State Historical Society of Iowa

"A Great Work Completed" Newspaper Article, August 24, 1877

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This newspaper article from 1877 announces the completion of a canal on the Mississippi River near Keokuk, Iowa and the events the town of Keokuk was planning in order to celebrate it.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, "A Great Work Completed," The State Journal, pp. 8, 24 August 1877

Description

This newspaper article appeared in The State Journal in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1877. It announced the completion of a canal constructed to help boats bypass the rapids on the Mississippi River between Keokuk, Iowa and Montrose, Iowa. The article highlights the excitement surrounding the completion of the canal in the town of Keokuk.

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Source-Dependent Questions

  • Compare this article to the Des Moines Rapids of the Mississippi River, and Its Improvements. The articles were written only seven years apart, what changed during that time frame? 
  • The author states that the canal is "the most important [improvement] on the Mississippi above New Orleans." Use evidence from the text to show how the author supports this statement.
  • According to the article, how is the city of Keokuk, Iowa, planning to acknowledge the completion of the canal? What do these plans indicate about the importance of the canal?

Citation Information 

"A Great Work Completed," The State Journal, pp. 8, 24 August 1877. Courtesy of Library of Congress