Keokuk's Reserve
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Keokuk's Reserve was a parcel of land in the present-day U.S. state of Iowa that was retained by the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes in 1832 in the aftermath of the Black Hawk War. It stretched within the area of the Black Hawk Purchase in Southeasterly direction from Iowa City and included Wapello, Iowa. The reservation was depleted of game and poor in resources. The tribes were forced onto Keokuk's Reservation, but stayed on the reservation only until 1836 when the land was ceded to the United States, and the Native Americans were moved to a new reservation along the Des Moines River.
The terms of the treaty that ended the Black Hawk War resulted in the United States' gaining a large section of present-day Iowa known as the Black Hawk Purchase. Keokuk's Reserve was carved out of this cession.[1] The treaty stipulated that the reserve include Keokuk's Village, about twelve miles (19 km) from the Mississippi River, as well as equal portions of land on either side of the Iowa River.[2]
The reserve was a 400-square-mile (1,000 km2) area along either side of the Iowa River. The boundary crossed the Iowa River and extended to the southeast where it terminated beyond Keokuk's Village.[2] The land surrounding the reserve was ceded to the United States by Fox and Sauk tribes as part of the Black Hawk Purchase.[3]