Goofy Ridge, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Goofy Ridge, Illinois is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Illinois
, United States
. As of the 2010 census
, its population was 350. Goofy Ridge is listed under the Topeka
mailing address.
According to an American Journal
article "Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along the American Highway" (ISBN 1580084567) by Gary Gladstone, Goofy Ridge got its name thus:
Years back it was just The Ridge, a camp near the river bank where moonshiners and other carousers met weekly to do their drinking. After some serious drinking one night, a local game warden said he wasn’t too drunk to shoot a walnut off the head of a volunteer. Naturally, someone was drunk enough to volunteer. The game warden placed the tiny target on the volunteer’s head, aimed his .22 rifle, and shot the nut right off. This caper was called by a witness “one damned goofy thing to do,” and the camp was ever after known as Goofy Ridge.
The abstract of the academic paper Goofy Ridge: On Human Ecology, Poverty, and the Labeling of Places hints there may be a social significance associated with this incident, something confirmed by a segment on Weekend America. According to "Storyville, USA" (ISBN 0820323039) By Dale Peterson "Al Capone, as a matter of fact, used to come down [to Goofy Ridge] to hunt and fish."
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...
. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, its population was 350. Goofy Ridge is listed under the Topeka
Topeka, Illinois
Topeka is an incorporated town in Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 90 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Topeka is located at ....
mailing address.
According to an American Journal
American Journal
American Journal was a syndicated television newsmagazine program that ran from 1993 to 1998. The series was distributed by King World Productions...
article "Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along the American Highway" (ISBN 1580084567) by Gary Gladstone, Goofy Ridge got its name thus:
Years back it was just The Ridge, a camp near the river bank where moonshiners and other carousers met weekly to do their drinking. After some serious drinking one night, a local game warden said he wasn’t too drunk to shoot a walnut off the head of a volunteer. Naturally, someone was drunk enough to volunteer. The game warden placed the tiny target on the volunteer’s head, aimed his .22 rifle, and shot the nut right off. This caper was called by a witness “one damned goofy thing to do,” and the camp was ever after known as Goofy Ridge.
The abstract of the academic paper Goofy Ridge: On Human Ecology, Poverty, and the Labeling of Places hints there may be a social significance associated with this incident, something confirmed by a segment on Weekend America. According to "Storyville, USA" (ISBN 0820323039) By Dale Peterson "Al Capone, as a matter of fact, used to come down [to Goofy Ridge] to hunt and fish."