Mineral, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Mineral is a village in Bureau County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 237 at the 2010 census, down from 272 people at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa
–Streator
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
. Several mines
were open until ultimately strip mining became a prominent way to retrieve coal from the ground.
The population of the township of Mineral (so named because of its rich coal supply) became populated to the point of where it was officially organized in 1850. As the train tracks were laid north of the coal mining area, so brought the formation of the town of Mineral. The town of Mineral was platted in 1857 and soon developed several small stores and a population of 300 to 350 residents.
A school was erected in 1870 with the town's first graduating high school
class being the class of 1894 with three students earning their diplomas. The year 1907 brought the completion of the Hennepin Canal
to the north of Mineral. Unfortunately the canal's practical use was outdated by its completion due to the vast developments in the train industry. The Hennepin Canal continues to function as a great fishing and boating area.
In 1919 the Mineral School building was destroyed by fire. The school district was organized and determined to rebuild. In 1922 a new two-story brick school building was built on the northwest side of town. This school was built to handle grades 1 - 12 and included a gymnasium complete with a stage and balcony area. During this time Mineral continued to grow at a steady pace. Though the town's population is said to have never exceeded 350 people, the town was able to support several small businesses allowing the residents to have all they needed within walking distance of their homes. The creation of U.S. Route 6
which passed through Mineral was also a great asset to the town, bringing in visitors from all over the country.
Mineral enjoyed great successes through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, continuting to support its own school system and several small businesses including, at one time, three gas stations, three restaurant/taverns, an upholstery store, a motel, two grain elevators, two churches, a lumber yard, two grocery stores, a bank, a volunteer fire department, a library, a barbershop, a beauty shop, an ice cream parlor. and of course, its beloved Mineral High School.
In 1961 this rural "Andy Griffith" life style was shaken. The high school was closed due to a lack of sufficient enrollment. The Mineral School District agreed to an annexation effort into the Annawan School District
. The Mineral School building continued to serve as a grade school for the Annawan School District until 1974 when its services as a school were ceased for good.
The creation of I-80
north of Mineral was the second devastating blow to the growth of Mineral in the 1960s. All foreign traffic that previously traveled through town by the hundreds of cars a day, now took the quicker, more efficient route of I-80. One by one the businesses closed in this once bustling community.
Today Mineral still supports a grain elevator, a restaurant/tavern, a library, a new post office, a Methodist Church, a volunteer Fire Department, and a trucking business. The old school building has been razed. A new ethanol plant is being built just two miles west of town and is bringing hope for a resurgence in population for the area.
of 2000, there were 272 people, 109 households, and 79 families residing in the village. The population density
was 883.4 people per square mile (338.8/km²). There were 120 housing units at an average density of 389.7 per square mile (149.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.16% White, 0.74% African American, 1.10% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 109 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples
living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,000, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $16,375 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $23,017. About 4.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.2% of those sixty five or over.
Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,978, which is a decrease of 1.5% from 35,503 in 2000. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, 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 237 at the 2010 census, down from 272 people at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
–Streator
Streator, Illinois
Streator is a city in LaSalle and partially in Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately southwest of Chicago, Illinois in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. It is the center of the geographic region known as...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Mineral is located at 41°22′55"N 89°50′12"W (41.381921, -89.836576).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 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
History
The area in which Mineral is located was first settled in the early 1830s. The land just south of the current village was found to be ripe with coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
. Several mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
were open until ultimately strip mining became a prominent way to retrieve coal from the ground.
The population of the township of Mineral (so named because of its rich coal supply) became populated to the point of where it was officially organized in 1850. As the train tracks were laid north of the coal mining area, so brought the formation of the town of Mineral. The town of Mineral was platted in 1857 and soon developed several small stores and a population of 300 to 350 residents.
A school was erected in 1870 with the town's first graduating high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
class being the class of 1894 with three students earning their diplomas. The year 1907 brought the completion of the Hennepin Canal
Hennepin Canal
The Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, also just called the Hennepin Canal, is an abandoned waterway in northwest Illinois, between the Mississippi River at Rock Island and the Illinois River near Hennepin. The entire canal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Opened in 1907, the...
to the north of Mineral. Unfortunately the canal's practical use was outdated by its completion due to the vast developments in the train industry. The Hennepin Canal continues to function as a great fishing and boating area.
In 1919 the Mineral School building was destroyed by fire. The school district was organized and determined to rebuild. In 1922 a new two-story brick school building was built on the northwest side of town. This school was built to handle grades 1 - 12 and included a gymnasium complete with a stage and balcony area. During this time Mineral continued to grow at a steady pace. Though the town's population is said to have never exceeded 350 people, the town was able to support several small businesses allowing the residents to have all they needed within walking distance of their homes. The creation of U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
which passed through Mineral was also a great asset to the town, bringing in visitors from all over the country.
Mineral enjoyed great successes through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, continuting to support its own school system and several small businesses including, at one time, three gas stations, three restaurant/taverns, an upholstery store, a motel, two grain elevators, two churches, a lumber yard, two grocery stores, a bank, a volunteer fire department, a library, a barbershop, a beauty shop, an ice cream parlor. and of course, its beloved Mineral High School.
In 1961 this rural "Andy Griffith" life style was shaken. The high school was closed due to a lack of sufficient enrollment. The Mineral School District agreed to an annexation effort into the Annawan School District
Annawan School District
- Annawan Grade School :The Annawan Grade School was built in 1974 west of the Annawan High School . It serves over 230 students from Annawan, Hooppole, and Mineral....
. The Mineral School building continued to serve as a grade school for the Annawan School District until 1974 when its services as a school were ceased for good.
The creation of I-80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
north of Mineral was the second devastating blow to the growth of Mineral in the 1960s. All foreign traffic that previously traveled through town by the hundreds of cars a day, now took the quicker, more efficient route of I-80. One by one the businesses closed in this once bustling community.
Today Mineral still supports a grain elevator, a restaurant/tavern, a library, a new post office, a Methodist Church, a volunteer Fire Department, and a trucking business. The old school building has been razed. A new ethanol plant is being built just two miles west of town and is bringing hope for a resurgence in population for the area.
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, 109 households, and 79 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 883.4 people per square mile (338.8/km²). There were 120 housing units at an average density of 389.7 per square mile (149.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.16% White, 0.74% African American, 1.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 109 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% 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, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,000, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $16,375 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 $23,017. About 4.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.2% of those sixty five or over.
External links
- History of Mineral
- http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com for photos and history of Mineral High School