North Water Street
Keokuk, Iowa
319-524-5599 or 800-383-1219

The Keokuk Observation Deck is built upon the deck of the old Keokuk Municipal Bridge and provides a wonderful view of the Mississippi River, Lock & Dam No. 19, the George M. Verity Museum and Victory Park. The first bridge at this location opened in 1870. The Keokuk rapids had not been tamed at that time, so construction was dangerous in the fast rough waters. After the bridge was completed it was hit and damaged several times by river boats. The bridge featured a single deck bridge with vehicle, pedestrian, and train traffic sharing the same level. The second bridge was completed in 1916 and used the same piers as the 1870 bridge. To eliminate the train delays, the bridge was built with a second deck to handle US-136 highway traffic. These bridges were promoted by Andrew Carnegie, and were built by the Keokuk and Hamilton Bridge Company. The bridge company ran into financial problems in the 1940s and ownership was transferred to the City of Keokuk in 1948 and the name of bridge changed to the Keokuk Municipal Bridge. When the new US-136 Bridge opened in late 1985 the upper deck of the historic swing span bridge was closed and refurbished as an observation deck. This deck provides a great view for watching river boats traverse Lock & Dam No. 19 as well as providing a beautiful view of the Mississippi River and Victory Park. The observation deck features benches, picnic tables and is a good spot in the winter for those who are looking for a place to view Bald Eagles.

Visiting the Keokuk Observation Deck
Visiting Hours
The the Keokuk Observation Deck can be visited daily from dawn to dusk.
There is no charge to visit the Keokuk Observation Deck.