Editing Steele, Missouri

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Steele, Missouri
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Steele MO 2013-05-11 003.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = Pemiscot_County_Missouri_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Steele_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location of Steele, Missouri
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Missouri]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Missouri|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Pemiscot County, Missouri|Pemiscot]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 28, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.67
| area_land_km2      = 5.60
| area_water_km2     = 0.07
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.19
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.16
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.03

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 1853
| population_density_km2 = 330.85
| population_density_sq_mi = 857.08

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 259
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|04|54|N|89|50|09|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 63877
| area_code          = [[Area code 573|573]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 29-70558<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID =
| blank1_info        = 2395961<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2395961}}</ref>
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| named_for          = Leonidas Lucilius Steele (1845–1907)
}}

'''Steele''' is a city in southern [[Pemiscot County, Missouri|Pemiscot County]] in the [[Missouri Bootheel]] of southeastern [[Missouri]], United States.<ref name=gnis/> The population was 1,853 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile/Steele_city,_Missouri?g=1600000US2970558 |access-date=2022-09-30 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==History==
The Steele post office was in operation from 1896 to 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MO&county=Pemiscott | title=Post Offices| publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=29 November 2016}}</ref> The community was named for Leonidas Lucilius Steele, an early settler who came to Pemiscot County in 1874 and moved to Steele in 1885, where he operated a hotel and mercantile business.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 22, 1907 |title=Capt. L.L. Steele Dead |work=The Pemiscot Press |publication-place=Caruthersville, Missouri |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9281150/leonidas-lucilius-steele }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hamlett |first=Mayme L. |title=Place Names Of Six Southeast Counties Of Missouri |url=http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_pemiscot.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071957/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_pemiscot.html |archive-date=June 24, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2016 |website=The State Historical Society of Missouri }}</ref> The city's early growth was due to it being the only way for people and freight to cross the Little River Swamp to reach [[Cottonwood Point, Missouri|Cottonwood Point]] and the [[Mississippi River]]. The community was a point along the [[St. Louis–San Francisco Railway]]. In 1912, Steele contained seven general stores, three cotton gins, a sawmill and a gristmill.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-AlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA382 | title=History of Southeast Missouri: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, Volume 1 | publisher=Lewis Publishing Company | year=1912 | pages=382}}</ref>

In 1942, an auxiliary field was constructed by the [[United States Army|US Army]] northwest of the city. This was one of four auxiliary fields that served [[Blytheville Air Force Base|Blytheville Army Airfield]], a [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25]] pilot training school in [[Blytheville, Arkansas|Blytheville]], [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartley |first=Jillian |title=Eaker Air Force Base |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/eaker-air-force-base-2795/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 1946, the Blytheville base and its auxiliary facilities (including the field at Steele) were declared surplus property. Local James K. Burton obtained a fiver year lease on the field to operate a flying school on the property.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1946-08-21 |title=BAAF declared surplus by US Military |pages=11 |work=The Courier News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-news-baaf-declared-surplus-b/102973415/ |access-date=2023-12-13}}</ref>

==Geography==
Steele is located in southern Pemiscot County, approximately five miles north of the Missouri-[[Arkansas]] state line. The community is on [[Missouri Route 164]] and [[U.S. Route 61#Missouri|U.S. Route 61]]. [[Interstate 55 in Missouri|Interstate 55]] passes just to the east of the city. [[Caruthersville, Missouri|Caruthersville]] is on the [[Mississippi River]], eleven miles northeast of Steele.<ref>''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 71, {{ISBN|0-89933-224-2}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.87|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|1.84|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.03|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-07-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=2012-01-25}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1910= 833
|1920= 751
|1930= 1219
|1940= 1585
|1950= 2360
|1960= 2301
|1970= 2107
|1980= 2419
|1990= 2395
|2000= 2263
|2010= 2172
|2020= 1853
|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>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-07-08}}</ref> of 2010, there were 2,172 people, 838 households, and 551 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1180.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 919 housing units at an average density of {{convert|499.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 77.53% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 18.69% [[Black (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.46% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.37% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.38% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.57% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.16% of the population.

There were 838 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% 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 3.12.

The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 29.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 23% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,263 people, 887 households, and 582 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,205.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 971 housing units at an average density of {{convert|517.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 80.87% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 17.41% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 100% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.93% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.75% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 887 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,958, and the median income for a family was $29,125. Males had a median income of $30,595 versus $19,286 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,695. About 25.5% of families and 31.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 39.6% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
[[South Pemiscot Schools]] is the local district.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29155_pemiscot/DC20SD_C29155.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pemiscot County, MO|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2022-12-09}}</ref> It operates these public schools: East Elementary School (Kindergarten), Central Elementary School (grades 1–5), and [[South Pemiscot High School]] (grades 6–12).

Steele has a lending library, the Steele Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.publiclibraries.com/missouri.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610012728/http://www.publiclibraries.com/missouri.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 June 2017 | title=Missouri Public Libraries | publisher=PublicLibraries.com | access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

== Notable People ==

* Isaac Harmon Severn<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinhoff |first=Ken |date=2015-08-08 |title=I.H. Severn and Harry Truman |url=https://www.capecentralhigh.com/mo-bootheel/i-h-severn-and-harry-truman/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Cape Girardeau History and Photos |language=en-US}}</ref> - Political ally of President [[Harry S. Truman]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Historic maps of Steele in the [http://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/mu/islandora/object/mu%3A138976 Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection] at the [[University of Missouri]]
{{Commons category}}
{{Pemiscot County, Missouri}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Pemiscot County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Cities in Missouri]]