Roca, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Roca is a village in Lancaster County
, Nebraska
, United States
. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The population was 220 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 220 people, 80 households, and 61 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,580.4 people per square mile (606.7/km²). There were 86 housing units at an average density of 617.8 per square mile (237.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.64% White, 0.45% Native American, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 80 households out of which 50.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the village the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 39.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $47,083, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,224. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the poverty line.
In 1857 John and Margaret Prey, adult sons, John W., Thomas, and William, and teenage children, David and Rebecca, came from Wisconsin to preempt land near the proposed town called "Olathe." There were high hopes for the future of the area, which was designated as "Clay County." However, not many people ventured this far onto the prairie. While there were no major confrontations with Indians, there were several scares, which caused some settlers to leave and not return. Indians took Rebecca Prey, but they released her when her father and brothers appeared.
In 1861 Delos and Frances Mills settled one-half mile west of Salt Creek. They built a small stone house, using limestone from a ledge that protruded from the ground. This was the beginning of the quarries that became a primary business. The following year Mills' mother, Orra Boydston, and her sister, Esther Warner arrived. Both widows, they filed on adjoining homesteads near Mills' cabin.
There was a "political altercation" in 1863, at which time Clay County was dissolved and the land divided between Gage and Lancaster counties. The Prey family and John Haskins were the only original settlers who remained at this location. In 1864 Elmore Keys arrived and bought Prey's cabin for $20. He moved it, log by log, to a site on the east side of the creek and later added a small stone lean-to.
In 1867 a committee was commissioned to find a location for the state's capital city. A site near the rock quarries on the Mills farm was suggested because of the availability of good building materials. However, the town of Lancaster was chosen instead. When work was started on the statehouse in 1868, rock from the quarry was said to be "unsatisfactory for building."
The quarry men built a school in 1869 near the Warner farm. When the Atchinson & Nebraska Railroad built its line to Lincoln in 1871, it came right through the area. The siding and station established at that time needed a name. Haskel Warner, who had worked with a survey crew in the New Mexico Territory, suggested "Roca," which is Spanish for rock.
Elmore Keys and John Meyer donated the land, and a town site was platted. The big stone house that Keys built on top of the hill east of the town at that time is still a fine home today. The town immediately started to grow, and 1876 incorporated it.
Keys & Bullock opened a new quarry on the south side of Roca in 1875, and later called it the Blue Stone quarry. Rock from these quarries was used in the construction of many buildings in Lincoln, out-state, and beyond. There was active quarrying in the area for over 100 years, both by the county and by private owners. In 1879 the number of students had grown so that another schoolhouse was needed. That one also was quickly outgrown, so a larger wooden building was erected. By 1882 there were 280 students and businesses included a motel, a mill, a hardware store, a lumberyard, and a few other shops. Main Street faced Salt Creek on the West Side of town, with the Railroad depot across the street.
Fires destroyed several businesses in 1891, the mill in about 1900, and the hotel in 1910. By then the quarries were not as productive. Businesses, once displaced, did not rebuild. In 1933 a large brick schoolhouse was built, which served the community until 1964 when a Consolidation effort formed the Norris School District
with a building south of Hickman
.
A Methodist Church formed in 1876 was built by quarry men, and enlarged in 1925. That evidence burned in an early morning fire in 1969. A new church was built which was a small but active congregation. A small Lutheran church located near the school was active until 1916 when it disbanded. The original cemetery was one mile north of town on a sand hill. In 1876 the present cemetery was established on land donated by the Keys family, an enlargement of their family burial grounds. The "old stone store" was built from quarry rock as a blacksmith shop in1879. It has been a lodge, community hall, and a grocery store, with an apartment upstairs.
Lancaster County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 250,291 people, 99,187 households, and 60,702 families residing in the county. The population density was 298 people per square mile . There were 104,217 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lincoln metropolitan area
The Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Nebraska, anchored by the city of Lincoln...
. The population was 220 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Roca is located at 40°39′26"N 96°39′38"W (40.657101, -96.660619).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 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), all of it land.
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 220 people, 80 households, and 61 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 1,580.4 people per square mile (606.7/km²). There were 86 housing units at an average density of 617.8 per square mile (237.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.64% White, 0.45% Native American, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 80 households out of which 50.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the village the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 39.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $47,083, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,500 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 $19,224. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the poverty line.
History
The population of Roca in 1890 was 190, the highest it has been before the present day. The post office was established September 22, 1894. When the town was platted in 1876, the citizens wished to choose a name, which would suggest the chief industry in the area, stone quarrying. Roca is the Spanish word for stone.In 1857 John and Margaret Prey, adult sons, John W., Thomas, and William, and teenage children, David and Rebecca, came from Wisconsin to preempt land near the proposed town called "Olathe." There were high hopes for the future of the area, which was designated as "Clay County." However, not many people ventured this far onto the prairie. While there were no major confrontations with Indians, there were several scares, which caused some settlers to leave and not return. Indians took Rebecca Prey, but they released her when her father and brothers appeared.
In 1861 Delos and Frances Mills settled one-half mile west of Salt Creek. They built a small stone house, using limestone from a ledge that protruded from the ground. This was the beginning of the quarries that became a primary business. The following year Mills' mother, Orra Boydston, and her sister, Esther Warner arrived. Both widows, they filed on adjoining homesteads near Mills' cabin.
There was a "political altercation" in 1863, at which time Clay County was dissolved and the land divided between Gage and Lancaster counties. The Prey family and John Haskins were the only original settlers who remained at this location. In 1864 Elmore Keys arrived and bought Prey's cabin for $20. He moved it, log by log, to a site on the east side of the creek and later added a small stone lean-to.
In 1867 a committee was commissioned to find a location for the state's capital city. A site near the rock quarries on the Mills farm was suggested because of the availability of good building materials. However, the town of Lancaster was chosen instead. When work was started on the statehouse in 1868, rock from the quarry was said to be "unsatisfactory for building."
The quarry men built a school in 1869 near the Warner farm. When the Atchinson & Nebraska Railroad built its line to Lincoln in 1871, it came right through the area. The siding and station established at that time needed a name. Haskel Warner, who had worked with a survey crew in the New Mexico Territory, suggested "Roca," which is Spanish for rock.
Elmore Keys and John Meyer donated the land, and a town site was platted. The big stone house that Keys built on top of the hill east of the town at that time is still a fine home today. The town immediately started to grow, and 1876 incorporated it.
Keys & Bullock opened a new quarry on the south side of Roca in 1875, and later called it the Blue Stone quarry. Rock from these quarries was used in the construction of many buildings in Lincoln, out-state, and beyond. There was active quarrying in the area for over 100 years, both by the county and by private owners. In 1879 the number of students had grown so that another schoolhouse was needed. That one also was quickly outgrown, so a larger wooden building was erected. By 1882 there were 280 students and businesses included a motel, a mill, a hardware store, a lumberyard, and a few other shops. Main Street faced Salt Creek on the West Side of town, with the Railroad depot across the street.
Fires destroyed several businesses in 1891, the mill in about 1900, and the hotel in 1910. By then the quarries were not as productive. Businesses, once displaced, did not rebuild. In 1933 a large brick schoolhouse was built, which served the community until 1964 when a Consolidation effort formed the Norris School District
Norris School District 160
School District #160 is a consolidated public school district located predominantly in Lancaster County but also extending into Gage County. It serves a number of small communities including Roca, Hickman, Firth, Cortland, Panama, Princeton, Holland, Cheney, and Rokeby...
with a building south of Hickman
Hickman, Nebraska
Hickman is a city in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,084 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hickman is located at ....
.
A Methodist Church formed in 1876 was built by quarry men, and enlarged in 1925. That evidence burned in an early morning fire in 1969. A new church was built which was a small but active congregation. A small Lutheran church located near the school was active until 1916 when it disbanded. The original cemetery was one mile north of town on a sand hill. In 1876 the present cemetery was established on land donated by the Keys family, an enlargement of their family burial grounds. The "old stone store" was built from quarry rock as a blacksmith shop in1879. It has been a lodge, community hall, and a grocery store, with an apartment upstairs.