Churubusco, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Churubusco; often shortened to Busco ˈ), is a town located near the headwaters of the Eel River in the extreme northeast corner of Whitley County, Indiana
, United States
, in Smith Township
, about 16 miles (25.7 km) northwest of Fort Wayne
. The population was 1,796 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,666 people, 650 households, and 438 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,876.8 people per square mile (722.7/km²). There were 692 housing units at an average density of 779.5 per square mile (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.06% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races
, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 650 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples
living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,583, and the median income for a family was $49,279. Males had a median income of $34,844 versus $22,161 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,814. About 3.2% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Originally, the area of Churubusco was made up of two towns founded in the 19th century by European Americans: Union (in honor of the union victory of the Civil War) and Franklin (in honor of the founding father, Benjamin Franklin
) that bordered each other across a railroad track. In the 1840s, the populations of both Franklin and Union grew large enough to qualify each for a post office
. Before that time, residents of both towns had to trek 11 miles by foot or horse and buggy to nearby Columbia City
to get their mail. Since the towns were in the same location, the Postmaster General
ordered the towns to apply for a joint post office. The Postmaster General denied the use of either "Union" and "Franklin" as the new post office name, since both were already used by other Indiana towns.
After a community meeting, the residents selected Churubusco
for the new post office, named after the site of the 1847 Battle of Churubusco
, in Mexico
during the Mexican-American War. At the time, after the suggestion of local school teacher Eliza Rich, the townsfolk thought it was as patriotic a name as Union and Franklin, since the United States won a large victory there. More importantly, they were certain no other Indiana town would already have chosen such a unique name.
The name Churubusco is a Spanish corruption of an indigenous
Nahuatl
toponym (place name) referring to a temple area celebrating the Aztec
god Huitzilopochtli
. It is bordered by the Rio Churubusco in Mexico City
. The Spanish-Nahuatl word literally translates as "place of the hummingbirds.
-style government. The Churubusco Town Council is a three-member legislative group that serve four-year terms; each are elected town-wide as at-large council members. The council elects one member from among its body to act a president of the council. That president sets agendas during council meetings. The current council members were elected on November 6, 2007, and will serve until December 31, 2011:
Republican Gerri Johnson is Churubusco's town clerk.
rooted in the lore of the Beast of Busco
, a giant snapping turtle that reportedly haunted nearby Fulk's Lake in Allen County
. Many have tried to catch the monster turtle named Oscar but no successful attempt have ever been recorded. He has been thought to be the size of a small car. The lake he is rumored to hide in has been drained before but no evidence was found. A popular theory as to why this turtle is so elusive is because the lakes and ponds around Churubusco are connected thought an extensive series of channels and streams. Some of these are actually underground tunnels. Many local have claimed to see the beast but until evidence can be found Oscar will still be a mystery of Churubusco, Indiana.
There is a pond north of Churubusco that is in the shape of the Indiana University’s symbol. It is next to a major road down in a valley so passing cars can see it. Most of the time the moss and weeds are overgrown making it hard to see, but when it is all cleaned up it looks quite nice.
Churubusco has a famous restaurant, The Magic Wand. It is a family friendly diner that also has an outside ice-cream shop. Inside and outside the building is decorated with hundreds of clowns. One of the trash cans outside is a clown where you throw trash in his mouth.
, Middle School, and Elementary School together form the Smith-Green Community Schools
district which includes approximately 1,400 students.
Whitley County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,707 people, 11,711 households, and 8,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,545 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in Smith Township
Smith Township, Whitley County, Indiana
Smith Township is one of nine townships in Whitley County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 5,050.-Geography:Smith Township covers an area of ; of this, or 1.05 percent is water. Lakes in this township include Blue Lake, Devil Lake, Devils Lake and Little Lake...
, about 16 miles (25.7 km) northwest of Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The population was 1,796 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Churubusco is located at 41°13′53"N 85°19′10"W (41.231373, -85.319541).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 0.9 square miles (2.3 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 1,666 people, 650 households, and 438 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 1,876.8 people per square mile (722.7/km²). There were 692 housing units at an average density of 779.5 per square mile (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.06% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.12% 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 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 650 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% 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, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,583, and the median income for a family was $49,279. Males had a median income of $34,844 versus $22,161 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 $17,814. About 3.2% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
) that bordered each other across a railroad track. In the 1840s, the populations of both Franklin and Union grew large enough to qualify each for a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. Before that time, residents of both towns had to trek 11 miles by foot or horse and buggy to nearby Columbia City
Columbia City, Indiana
Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,750 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County.-Geography:Columbia City is located at...
to get their mail. Since the towns were in the same location, the Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
ordered the towns to apply for a joint post office. The Postmaster General denied the use of either "Union" and "Franklin" as the new post office name, since both were already used by other Indiana towns.
After a community meeting, the residents selected Churubusco
Churubusco
Churubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough of Coyoacán...
for the new post office, named after the site of the 1847 Battle of Churubusco
Battle of Churubusco
The Battle of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Contreras during the Mexican-American War. After defeating the Mexican army at Churubusco, the U.S. Army was only 5 miles away from Mexico City, the capital of the nation...
, in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
during the Mexican-American War. At the time, after the suggestion of local school teacher Eliza Rich, the townsfolk thought it was as patriotic a name as Union and Franklin, since the United States won a large victory there. More importantly, they were certain no other Indiana town would already have chosen such a unique name.
The name Churubusco is a Spanish corruption of an indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
toponym (place name) referring to a temple area celebrating the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
god Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
. It is bordered by the Rio Churubusco in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The Spanish-Nahuatl word literally translates as "place of the hummingbirds.
Law and government
Churubusco has an elected clerk and town councilTown council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
-style government. The Churubusco Town Council is a three-member legislative group that serve four-year terms; each are elected town-wide as at-large council members. The council elects one member from among its body to act a president of the council. That president sets agendas during council meetings. The current council members were elected on November 6, 2007, and will serve until December 31, 2011:
- Vivian Rosswurm, President, Democrat
- Frank A. Kessler, Democrat
- John Hart, Republican
Republican Gerri Johnson is Churubusco's town clerk.
Culture
The town has an annual festival called Turtle DaysBeast of Busco
The Beast of Busco is the subject of a legend in Churubusco, Indiana about an enormous snapping turtle named Oscar which citizens claimed to have seen in 1949...
rooted in the lore of the Beast of Busco
Beast of Busco
The Beast of Busco is the subject of a legend in Churubusco, Indiana about an enormous snapping turtle named Oscar which citizens claimed to have seen in 1949...
, a giant snapping turtle that reportedly haunted nearby Fulk's Lake in Allen County
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
. Many have tried to catch the monster turtle named Oscar but no successful attempt have ever been recorded. He has been thought to be the size of a small car. The lake he is rumored to hide in has been drained before but no evidence was found. A popular theory as to why this turtle is so elusive is because the lakes and ponds around Churubusco are connected thought an extensive series of channels and streams. Some of these are actually underground tunnels. Many local have claimed to see the beast but until evidence can be found Oscar will still be a mystery of Churubusco, Indiana.
There is a pond north of Churubusco that is in the shape of the Indiana University’s symbol. It is next to a major road down in a valley so passing cars can see it. Most of the time the moss and weeds are overgrown making it hard to see, but when it is all cleaned up it looks quite nice.
Churubusco has a famous restaurant, The Magic Wand. It is a family friendly diner that also has an outside ice-cream shop. Inside and outside the building is decorated with hundreds of clowns. One of the trash cans outside is a clown where you throw trash in his mouth.
Education
Churubusco High SchoolChurubusco High School
Churubusco High School in Churubusco, Indiana, USA, is a public high school of the Smith-Green Community Schools group.-Academics:The teacher to student ratio at CHS is 1:18, which is close to the state's public school average.-Sports:...
, Middle School, and Elementary School together form the Smith-Green Community Schools
Smith-Green Community Schools
Smith-Green Community Schools is a school district serving the town of Churubusco, Indiana, USA. The name derives from the townships it serves: Smith in Whitley County and Green in Noble County. It has some 1,400 students in total and includes three schools: Churubusco High, Middle and Elementary...
district which includes approximately 1,400 students.
Climate
Severe weather- On April 25, 1929 a tornado blew the roof off of a service stationFilling stationA filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
in the town.
Newspapers
Churbusco has had seven news sources in its history, five of which have ceased publication.- BuscoVoice.com - an online community news site - was launched in June, 2008 by two local business owners.
- Churubusco News, weekly tabloid newspaper, 1994–present
- Busco Paper, weekly newspaper, 1914–1936
- Daily Busconian, daily newspaper, 1910
- Churubusco Tri-County Truth, weekly tabloid newspaper, 1891–1990, originally published as the Saturday Truth
- Churubusco Sunday People, weekly newspaper, January 17 - May 27, 1886
- Churubusco Weekly Herald, weekly newspaper, 1881–1882
Radio
- WNHT-FMWNHT (FM)WNHT is an FM radio station licensed to Churubusco, Indiana but located in nearby Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 96.3 MHz. WNHT plays a mix of both Rhythmic Top 40 hits and old school.-History:...
96.3 MHz Radio formatRadio formatA radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
: Contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
/ Rhythmic
Notable natives
- Harry GandyHarry GandyHarry Luther Gandy was an American politician and former U.S. Representative from South Dakota.-Early life:He was born in Churubusco, Indiana, where he attended Smith Township public schools in Whitley County, Indiana...
, (1881–1957), former U.S. Representative from South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
(March 4, 1915 - March 3, 1921). - Craig W. HartmanCraig W. HartmanCraig W. Hartman, FAIA is an architect and the Design Partner of the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill San Francisco, California office. His most prominent work includes the Cathedral of Christ the Light for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland. It is the first cathedral in the world built entirely...
, architect.