Dalton, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Dalton is a village in Chariton County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 27 at the 2000 census
, at which time it was a town.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
More than sixty years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the area—after the end of the Civil War—the town of Dalton was born when the railroad created a need for it. The town was named for William Dalton who had donated the 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) and a railroad depot was built for the St. Louis & Pacific line. [note: William Dalton was believed to be the grandfather of Missouri's sitting governor at the time the town was named, but the contributor has not yet found sources to support that claim.]
Dalton is perhaps best known as the site of the Dalton Vocational School, originally the Barlett Agricultural and Industrial School, also referred to as the "Tuskegee of the Midwest" or "Missouri Tuskegee". It was founded in 1907 by Nathaniel Bruce, a student and disciple of Booker T. Washington. The first permanent building was erected in 1909 after flooding forced a move to higher ground. In 1923, the school received funds from the state legislature to construct a model farm home, trade shop, and hog and poultry houses. Eventually the campus would expand to 123 acre (0.49776378 km²). Bruce shared Washington's view that a practical education for African American youth was best. The emphasis was on vocational and agricultural training. African American students from a relatively wide geographical area were bussed to Dalton where they studied agriculture, industrial arts, and home economics.
The demonstration farm and school came under the supervision of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture in 1924. Eventually Lincoln University, a then all-Negro college in Jefferson City, took control of the school. The Supreme Court's 1954 ruling that schools were to be integrated forced the closing of Dalton Vocational School; the last school year was 1955–1956. Buildings and property were later sold at auction. The campus has sat empty since that time and all but two of the buildings are gone.
Large portions of the 1973 Tom Sawyer film was filmed at the Dalton Cut-Off, especially footage that featured shots of Tom and Huck's adventures on Missouri River.
In 1979 Dalton resident Rod Skillman was a walk-on to the University of Missouri Football Team (DT) and later played professionally for the New Jersey Generals ('83–'84) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats ('84–'92).
As for the town of Dalton today, the decline of the rural economy and flooding have taken their toll. The 1993 flood reduced Dalton to a grain elevator, a post office, 2 churches, a community center and a few houses. But the small community still celebrates its heritage with the annual Dalton Days festival.
Today the Dalton Cut-Off is part of what waterfowl enthusiasts call the "Golden Triangle" because it winters an exceptionally large number of birds.
of 2000, there were 27 people, 12 households, and 9 families residing in the town. The population density
was 152.5 people per square mile (57.9/km²). There were 24 housing units at an average density of 135.6 per square mile (51.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.56% White and 44.44% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.11% of the population.
There were 12 households out of which 16.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples
living together, 33.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 58.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 46.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $0 versus $11,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,492. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
Chariton County, Missouri
Chariton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 8,438. Its county seat is Keytesville. The county was organized in 1820 from part of Howard County and was named from the Chariton River.-History:...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 27 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, at which time it was a town.
Geography
Dalton is located at 39°23′50"N 92°59′28"W (39.397130, -92.991248).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 town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
History of Dalton
Lewis and Clark made camp at what would later be known as the Cut-Off on June 12, 1804, and it was here that the expedition met with Pierre Dorion, a man who had reportedly been with the Sioux for 20 years and was thought to have some influence upon them. The Lewis and Clark journal entry describes the Dalton Cut-Off as connected to the Missouri River by a creek.More than sixty years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the area—after the end of the Civil War—the town of Dalton was born when the railroad created a need for it. The town was named for William Dalton who had donated the 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) and a railroad depot was built for the St. Louis & Pacific line. [note: William Dalton was believed to be the grandfather of Missouri's sitting governor at the time the town was named, but the contributor has not yet found sources to support that claim.]
Dalton is perhaps best known as the site of the Dalton Vocational School, originally the Barlett Agricultural and Industrial School, also referred to as the "Tuskegee of the Midwest" or "Missouri Tuskegee". It was founded in 1907 by Nathaniel Bruce, a student and disciple of Booker T. Washington. The first permanent building was erected in 1909 after flooding forced a move to higher ground. In 1923, the school received funds from the state legislature to construct a model farm home, trade shop, and hog and poultry houses. Eventually the campus would expand to 123 acre (0.49776378 km²). Bruce shared Washington's view that a practical education for African American youth was best. The emphasis was on vocational and agricultural training. African American students from a relatively wide geographical area were bussed to Dalton where they studied agriculture, industrial arts, and home economics.
The demonstration farm and school came under the supervision of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture in 1924. Eventually Lincoln University, a then all-Negro college in Jefferson City, took control of the school. The Supreme Court's 1954 ruling that schools were to be integrated forced the closing of Dalton Vocational School; the last school year was 1955–1956. Buildings and property were later sold at auction. The campus has sat empty since that time and all but two of the buildings are gone.
Large portions of the 1973 Tom Sawyer film was filmed at the Dalton Cut-Off, especially footage that featured shots of Tom and Huck's adventures on Missouri River.
In 1979 Dalton resident Rod Skillman was a walk-on to the University of Missouri Football Team (DT) and later played professionally for the New Jersey Generals ('83–'84) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats ('84–'92).
As for the town of Dalton today, the decline of the rural economy and flooding have taken their toll. The 1993 flood reduced Dalton to a grain elevator, a post office, 2 churches, a community center and a few houses. But the small community still celebrates its heritage with the annual Dalton Days festival.
Today the Dalton Cut-Off is part of what waterfowl enthusiasts call the "Golden Triangle" because it winters an exceptionally large number of birds.
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 27 people, 12 households, and 9 families residing in the town. 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 152.5 people per square mile (57.9/km²). There were 24 housing units at an average density of 135.6 per square mile (51.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.56% White and 44.44% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.11% of the population.
There were 12 households out of which 16.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% 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, 33.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 58.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 46.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $0 versus $11,250 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 town was $19,492. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.