Lee County, Iowa
| Lee County, Iowa | |
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Courthouse located in Fort Madison
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 Location in the U.S. state of Iowa |
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 Iowa's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1836 |
| Seat | Fort Madison and Keokuk |
| Largest city | Fort Madison |
| Area | |
| • Total | 539 sq mi (1,396 km2) |
| • Land | 518 sq mi (1,342 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (54 km2), 4.0% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 35,862 |
| • Density | 69/sq mi (27/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Lee County, Iowa, was established in 1836. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,862. It has two county seats — Fort Madison and Keokuk. Lee County is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Fort Madison dates to the War of 1812. Lee County was the location of the Half-Breed Tract, established by treaty in 1824. Allocations of land were made to American Indian descendants of European fathers and Indian mothers at this tract. Originally the land was to be held in common. Some who had an allocation lived in cities, where they hoped to make better livings.
Lee County as a named entity was formed on December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of Wisconsin Territory. It would become a part of Iowa Territory when it was formed on July 4, 1838. Large-scale European-American settlement in the area began in 1839, after Congress allowed owners to sell land individually. Members of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) fled persecutions in Missouri to settle in Illinois and Iowa. Nauvoo, across the border in Hancock County, Illinois, became the main center of Latter-day Saints settlement, but there was also a Latter Day Saints stake organized in Lee County under the direction of John Smith, the uncle of Joseph Smith, land that was sold to them by Isaac Galland in 1839.
Lee has two county seats — Fort Madison and Keokuk. The latter was established in 1847 when disagreements led to a second court jurisdiction.
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Wikipedia