Wood River, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Wood River is a city in Madison County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 11,296 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.33%) is water.
Wood River is located on the Mississippi River
approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) upstream of downtown St. Louis, Missouri
among several coterminus cities and villages that have come to be known as the "Riverbend" area. The current confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers is just south of one of these neighboring villages, Hartford
. Other cities making up the "Riverbend" include Alton
, East Alton
, Godfrey
, Roxana
and Bethalto
.
of 1803–04. Meriwether Lewis
declared the mouth of the Dubois River to be the expedition's official point of departure. The Dubois River is today known as the Wood River
—or to locals as "Wood River Creek". Their winter camp at Camp Dubois
is now the site of the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
, just off Illinois Route 3 near Hartford
.
Many local businesses, schools, streets and bridges still bear the names Lewis, Clark or both. Wood River has a Lewis & Clark School, neighboring Roxana
has a Clark Street, Wood River has a Lewis Street, and the bridge over the Mississippi River
at Alton
is the Clark Bridge
. Going further west from the Clark Bridge
on U.S. Route 67
, a traveler will then cross the Missouri River
on the Lewis Bridge.
A century after Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery left the area, what is now Wood River was largely empty save for a few farmhouses and railroad tracks. That all changed in 1907, when Standard Oil
came to town, building and opening a refinery in 1908. Workers began to flood into the area to work at the refinery and in 1907, A. E. Benbow, a local entrepreneur, founded Benbow City, a wide open town of saloons, gambling and brothels. The City of Wood River was incorporated in 1908 and developed around Benbow City. Wood River and East Wood River merged in 1911 and annexed Benbow City in 1917.
In the 1920s, Wood River was one of the fastest growing communities in the country and had more workers than houses. To solve this problem Standard Oil bought and built many Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog homes which can still be seen throughout the community. At the time, Standard Oil employed nearly 90% of the city's workers. In 1925, East Alton Wood River Community High School opened.
The refinery closed in 1981, and the city has proposed to clean up the site and build an office park on the property. The site of the former refinery occupies roughly 20 percent of the city's land area.
In 1926, the city opened what was then the world's largest swimming pool. However over the years the age of the large swimming pool began to show. After serving the community for more than six decades, it was replaced by the Wood River Aquatic Center in the late 1980s. It can be found near East Alton Wood River Community High School. The Aquatic Center is a complete water recreation complex located at 670 Whitelaw Ave. The Aquatic Center Water Complex consists of: Twin four-story 320 feet (97.5 m) water slides that end in a four-foot-deep pool, a 50-meter lap pool, a separate diving well with one-meter and three-meter diving boards, a wading pool for small children, observation deck, men's and women's locker rooms and concession stand.
While Standard Oil no longer does business in Wood River, its legacy remains. The local high school, East Alton Wood River Community High School, is known as the East Alton Wood River Oilers.
A major employer in Wood River remains Olin Corporation in East Alton
, which is commonly referred to by locals as "the Western". This comes from one of Olin's predecessor companies, the Western Cartridge Company
.
Other parks include Brushey Grove Park, Central Park (home to the Aquatic Center and Roundhouse), East End Park, West End Park, the Emerick Sports Comlex (formerly known as Sixth Street Park) and the Wood River Soccer and Skate Park.
of 2000, there were 11,296 people, 4,725 households, and 2,995 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,865.2 people per square mile (719.7/km²). There were 5,001 housing units at an average density of 825.8 per square mile (318.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.57% White, 0.63% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.
There were 4,725 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples
living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,875, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $35,097 versus $24,522 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,098. About 13.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...
, 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 11,296 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Wood River is located at 38°51′47"N 90°5′19"W (38.863047, -90.088527).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 city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.33%) is water.
Wood River is located on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) upstream of downtown St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
among several coterminus cities and villages that have come to be known as the "Riverbend" area. The current confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers is just south of one of these neighboring villages, Hartford
Hartford, Illinois
Hartford is a village in Madison County, Illinois, near the mouth of the Missouri River. The population was 1,545 at the 2000 census. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-1804 here, near what has been designated the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site....
. Other cities making up the "Riverbend" include Alton
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
, East Alton
East Alton, Illinois
East Alton is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,830 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Alton is located at ....
, Godfrey
Godfrey, Illinois
Godfrey is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18000 at the 2010 census. Godfrey is located within the Greater St...
, Roxana
Roxana, Illinois
Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census. A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the Wood River Conoco-Phillips oil refinery; the refinery was built and originally owned by Shell Oil...
and Bethalto
Bethalto, Illinois
Bethalto is a village located in Madison County, Illinois, USA. Bethalto, like the rest of Madison County, is part of the Illinois Metro-East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area...
.
History
Wood River is most famous for its role as being near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionLewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
of 1803–04. Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
declared the mouth of the Dubois River to be the expedition's official point of departure. The Dubois River is today known as the Wood River
Wood River (Illinois)
Wood River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins near East Alton, Illinois, to the northeast of St. Louis, Missouri.The Wood River is formed by the confluence of its West and East forks. These come together near where they drop down from the Mississippi bluffs. The natural...
—or to locals as "Wood River Creek". Their winter camp at Camp Dubois
Camp Dubois
Camp Dubois, near present day Hartford, Illinois, served as the winter camp for the Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 12, 1803, to May 14, 1804.It was located on the east side of the Mississippi River so that it was still in United States territory...
is now the site of the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site opened in 2002 and is owned and operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The site, located in Hartford, Illinois, commemorates Camp River Dubois, the camp of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 1803 to May 1804...
, just off Illinois Route 3 near Hartford
Hartford, Illinois
Hartford is a village in Madison County, Illinois, near the mouth of the Missouri River. The population was 1,545 at the 2000 census. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-1804 here, near what has been designated the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site....
.
Many local businesses, schools, streets and bridges still bear the names Lewis, Clark or both. Wood River has a Lewis & Clark School, neighboring Roxana
Roxana, Illinois
Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census. A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the Wood River Conoco-Phillips oil refinery; the refinery was built and originally owned by Shell Oil...
has a Clark Street, Wood River has a Lewis Street, and the bridge over the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
at Alton
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
is the Clark Bridge
Clark Bridge
The Clark Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. Named after explorer William Clark like the bridge it replaced, the cable-stayed bridge opened in 1994. It carries U.S. Route 67 across the river...
. Going further west from the Clark Bridge
Clark Bridge
The Clark Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. Named after explorer William Clark like the bridge it replaced, the cable-stayed bridge opened in 1994. It carries U.S. Route 67 across the river...
on U.S. Route 67
U.S. Route 67
U.S. Route 67 is a 1,560 mile long north–south U.S. highway in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues south as Mexican Federal Highway 16 upon crossing the Rio Grande. The northern...
, a traveler will then cross the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
on the Lewis Bridge.
A century after Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery left the area, what is now Wood River was largely empty save for a few farmhouses and railroad tracks. That all changed in 1907, when Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
came to town, building and opening a refinery in 1908. Workers began to flood into the area to work at the refinery and in 1907, A. E. Benbow, a local entrepreneur, founded Benbow City, a wide open town of saloons, gambling and brothels. The City of Wood River was incorporated in 1908 and developed around Benbow City. Wood River and East Wood River merged in 1911 and annexed Benbow City in 1917.
In the 1920s, Wood River was one of the fastest growing communities in the country and had more workers than houses. To solve this problem Standard Oil bought and built many Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog homes which can still be seen throughout the community. At the time, Standard Oil employed nearly 90% of the city's workers. In 1925, East Alton Wood River Community High School opened.
The refinery closed in 1981, and the city has proposed to clean up the site and build an office park on the property. The site of the former refinery occupies roughly 20 percent of the city's land area.
In 1926, the city opened what was then the world's largest swimming pool. However over the years the age of the large swimming pool began to show. After serving the community for more than six decades, it was replaced by the Wood River Aquatic Center in the late 1980s. It can be found near East Alton Wood River Community High School. The Aquatic Center is a complete water recreation complex located at 670 Whitelaw Ave. The Aquatic Center Water Complex consists of: Twin four-story 320 feet (97.5 m) water slides that end in a four-foot-deep pool, a 50-meter lap pool, a separate diving well with one-meter and three-meter diving boards, a wading pool for small children, observation deck, men's and women's locker rooms and concession stand.
While Standard Oil no longer does business in Wood River, its legacy remains. The local high school, East Alton Wood River Community High School, is known as the East Alton Wood River Oilers.
A major employer in Wood River remains Olin Corporation in East Alton
East Alton, Illinois
East Alton is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,830 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Alton is located at ....
, which is commonly referred to by locals as "the Western". This comes from one of Olin's predecessor companies, the Western Cartridge Company
Western Cartridge Company
The Western Cartridge Company manufactures small arms and ammunitions. Founded in 1898, it was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation, formed in 1944, of which Western is still a subsidiary, and is based in East Alton, Illinois, USA...
.
Parks
Wood River provides seven major parks with over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of facilities. Belk Park consists of 234 acre (0.94696524 km²) and is the largest park in the City, located on Rock Hill Road at the eastern edge of the city. In addition to the 18-Hole Championship Golf Course, the present facilities include a lake with fishing, picnic areas, a ball field, children's playground equipment, shelters, woodland and open space. Belk Park Golf Course, is visited by more than 50,000 golfers each year and is recognized as one of the premier public courses in the Midwest.Other parks include Brushey Grove Park, Central Park (home to the Aquatic Center and Roundhouse), East End Park, West End Park, the Emerick Sports Comlex (formerly known as Sixth Street Park) and the Wood River Soccer and Skate Park.
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 11,296 people, 4,725 households, and 2,995 families residing in the city. 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 1,865.2 people per square mile (719.7/km²). There were 5,001 housing units at an average density of 825.8 per square mile (318.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.57% White, 0.63% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.
There were 4,725 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,875, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $35,097 versus $24,522 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 city was $18,098. About 13.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.