The name of the daughter signifies “White Fawn.” The first newspaper in the county was the Anamosa News, published by William Haddock and first issued in February, 1852.
Montecello was laid out in September, 1853, by G. H. Walworth and D. Varvel. Branches of the Milwaukee Railroad run through the county. One of the large penitentiaries of the State is located at Anamosa where there are extensive stone quarries.
KEOKUK COUNTY as first created in December, 1837, comprised all of townships seventy-seven to eighty-one from the west line of Johnson County to the Missouri River. This immense county was afterwards divided into a number of smaller ones. On the 17th of February, 1843, the present county of Keokuk was created. It lies in the third tier west of the Mississippi River and in the third north of Missouri, is twenty-four miles square and has an area of five hundred seventy-six square miles. This county was named for the Sac chief whose name signifies “Watchful Fox.” The northern tier of townships was contained in the old county of the same name, while its entire territory was once embraced in the original county of Demoine.
The first white settlers came before the Indian title became extinct but no record of their names has been preserved. Aaron Miller settled in Richland township in the spring of 1838 and was soon followed by William Searcy, John Wasson, Cyrus Jordon and Jacob Wisner. Mr. Griffith took a claim on Clear Creek in 1837, Dr. W. Neeley settled near him in 1838 and in 1839 Harvey Stevens and William Grimsley joined the settlement. Farther up the river at Stillman’s Grove Jacob Shaver, Robert Linder, John and William Shaver located in 1843-4.
The county was organized in March, 1844, and the following officers chosen: Enos Darnell, J. Hollingsworth
