Lee County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee County
U.S. county
Courthouse located in Fort Madison
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1836
Seat	Fort Madison and Keokuk
Largest city	Fort Madison
Area
• Total	539 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land	518 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Water	21 sq mi (50 km2)  4.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	33,555
• Estimate  (2023)	32,565
• Density	62.25/sq mi (24.036/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Historic Lee County Savings Bank

Lee County is a county in the very southern part of Iowa, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 33,555 people lived here. It's special because it has two main cities where the county government is located: Fort Madison and Keokuk. Lee County is also part of a larger area that includes parts of Illinois and Missouri. The county was officially started in 1836.

History of Lee County

The city of Fort Madison has roots going back to the War of 1812. Lee County was also home to a special area called the Half-Breed Tract. This land was set aside by a treaty in 1824. It was for people who had both Native American and European ancestors.

Lee County officially became a county on December 7, 1836. At first, it was part of the Wisconsin Territory. Then, on July 4, 1838, it became part of the new Iowa Territory. Many European-American settlers started moving into the area around 1839.

Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also settled in Lee County. They had left Missouri to find new homes in Illinois and Iowa. While their main settlement was in Nauvoo, Illinois, they also had a group in Lee County.

Lee County has two county seats: Fort Madison and Keokuk. Keokuk became a second county seat in 1847 because of disagreements. The number of people living in Lee County grew a lot in the early years. It reached its highest population of about 44,000 people in 1960. Since then, the population has slowly decreased.

Why is it Called Lee County?

People aren't completely sure how Lee County got its name. Some think it was named after a company called Marsh, Delevan & Lee. This company owned a lot of land in the Half-Breed Tract. Others believe it was named after Robert E. Lee, who helped map out the Des Moines Rapids. Another idea is that it was named after Albert Miller Lea, who explored parts of Iowa.

Geography and Nature

Lee County, Iowa and the "Half Breed Tract" historic map detail from a 1905 Iowa Census Map

Lee County covers about 539 square miles. Most of this is land, but about 21 square miles is water. The lowest point in the entire state of Iowa is found in Lee County. It's located on the Mississippi River in Keokuk, where the river flows out of Iowa.

Main Roads

Several important highways pass through Lee County, making it easy to travel around.

• U.S. Highway 61
• U.S. Highway 136
• U.S. Highway 218
• Iowa Highway 2
• Iowa Highway 16
• Iowa Highway 27

Public Transport

• Fort Madison station

Neighboring Counties

Lee County shares borders with several other counties:

• Henry County (to the north)
• Des Moines County (to the northeast)
• Henderson County, Illinois (across the river to the east)
• Hancock County, Illinois (to the southeast)
• Clark County, Missouri (to the southwest)
• Van Buren County (to the west)

People of Lee County

Population of Lee County from US census data

2022 US Census population pyramid for Lee County from ACS 5-year estimates

In 2020, the census counted 33,555 people living in Lee County. This means there were about 65 people per square mile. Most people (about 89.1%) identified as White. About 3% were Black or African American, and 3.31% were Hispanic or Latino.

Cities and Towns

Courthouse in Keokuk in 1900

Lee County has several cities and towns where people live.

Cities

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

• Argyle
• Denmark
• Mooar
• Sandusky
• Wever

Other Small Communities

These are even smaller places that are not officially cities or CDPs.

• Charleston
• Croton
• Mount Hamill
• New Boston
• Pilot Grove
• Primrose
• Viele
• Vincennes

Townships

Lee County is also divided into smaller areas called townships.

Famous People from Lee County

Many interesting people have connections to Lee County. Here are a few:

• Cleng Peerson (1783–1865), an early settler in Lee County.
• Richard Proenneke (1916–2003), a naturalist known for living simply in the wilderness.
• William Elliott Whitmore (born 1978), a singer and songwriter.
• Ryan Bowen, a former NBA basketball player.
• James Duderstadt, a past President of the University of Michigan.
• Todd Farmer, a writer, actor, and film producer.
• Patty Judge, who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.
• Dick Klein, who founded the Chicago Bulls basketball team.
• Dennis O'Keefe, an actor who starred in many films.
• Walter A. Sheaffer, who started the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company.
• George Henry Williams, a former United States Senator.
• Howard Hughes, a famous aviator, engineer, and film producer.
• Rupert Hughes, a novelist and film director, who was Howard Hughes's uncle.
• Samuel Freeman Miller, who served as a Supreme Court justice.
• Conrad Nagel, an actor and one of the people who helped start the Academy Awards.
• Jeremy Soule, a composer known for video game music.

Schools in Lee County

Students in Lee County attend schools in several different districts:

• Central Lee Community School District
• Fort Madison Community School District
• Keokuk Community School District
• Mount Pleasant Community School District
• Van Buren County Community School District

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lee (Iowa) para niños