History

The 'Leary' excavation is the main 'Oneota'-(oh-oh-nee-tah) reference to the Missouri River. The Oneota were a 'Mississippi' equal culture that flourished from 1000 to 1650 AD. Oneota are the ancestors of Siouane-speaking tribes. The site is located near present Rulo. Around 1640, the area around the later Rulo is the property of the Omaha tribe.

E. H. Johnson, residing at Rulo, was the first practical surveyor and engineer who came to the County. In the fall of 1856, Mr. Johnson surveyed the townsite of Rulo (named from Charles Rouleau, one of its proprietors) for Charles Martin, Charles Rouleau, Wm. Kencelear and Eli Bedard, proprietors of the town. The current village of Rulo was mapped in 1856 during the implementation of the "Prairie du Chien treaty" (1830) and was created in 1857 on prairie owned by Amelia (Emilie) Menard, wife of Charles Rouleau (old Charley Rulo ). Amelia was a Yankton Sioux and probably born on March 7, 1834. Charles Rouleau was born in Detroit in 1824 and he died on June 29, 1873 in Rulo. He was buried in the cemetery of Rulo, but there is no tombstone. On January 8, 1858 Rulo got the status of village, on November 1, 1858 it became a city. The first name of the village was Rouleau, but by pronouncing the name by the many nationalities in the village, the phonetic pronunciation "Rulo" is now commonplace. In 1859 the territory was finally extended with the country owned by mrs. Sophie Menard, sister of mrs. Rouleau. Sophie Menard was married to Eli Bedard, born in Quebec in 1825: he also played an important role in the founding of the village.
Rulo was a stop during the period of expansion to the west. In 1885 building started on a bridge across the Missouri River, CBQ (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad) was the building company. During the years it took to complete the project, the population in Rulo was as high as 1,800. When the bridge opened October 2, 1887, it put Rulo on a "main line railroad," which continued to improve the economy of the town.

The first store was owned by Martin Berry & Gold. Later on came Easley & Sherer. The first village blacksmith was Joseph Brazo.

The first saw mill run by water power was built in 1856, by Chas. Rouleau, Wm. Kencelear, E. Bedard, E. H. Johnson, E. Plant, and others, at the mouth of Muddy Creek where Thacker & Jones' grist mill now stands. The first steam saw mill run in the County was put up at Rulo, in the Spring of 1858, by Israel May.

By issuing government bonds a school was founded in 1860. In 1861 a public school was opened. Teacher was T.V. Thomas. In 1867 there was already a larger school needed, again after the issuance of private bonds it was built. The teacher of the new school was L. Messler. He had two female assistants.

The first newspaper that appeared in 1858 in Richardson County was the "Western Rulo Guide". Owner was "A.D. Kirk & Co ". In 1878 the "Rulo Independent " appeared. This newspaper was particularly aimed at the southeast side of the county, but because of lack of subscribers, not long sustained.

The first church was founded in 1864 under the name "First Methodist Episcopal Church, north". The pastor was called P.B. Ruch. It took until 1877 for the church building arose. later there followed a "Sabbath School" (1865), a "First baptist church" (1866), an 'St. Peter's Episcopal Church "(1867), a "Church of the Immaculate Conception"(1870) and First Methodist Episcopal Church" (1872),

In 1933 the foundation for "the Rulo Bridge" was laid, a toll bridge across the Missouri River. The owner of the bridge was originally John Mullen from "Falls City", together with a group of investors, the "Kansas City Bridge Company". In 1938 the construction started after the "Works Progress Administration" had decided to finance half the cost. In November 1939 the construction of the bridge was finished.
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Trivia

Yankton Convention 1858 Article # 7: "Because of their generosity and services to the Yanctons, a piece of land is granted to Charles F. picot and Zephyr Rencontre, a section of 640 acres each, and to Paul Dorian half section, and the half-breed Yancton, wife of Charles Rouleau, and her two sisters, the wives of Eli Bedard and August Traverse ".

Three children of Amelia Menard Rulo say a half-breed Yancton Amelia is the daughter of 'Mele' and 'Big Foot', a Sioux Indian.

Jesse James Jr. in a book about his father, said Jesse’s mother, Zerelda Samuels, and her husband moved from Clay County Missouri, to Rulo, Nebraska during the Civil War because she was a Southern sympathizer and was being harassed by Northerners. Jesse James Sr., who was wounded during the Civil War, on the 15th of July 1865 came up the Missouri River on a steamboat to Rulo to recuperate from his wounds, the book said. Jesse’s stepfather was a physician.
In late 1881, weary from hiding, Jesse, living under the name Thomas Howard, talked of ending his outlaw ways and settling down to farm in Nebraska.

Rulo City Marshal Alphonso J. Wake was shot and killed at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 27, 1900, by a subject he
had escorted from a bar in town. Marshal Wake had gone to Kanaly's Saloon and encountered several men causing a
disturbance. When Marshal Wake instructed the men to calm down, one of them refused and threatened the lawman. Marshal Wake
escorted the man outside and was talking to him when the man suddenly pulled a hidden gun and fired. Wake collapsed and
died. The suspect escaped but later returned and was captured. Marshal Wake was 55 years old and survived by his wife and seven children.

Michael W. Ryan (born August 3, 1948) is an American cult leader and murderer. Ryan was the leader of a small, racially biased and anti-government destructive religious sect in a camp near Rulo, Nebraska, in the early 1980s. Ryan and his group of followers had loose ties to "Posse Comitatus", and links to the "Christian Identity movement. Ryan's theory was the supremacy of the white race, the inherent evil of Jews (antisemitism) and a distrust for all established earthly authorities and governments. Ryan and his followers committed nighttime burglaries. Through the resale of the products obtained by theft, they supported the activities of the group and collected weapons and supplies. they believed that it would be necessary for the imminent "battle of Armageddon". Ryan was arrested in 1982 after reports and a criminal investigation revealed that he had abused and killed 5 years old Luke Stice. He later tortured and killed fellow cult member James Thimm. Ryan was tried and sentenced to death on September 12, 1985. Ryan says he's in direct contact with God and has vowed to spend his days in jail rewriting the Bible. The last of Ryan's appeals was exhausted in 2006 and he continues to reside in the "Nebraska Department of Correctional Services" on death row, awaiting his execution.

Geography

Rulo is located at 40°3′7"N 95°25′49"W (40.052029, -95.430239).

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).0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it is land. None of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

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 226 people, 97 households, and 62 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 359.9 people per square mile (138.5/km²). There were 132 housing units at an average density of 210.2 per square mile (80.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 75.66% White, 23.45% Native American, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. In 2006 the population by the United States Census Bureau estimated at 197 [2], a decrease of 29 (-12.8%). The average age was 39.2 years in 2010.

There were 97 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% 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, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,719, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $20,357 versus $17,292 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 $11,971. About 20.0% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.4% of those sixty five or over.