Editing Oquawka, Illinois

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Oquawka
| official_name = 
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| other_name = 
| settlement_type = [[List of towns and villages in Illinois|Village]]
| image_skyline = Henderson County Courthouse, Oquawka.jpg
| imagesize = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = [[Henderson County Courthouse (Illinois)|Henderson County Courthouse]]
| image_flag = 
| image_seal = 
| etymology = 
| nickname = 
| motto = 
| anthem = 
| image_map = File:Henderson County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Oquawka Highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of Oquawka in Henderson County, Illinois.
| image_map1 = 
| mapsize1 = 
| map_alt1 = 
| map_caption1 = 
| pushpin_map = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_label = 
| pushpin_map_alt = 
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| coordinates = {{coord|40|56|16|N|90|56|59|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| grid_name = 
| grid_position = 
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Illinois]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Illinois|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Henderson County, Illinois|Henderson]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[List of townships in Illinois|Township]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Oquawka Township, Henderson County, Illinois|Oquawka]]
| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 
| founder = 
| named_for = 
| seat_type = 
| seat = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = 
| governing_body = 
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = 
| leader_title1 = Village president
| leader_name1 = 
| total_type = 
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 4.82
| area_total_sq_mi = 1.86
| area_land_km2 = 3.80
| area_land_sq_mi = 1.47
| area_water_km2 = 1.01
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.39
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft = 551
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 1134
| population_density_km2 = 298.08
| population_density_sq_mi = 771.95
| timezone1 = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1 = -6
| timezone1_DST = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = -5
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code|ZIP Code(s)]]
| postal_code = 61469
| area_code_type = 
| area_code = 309
| geocode = 
| iso_code = 
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 17-56237
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 2399579<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399579}}</ref>
| blank2_name = 
| blank2_info = 
| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2 = Oquawka, Illinois
| website = {{URL|http://www.oquawkail.com/}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Oquawka''' is a village and the [[county seat]] of [[Henderson County, Illinois]], United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2020 census.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1756237 |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

Oquawka is part of the [[Burlington micropolitan area]].

==Geography==

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Oquawka has a total area of {{convert|1.86|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|1.47|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 78.98%) is land and {{convert|0.39|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 21.02%) is water.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 553
|1860= 1641
|1870= 1370
|1900= 1010
|1910= 907
|1920= 888
|1930= 777
|1940= 912
|1950= 929
|1960= 1090
|1970= 1352
|1980= 1533
|1990= 1442
|2000= 1539
|2010= 1371
|2020= 1134
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">
{{cite web
|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref name=":0" /> there were 1,134 people, 627 households, and 331 families residing in the village. The population density was {{Convert|609.68|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 621 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|333.87|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.98% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.41% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.18% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.44% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.35% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.88% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.76% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.20% of the population.

There were 627 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.17% were married couples living together, 11.32% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.21% were non-families. 40.19% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.92% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 2.13.

The village's age distribution consisted of 19.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 20% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,898, and the median income for a family was $55,650. Males had a median income of $32,125 versus $29,531 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $21,993. About 10.3% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

==History==
The [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and [[Meskwaki]] peoples once thrived on flatlands that gently fold into the Mississippi River. They called the area Oquawkiek, meaning “yellow banks.” White settlers arrived and kept the peace, thanks to [[Alexis Phelps House|Stephen S. Phelps]], the founder of the village of Oquawka, who harbored respect for the native peoples. Phelps would befriend [[Abraham Lincoln]], who was said to spend a lot of time visiting Oquawka. Here, long before his presidency, Lincoln supposedly met [[Jefferson Davis]], then a faithful officer with the U.S. Army. And in 1858, Lincoln made a stump speech here, as did his rival and another Phelps family friend, [[Stephen Douglas]], the first circuit judge in this seat of Henderson County.

That period saw the peak of commerce in Oquawka, as a mill and shipping concern. Civic leaders saw great promise for growth, but — in a familiar story from the 19th century — that went to the wayside when railroads went elsewhere. Still, Oquawka survives well as a village, with 1,539 residents and a half-shuttered downtown that supports locals as well as visiting boaters. In fact, east-west Illinois Route 164 stops in — not at, but in — the river, where the pavement slopes into the waterway to accommodate boat trailers.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=https://www.pjstar.com/x1903093678/Luciano-Lure-of-late-elephant-just-not-the-same
|last=Luciano
|first=Phil
|date=2012-07-15
|title=Luciano: Lure Of Late Elephant Just Not The Same
|work=Peoria Journal Star
|access-date=2020-03-12}}
</ref>

===Norma Jean===
On July 17, 1972, the circus was in town. The main attraction of the Clark & Walter Circus was a 29-year-old elephant named Norma Jean. History records little of her background, except that she was born in the U.S. She was an [[Asian elephant]], which have smaller ears and bodies than the African variety, and weighed {{convert|6500|lb|kg}}.

As nightfall approached, head elephant caretaker "Possum Red" tethered Norma Jean to a tree at the village park in the center of town, using a metal chain to hook her up. Not long after, in rolled storm clouds. A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and found Norma Jean's tree — the only one in the park. The voltage fired through the tree, along the metal chain, and into Norma Jean. Possum Red, who was still on the scene, was thrown {{convert|30|ft|m|-1}} by the electrical blast. Norma Jean thudded to the ground, lifeless. Possum Red and the rest of the circus scurried out of town. The following year, without its lone elephant — uninsured and worth the then-princely sum of $10,000 — the circus folded.

Townsfolk used a backhoe to dig a {{convert|6|ft|adj=on}} hole, rolled the three-ton-plus pachyderm corpse into the grave and marked it with a plywood sign. After town druggist Wade Meloan had raised enough money to erect a memorial, he and a mason friend rounded up two tons of rock and cemented together a {{convert|5|ft|m}} tall wall stretching {{convert|12|ft|m}} over the grave. Atop the monument, they secured a concrete elephant statue and ringed the wall with flowers. They affixed a glass case to the wall with newspaper accounts about Norma Jean. The plaque on the wall proclaims:

{{blockquote|“Norma Jean Elephant, Aug. 10, 1942 to July 17, 1972. This memorial is dedicated in memory of an elephant named Norma Jean, who was killed by lightning at this location and lies buried here.”}}

When they finished they invited hundreds of well-wishers to the dedication. They even rented a baby elephant to carry a wreath in its trunk to lay at the marker. Meloan became something of a sideshow barker for Norma Jean. He printed professional postcards of the memorial, selling them in Oquawka and beyond to drum up tourism. When reporters came calling, he'd gush over the lore of Norma Jean.

John Behnke, a graduate student from Southern Illinois University's cinema program, filmed a 15-minute documentary on the marker, which later appeared on [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Behnke |first1=John |title=Norma Jean |url=https://vimeo.com/32596287 |website=vimeo}}</ref> By the mid-1990s, the site averaged two visitors a day. Tourism would get a boost when Oquawka would host a yearly fest to honor Norma Jean, with an elephant walk, white elephant sale and a bake sale featuring elephant ears.

Meloan, Norma Jean's biggest supporter, died in 2004. Norma Jean has gone from a headline to a footnote. Hardly anyone ever stops by the grave anymore. A few years ago, unknown vandals destroyed the original elephant atop the memorial. The village got a replacement, but locals otherwise no longer pay much notice to the grave.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=https://www.pjstar.com/x1903093678/Luciano-Lure-of-late-elephant-just-not-the-same
|last=Luciano
|first=Phil
|date=2012-07-15
|title=Lure Of Late Elephant Just Not The Same
|work=Peoria Journal Star
|access-date=2020-03-12}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/429
|title=Oquawka, Illinois: Norma Jean, Elephant Killed By Lightning
|work=RoadsideAmerica.com
|access-date=2020-03-12}}
</ref>

===1993 Flood===
During the month of July, The Flood of 1993 turned Oquawka into an island. There was no getting in, and no getting out. Oquawka, which sits above the Mississippi, for the most part stayed dry. The roads didn't. Due to flash flooding of all the creeks, the town was cut off from the outside world for at least a day and a half.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=https://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20180711/illinois-communities-braved-flood-of-93
|last=Smith
|first=Will
|date=2018-07-11
|title=Illinois Communities Braved The Flood Of '93
|work=The Hawkeye
|access-date=2020-03-12}}
</ref>

===2008 Flood===
On the early morning of June 14, the town of Oquawka, Illinois, was evacuated, due to a levee breach along the swollen Iowa River. The city council believed this would affect the flood waters in the already flooding Mississippi River. The same day, two levees broke near the town of [[Keithsburg, Illinois]], flooding the entire town.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/national-guard-troops-work-to-contain-iowa-flood-damage
|work=Fox News
|title=National Guard Troops Work to Contain Iowa Flood Damage
|date=June 16, 2008}}
</ref>

==Notable People==
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· The article must mention how they are associated with Oquawka, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
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* [[Charles Lincoln Edwards]], zoologist
* [[Todd Hamilton]], [[Professional Golfers' Association of America|PGA]] pro golfer, 2004 [[PGA Tour Rookie of the Year]]
* [[Charles M. Harris]], U.S. Representative, Illinois 4th district (1863–1865)
* [[James McKinney]], U.S. Representative, Illinois 14th District (1905–1913)
* [[Joyce Ricketts]], [[AAGPBL]] pro baseball player (1953–1954)

==Attractions==
* [[Delabar State Park]]

==References==
<references />

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.oquawkail.com/ Official Website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/Village-Of-Oquawka-364049357090920/ Village of Oquawka (official Facebook page)]
* [https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Pages/Delabar.aspx/ Delabar State Park (IL DNR website)]

{{Henderson County, Illinois}}
{{Illinois county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Henderson County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:County seats in Illinois]]
[[Category:Villages in Illinois]]