Bone Gap, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Bone Gap is a village in Edwards County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 272 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
.
An alternative story about the origin of Bone Gap's name involves a small band of Piankashaw Indians who established a village in a gap in the trees a short distance east of present day Bone Gap. Several years later early American settlers found a pile of bones discarded by the Indians near their encampment-hence the name Bone Gap as given to the white man's village established about the 1830s.
Early settlers in the area included the five Rude brothers who came from West Virginia in 1830. other families included the Morgans, Knowltons, Philips, Gibsons, and Rices. In 1835-36 Ebenezer Gould and Elizabeth Gould went west with their twin sons, Philander and Ansel. Due to several members of the farming community coming from Northeastern states, they were referred to as "Yankees," and the community was referred to as "Yankeetown."
Old Bone Gap, as it was usually called, was situated a little more than one-fourth mile east of the present village limits. It was never incorporated as a village and consisted of a store and post office, the office of Dr. Fildes, a blacksmith shop, a Baptist church, a Methodist parsonage, and a few log dwellings.
On March 9, 1892 a petition was circulated for an election to incorporate as a village. On March 29 of that year thirty-eight votes were cast for incorporation and seven against.
of 2000, there were 272 people, 99 households, and 80 families residing in the village. The population density
was 450.5 people per square mile (175.0/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 182.2 per square mile (70.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.26% White, 0.37% Native American and 0.37% Asian.
There were 99 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the village the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $27,813, and the median income for a family was $33,214. Males had a median income of $21,354 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $10,804. About 15.8% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 15.4% of those sixty five or over.
Edwards County, Illinois
Edwards County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 6,721, which is a decrease of 3.6% from 6,971 in 2000...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 272 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Bone Gap is located at 38°26′49"N 87°59′47"W (38.447053, -87.996288).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
History
French trappers knew this area before it was permanently settled. The French referred to this place as "Bon Pas," which translates literally to "good step," Kentuckians modified the name to "Bone Pass," as though it were a "pass" through a mountain range. This was then changed to "Bone Gap," as in the Cumberland GapCumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
.
An alternative story about the origin of Bone Gap's name involves a small band of Piankashaw Indians who established a village in a gap in the trees a short distance east of present day Bone Gap. Several years later early American settlers found a pile of bones discarded by the Indians near their encampment-hence the name Bone Gap as given to the white man's village established about the 1830s.
Early settlers in the area included the five Rude brothers who came from West Virginia in 1830. other families included the Morgans, Knowltons, Philips, Gibsons, and Rices. In 1835-36 Ebenezer Gould and Elizabeth Gould went west with their twin sons, Philander and Ansel. Due to several members of the farming community coming from Northeastern states, they were referred to as "Yankees," and the community was referred to as "Yankeetown."
Old Bone Gap, as it was usually called, was situated a little more than one-fourth mile east of the present village limits. It was never incorporated as a village and consisted of a store and post office, the office of Dr. Fildes, a blacksmith shop, a Baptist church, a Methodist parsonage, and a few log dwellings.
On March 9, 1892 a petition was circulated for an election to incorporate as a village. On March 29 of that year thirty-eight votes were cast for incorporation and seven against.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 272 people, 99 households, and 80 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 450.5 people per square mile (175.0/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 182.2 per square mile (70.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.26% White, 0.37% Native American and 0.37% Asian.
There were 99 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the village the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $27,813, and the median income for a family was $33,214. Males had a median income of $21,354 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $10,804. About 15.8% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 15.4% of those sixty five or over.