Fort Madison, city (2020 pop. 10,270), seat of Lee co., SE Iowa, on the Mississippi River; inc. 1838. Fort Madison, a U.S. trading post, was established in 1808 as the first fort west of the Mississippi; it was named for James Madison, then President. The city is a river port for barge traffic as well as a rail, commercial, and industrial center with a wide variety of light manufactures. Iowa State Penitentiary (1839) and Lee County Courthouse (1841) are in Fort Madison.
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