Osceola, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Osceola is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 835 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of St. Clair County.
, the land that became the town of Osceola was inhabitied by the tribe of native Americans
who gave the river its name. Two treaties, in 1808 and 1825, signed by the Osage and the U.S. government gave up all the tribes land in Missouri. With the way cleared for settlment, more people began to arrive in the St. Clair County area in the mid-1830s. The first home was built in the future Osceola in the winter of 1835.
The town was the site of the September 1861 Sacking of Osceola
by Jayhawkers in which the town was burned and its courthouse looted. The event inspired the 1976 Clint Eastwood
film The Outlaw Josey Wales
. Prior to the attack the town had a population of around 2,500. However less than 200 residents remained after the event and the population has never again approached those numbers. In September, 2011 lingering bad feelings over the raid and the sesquicentennial of the event prompted the Osceola Board of Aldermen to pass a resolution asking the University of Kansas
to no longer use "Jayhawk" as their mascot and nickname. Further, the resolution asks Missouri residents to stop spelling Kansas or KU with a capital letter because "neither is a proper name or a proper place".
, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.5 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.11%) is water.
of 2000, there were 835 people, 373 households, and 207 families residing in the city. The population density
was 896.1 people per square mile (346.7/km²). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 506.5 per square mile (196.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.37% White, 0.36% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 373 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,563, and the median income for a family was $27,250. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $15,750 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,247. About 13.5% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
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 835 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of St. Clair County.
History
Located on the Osage RiverOsage River
The Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of . The watershed includes an area of east-central Kansas and a large portion of west-central and central...
, the land that became the town of Osceola was inhabitied by the tribe of native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who gave the river its name. Two treaties, in 1808 and 1825, signed by the Osage and the U.S. government gave up all the tribes land in Missouri. With the way cleared for settlment, more people began to arrive in the St. Clair County area in the mid-1830s. The first home was built in the future Osceola in the winter of 1835.
The town was the site of the September 1861 Sacking of Osceola
Sacking of Osceola
The Sacking of Osceola was a Union Jayhawker initiative on September 23, 1861, to push out pro-Southern elements at Osceola, Missouri. It was not authorized by Union military authorities but was the work of an informal group of Kansas pro-Union "Jayhawkers"...
by Jayhawkers in which the town was burned and its courthouse looted. The event inspired the 1976 Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
film The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
. Prior to the attack the town had a population of around 2,500. However less than 200 residents remained after the event and the population has never again approached those numbers. In September, 2011 lingering bad feelings over the raid and the sesquicentennial of the event prompted the Osceola Board of Aldermen to pass a resolution asking the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
to no longer use "Jayhawk" as their mascot and nickname. Further, the resolution asks Missouri residents to stop spelling Kansas or KU with a capital letter because "neither is a proper name or a proper place".
Geography
Osceola is located at 38°2′47"N 93°41′58"W (38.046427, -93.699512). According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 0.9 square miles (2.5 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.11%) is water.
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 835 people, 373 households, and 207 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 896.1 people per square mile (346.7/km²). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 506.5 per square mile (196.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.37% White, 0.36% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.48% 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...
, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 373 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,563, and the median income for a family was $27,250. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $15,750 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 $17,247. About 13.5% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Waldo P. JohnsonWaldo P. JohnsonWaldo Porter Johnson was a United States Senator from Missouri, and later a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War....
, United States Senator - Karolyn GrimesKarolyn GrimesKarolyn Grimes is an American actress known for her role as "Zuzu Bailey" in the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life. She also played "Debbie" in the 1947 Christmas film, The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young.Grimes was born in Hollywood, California...
, child actress
Fictional residents
- Osceola, Missouri is the birthplace of Rooster Cogburn in Charles Portis' 1968 novel "True Grit" The pillaging of Osceola by Kansas jayhawkers and Red Legs is thought to have provided Cogburn's motive for taking part with Quantrill’s Raiders in the infamous sack of Lawrence, Kansas which serves as a biographical background to the story.
External links
- Historic maps of Osceola in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...