Illinois Bend, Texas
Encyclopedia
Illinois Bend is an unincorporated communities
on Farm to Market Road 677
twenty miles northeast of Montague
in the extreme northeastern corner of Montague County
, Texas
, United States
. The community, which initially was called Wardville, after local landowner C. M. Ward, was settled in 1862 by a small group of families who moved to Texas from Illinois
. The name was changed to Illinois Bend in 1877, when a post office was located there.
Early settlers were plagued by their proximity to Oklahoma Territory
or Indian Territory
and the marauding Native Americans that often descended upon north central Texas to raid white settlements.
In 1885 the settlement had a population of 300, two gristmills, a number of cotton gins, a school, and several churches. By 1910 the town had been bypassed by rail lines, and its population had fallen to 112. The population was sixty-eight by the late 1940s, when one business operated there. The community's post office closed sometime after 1930. By the late 1960s, when the last population figures were reported for the community, only fifty-one persons lived in Illinois Bend.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on Farm to Market Road 677
Farm to Market Road 677
Farm to Market Road 677 is a farm to market road in Montague County, Texas.-Route description:FM 677 is one of the longest farm to market roads in Montague County, and is a two-lane route for its entire length. It begins in Forestburg at a junction with . It travels northward through the rural...
twenty miles northeast of Montague
Montague, Texas
Montague is an unincorporated community in Montague County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Montague County and had an estimated population of 400 in 2000, according to the Handbook of Texas.-Geography:...
in the extreme northeastern corner of Montague County
Montague County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,117 people, 7,770 households, and 5,485 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 9,862 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The community, which initially was called Wardville, after local landowner C. M. Ward, was settled in 1862 by a small group of families who moved to Texas from 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,...
. The name was changed to Illinois Bend in 1877, when a post office was located there.
Early settlers were plagued by their proximity to Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
or Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
and the marauding Native Americans that often descended upon north central Texas to raid white settlements.
In 1885 the settlement had a population of 300, two gristmills, a number of cotton gins, a school, and several churches. By 1910 the town had been bypassed by rail lines, and its population had fallen to 112. The population was sixty-eight by the late 1940s, when one business operated there. The community's post office closed sometime after 1930. By the late 1960s, when the last population figures were reported for the community, only fifty-one persons lived in Illinois Bend.