Du Quoin, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Du Quoin is a city in Perry County, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 6,448 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.01%) is water.
, an Illiniwek
people, who were defeated by the Shawnee
near here in 1802.
In the early 19th century, Du Quoin was near the Lusk's Ferry Road
, an important early road that connected Kaskaskia
with Lusk's Ferry
on the Ohio River
. The road ran easterly out of Steeleville
to a point southwest of DuQuoin. There it turned to the southeast to cross the Big Muddy River
and head for Lusk's Ferry.
The area east of Du Quoin is known as "Old Du Quoin." The City of Du Quoin was founded in 1853 as the people of what is now Old Du Quoin moved the town west to be able to use the Illinois Central Railroad lines that were being laid. The city government is a commission form of government with a mayor and four commissioners. Du Quoin is the largest community in Perry County.
is located on the grounds; the dirt track hosts several events on several national tours.
DuQuoin High School's mascot is the Indians, from the people that settled the land before the city. The Indians have Legendary football and track programs. As of October 2009 the Indians hold the Illinois State Record a team and having gone to the playoffs 28 years in a row and winning numerous state titles. In 2006, the DuQuoin Middle School Warriors won the Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association (SIJHSAA) State Basketball Tournament, beating Olney in the final round. The Warriors never lost a game that season, going 26-0.
DuQuoin is the birthplace of former MLB pitcher Don Stanhouse
. It was also a place nonfictional Minnesota Fats played a lot of his pool
, as he lived in Dowell, a nearby town.
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Du Quoin. Amtrak Train 391, the southbound Saluki
, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 1:49 pm daily with service to Carbondale
. Amtrak Train 393, the southbound Illini
, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 8:39 pm daily serving the same point as the southbound Saluki. Amtrak Train 390, the northbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 7:51 am daily with service to Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Champaign-Urbana
, Rantoul, Gilman, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago
. Amtrak Train 392, the northbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 4:26 pm daily serving the same points as the northbound Saluki.
of 2000, there were 6,448 people, 2,716 households, and 1,648 families residing in the city. The population density
was 939.3 people per square mile (362.9/km²). There were 2,988 housing units at an average density of 435.3 per square mile (168.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.23% White, 7.23% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races
, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population.
There were 2,716 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples
living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,124, and the median income for a family was $37,688. Males had a median income of $33,576 versus $18,958 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,883. About 13.3% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
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 6,448 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Du Quoin is located at 38°0′25"N 89°14′6"W (38.006815, -89.234885).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 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.01%) is water.
History
DuQuoin was named after Chief Jean Baptiste Ducoigne of the KaskaskiaKaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
, an Illiniwek
Illiniwek
The Illinois Confederation, sometimes referred to as the Illiniwek or Illini, were a group of twelve to thirteen Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America...
people, who were defeated by the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
near here in 1802.
In the early 19th century, Du Quoin was near the Lusk's Ferry Road
Lusk's Ferry Road
Lusk's Ferry Road was an early road in Illinois that provided an overland connection between the main settlement, Fort Kaskaskia, on the Mississippi River, and Lusk's Ferry, an important crossing point on the Ohio River...
, an important early road that connected Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia, Illinois
Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. In the 2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population. A major French colonial town of the Illinois Country, its peak population was about...
with Lusk's Ferry
Lusk's Ferry, Illinois
Lusk's Ferry was a place where pioneers crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky into Illinois. Some sources say that Golconda, Illinois was once called "Lusk's Ferry"...
on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The road ran easterly out of Steeleville
Steeleville, Illinois
Steeleville is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,077 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.76% is water...
to a point southwest of DuQuoin. There it turned to the southeast to cross the Big Muddy River
Big Muddy River
The Big Muddy River is a river in southern Illinois. It joins the Mississippi River south of Murphysboro. The Big Muddy has been dammed near Benton, forming Rend Lake.The Big Muddy has a mud bottom for most of its length.-Hydrography:...
and head for Lusk's Ferry.
The area east of Du Quoin is known as "Old Du Quoin." The City of Du Quoin was founded in 1853 as the people of what is now Old Du Quoin moved the town west to be able to use the Illinois Central Railroad lines that were being laid. The city government is a commission form of government with a mayor and four commissioners. Du Quoin is the largest community in Perry County.
Notable natives and residents
- Actress Billie HayesBillie HayesBillie Hayes is an American actress best known for her comic portrayal as Witchie-poo on the Sid and Marty Krofft television series H.R. Pufnstuf. Her characteristic cackle and animated physicality were notable during the show's 17-episode run in 1969–70...
was born here in 1932. She is best known to audiences for her role as Witchiepoo in Sid and Marty KrofftSid and Marty KrofftSid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
's H.R. PufnstufH.R. PufnstufH.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
.
Sports
DuQuoin is the former home of the Hambletonian (from 1957 to 1980), and was the home of the World Trotting Derby from 1981 to 2009, two of the world's largest harness races. The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds RacetrackDuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one-mile clay oval motor racetrack in Du Quoin, Illinois, about southeast of St Louis, Missouri. It is a stop on the ARCA and USAC Silver Crown tours.-History:...
is located on the grounds; the dirt track hosts several events on several national tours.
DuQuoin High School's mascot is the Indians, from the people that settled the land before the city. The Indians have Legendary football and track programs. As of October 2009 the Indians hold the Illinois State Record a team and having gone to the playoffs 28 years in a row and winning numerous state titles. In 2006, the DuQuoin Middle School Warriors won the Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association (SIJHSAA) State Basketball Tournament, beating Olney in the final round. The Warriors never lost a game that season, going 26-0.
DuQuoin is the birthplace of former MLB pitcher Don Stanhouse
Don Stanhouse
Donald Joseph Stanhouse is a retired baseball pitcher who had a ten-year major league career from 1972–1980, 1982...
. It was also a place nonfictional Minnesota Fats played a lot of his pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
, as he lived in Dowell, a nearby town.
Rail Transportation
AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Du Quoin. Amtrak Train 391, the southbound Saluki
Saluki (Amtrak)
The Saluki is a 310-mile passenger train line operated by Amtrak running between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation...
, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 1:49 pm daily with service to Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
. Amtrak Train 393, the southbound Illini
Illini (Amtrak)
The Illini is a 310-mile passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and by local governments along the route...
, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 8:39 pm daily serving the same point as the southbound Saluki. Amtrak Train 390, the northbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 7:51 am daily with service to Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Champaign-Urbana
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
, Rantoul, Gilman, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
. Amtrak Train 392, the northbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Du Quoin at 4:26 pm daily serving the same points as the northbound Saluki.
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 6,448 people, 2,716 households, and 1,648 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 939.3 people per square mile (362.9/km²). There were 2,988 housing units at an average density of 435.3 per square mile (168.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.23% White, 7.23% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% 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 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population.
There were 2,716 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,124, and the median income for a family was $37,688. Males had a median income of $33,576 versus $18,958 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 $14,883. About 13.3% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.