 1860, this was once home to Samuel M Clark, editor of the Daily Gate City and three-term Congressman.

5 Park Place

Iram Sawyer was a partner of the Irwin Phillips Co. and built the house in 1885.

424 Orleans Avenue

John M. Bisbee, wholesale grocer, built the home in 1850.

507 Grand Avenue

The home was built in 1913 and has identical floor plans for the upstairs and downstairs apartments. Two sisters lived there with their husbands who were dentists in town.

11 Park Place

Built by Judge James C. Davis in 1898. The address is also known as 525 Grand Avenue. Davis served as Keokuk mayor and US Directory General of Railroads under President Calvin Coolidge.

610 Grand Avenue

Touted as the oldest home on the Avenue, AJ Sellman built this home in 1856.

611 Grand Avenue

E. Carroll Taber, lumberman and social leader, built the home in 1915.

627 Grand Avenue

James E. Johnson, a grocer, built the home in the 1880s. Judge William Logan, founder of State Central Bank, and his family lived here from the 1890s to 1940s.

633 Grand Avenue

John Daughterty built the home in 1856 but it was long-occupied by John N. Irwin and his family. Irwin was a five term mayor of Keokuk, an Iowa State Representative, territorial Governor of Idaho and Arizona, and U. S. Minister to Portugal.

The home was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and was included as a contributing property in the Park Place-Grand Avenue Residential District in 2002.

702 Grand Avenue

Oxel W. Sandburg, Superintendent of the Union Depot Station, built this home in 1918. The home was built of sandstone from the old river canal wall.

719 Grand Avenue

The home was built by Laura Covington of the Pond Family in 1923 and was called “Greenwillow.”

729 Grand Avenue

Built by Archibald & Edith Jenkins Logan in 1902, the home was later owned by Charles Streeter, who developed a chain of lumberyards. Later it was home to Gerard Huiskamp of Huiskamp Bros. Shoe Factory fame.

730 Grand Avenue

Built by Samuel T. Marshall, a lawyer, in 1856. The Maude Marshall Hassall award at Keokuk High School is named for his daughter.

801 Grand Avenue

Henry W. Huiskamp, owner of Huiskamp Brothers Shoe Factory, built the home in 1904.

901 Grand Avenue

James Huiskamp, Sr. built the home in 1914. The first story was built using canal stones from the river.

This home was built by A. C. Decker in 1907. Decker was the founder of the Keokuk Power Squadron, now known as the Keokuk Yacht Club. Decker was also the owner of Decker Manufacturing, which continues to operate today, after over 140 years in Keokuk.

925 Grand Avenue

Howard Hughes, Sr., inventor of the oil well drill, built the home in 1880. Hughes was the father of Howard Hughes Jr.

1001 Grand Avenue

Hugh W. Green, brother-in law, of JC Hubinger, built the home in 1910.

1031 Grand Avenue

Myrle Baker, who also built the Grand Theatre, built this home in 1920.

1107 Grand Avenue

Cephas Harrison built the home before 1923. Harrison’s father owned the Keokuk Box Co.

1111 Grand Avenue

John Dillon, co-founder of Keokuk Electro-Metals, built the home in 1925.

1201 Grand Avenue

Corydon Rich built the home prior to 1923 for his mother.

1229 Grand Avenue

The Corydon Rich Mansion was built by Rich and constructed on the J. C. Hubinger Mansion site in 1919. Rich was the owner of Purity Oats.

1307 Grand Avenue

Montgomery Meigs built the home prior to 1929. Meigs was the Corps of Engineers Manager and supervised the canal, drydock and original Lock 19. Meigs’ daughter, Cornelia, was a well-known children’s book author. The home was later expanded by G. LaMonte Weissenburger, owner of Keokuk-Electro Metals.

1321 Grand Avenue

Home built by Richard Hoerner, Sr.,owner of Hoerner Box Co., in 1950 and designed by Karl Kiedaisch, Sr.

1329 Grand Avenue

Home built by Edward Knox Johnstone, owner of Keokuk Savings Bank, in 1920.

Historic Keokuk Sites Learn about the vital role Keokuk played during the Civil War and in the development of trade along the Mississippi River via water and rail by visiting sites like the Keokuk National Cemetery, the Keokuk Lock & Dam, and the Keokuk Union Depot.

Keokuk Lock and Dam

The Keokuk Lock and Dam No. 19, also known as Lock and Dam No. 19 Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The District itself covers over 1600 acres, 7 buildings, 12 structures and 1 object. Upon completion, the dam was the second-longest in the world next to the Aswan Low Dam on the Nile River.

George M. Verity Museum

The George M. Verity historic towboat was built in 1927 in Dubuque, Iowa. It is significant in that it is one of only three surviving steam-powered towboats to exist in the United States. The vessel, drydocked permanently in Victory Park, has been used as a river museum in Keokuk since 1962 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

Keokuk Union Depot

Built between 1890-91, the Romanesque Revival-style Keokuk Union Depot was designed by John Wellburn Root, of famed Chicago architecture firm Burnham & Root. The Depot served rail passengers until 1967 and in 2011 was conveyed to the City of Keokuk. Located at Water & Bank Streets, the depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 and is currently undergoing restoration.

Located at 401 Main Street the Hotel Iowa was built between 1912-13. The seven-story building was designed by St. Louis architect Guy C. Mariner and is considered the most remarkable example of Chicago Commercial-style architecture in Keokuk. The Hotel Iowa was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Keokuk YWCA Building

The Keokuk YWCA building, completed in 1913, is located at 425 Blondeau Street. The building, designed by Harry E Ratcliffe, has Art Deco tile ornamentation and is said to be “representative of the transitional architecture of the early 20th century.” The building, and its counterpart YMCA which sat across the street, served as a hub for community activity until the mid-1970s. The YWCA has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2004.

St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at 208 N. Fourth Street and was built between 1884-88. It was designed by Boston architects Daniel Appleton and HM Stephenson and is a mix of Gothic Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles. The building is notable for its outstanding stained glass windows made by even different companies including Mayer of Munich Glass Co., the Lamb Studio, and Tiffany and Co. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Lee County Courthouse

The Lee County Courthouse is located at 25 N. Seventh. Completed in 1888, the building historically served as a Federal courthouse on the upper floors and post office on the first. It was designed by Mifflin E Bell, supervising architect of the US Treasury, and features ornate terracotta decorative panels and corner finials. Originally built five stories tall, the clock tower was deemed disproportionate to the building and two stories were later added bringing its current height to seven stories. The Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

All Saints Church

All Saints Church is located at 301 S. Ninth Street and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 as St. Peter’s Church, after the congregation that built it. The church was designed by Chicago architect William John Dellenberg and stands as an outstanding example of late Gothic Revival style architecture. The building was completed in 1885 at a total cost of $50,000. In 1904, the church commissioned a solid marble altar, the weight of which required the building’s foundation to be reinforced.

Keokuk National Cemetery

Located at 1701 J Street, the Keokuk National Cemetery was designated during the Civil War as a place to inter veterans who died at the five military hospitals in Keokuk and oversaw the burials of both Union and Confederate soldiers. The cemetery spans over 22 acres and as of 2021, had over 6,000 interments. The first National Cemetery west of the Mississippi and the only one in the State of Iowa, Keokuk National Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Powering the 21st Century

A Smithsonian magazine special report

Where to Take a Tour of the World’s Power Plants

From Nevada’s Hoover Dam to a geothermal plant next to an Icelandic volcano, these six power stations open their doors to visitors

Marina Koren

In nations around the world, concerns have been growing about the greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning coal or natural gas for power. And after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, some countries worried about the safety of their nuclear plants have gone so far as to shut theirs down. Clean, safer renewable resources—such as hydropower, tidal, biofuel, solar and wind—are being used in ever greater amounts to help the world meet its energy needs. In Mexico, for example, the country’s energy policy calls for increasing total carbon dioxide-free power generation by 8 percent by 2024. And this March, solar power accounted for 100 percent of new energy produced on the American grid.

But the newest and most innovative power plants under construction today stand in the shadow of predecessors that have been churning away, sometimes for decades. Here are some of the world’s most impressive renewable energy plants worth touring.

Hoover Dam, United States

When Congress authorized the construction of a massive dam on the Colorado River in 1928, America had never before seen such a massive undertaking of resources and labor. The Nevada town of Boulder City was developed for the sole purpose of housing the thousands of workers who were to build what would become the Hoover Dam . When complete, the nearly 730-foot-tall structure had used 5.9 million barrels of cement over the 27 years of construction.

The dam was built to divert the Colorado and control flooding by burrowing four massive, 30-foot-diameter tunnels into the walls of Black Canyon, two in Nevada and two in Arizona. Today, nearly 80 years after it began operating, the dam generates about 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year, enough to power the lives of 1.3 million people.

This National Historic Landmark has offered guided tours since 1937, drawing one million visitors each year . For $30, individuals can take an elevator 530 feet down through the rock wall of the Black Canyon for a tour through one of the dam’s four tunnels. The metal behemoths are capable of moving 90,000 gallons of water each second from Lake Mead to the dam’s hydroelectric generators.

Back above ground, the power plant balcony offers a panoramic view of the 650-foot-long Nevada wing of the plant, as well as eight of the dam’s 17 generators. An exhibit gallery houses memorabilia from the dam’s 82-year history along with a walk-through model of a generator and a detailed diorama of the entire dam.

Manapouri Power Station, New Zealand

Hellisheidi Power Station, Iceland

Annapolis Tidal Station, Canada

Cruachan Power Station, Scotland

Alholmens Kraft Power Station, Finland

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Marina Koren | | READ MORE

Marina Koren is a staff writer at The Atlantic . Previously, she was a digital intern for Smithsonian.com.