Dowell, Illinois

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Dowell is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 368 at the 2020 census,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> down from 408 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="King">Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Dowell was founded as a coal town and named by Du Quoin attorney George Dowell and William Lafont. They requested bids for property development as early as 1917.<ref name="Murphsboro"/> In 1922, the town's population was over 2,000.<ref name="Smallneighbor">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="autogenerated2018">Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 1920, the Dowell State Bank was opened in the town. Town founders George Dowell and William Lafont were among the first directors of the bank.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was the scene of a bank robbery on September 30, 1924.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The bank closed in 1932 following embezzlement charges against its president, William Lafont.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In late 1920, construction began on a railroad depot serving the Illinois Central Railroad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At one time the rail line had a spur into the Kathleen Coal Mine <ref name="arch">Template:Cite book</ref>

Coal mining brought many eastern European immigrants to the village, including Rusyns.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="King"/> At one time there was a Russian Orthodox church located east of the railroad tracks on Vogel Avenue. This church was closed prior to 1989.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The area is still served by the Holy Protection Church church in nearby Royalton.<ref name="Smallneighbor"/> In the 1930 census, 30% of the respondents indicated they descended from Eastern Europe and/or spoke a Slavic language.

The village was host to violence in the 1920s and 1930s,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including robberies <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and murders.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bootlegging was common in the village during Prohibition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bootlegger Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers Gang operated in and around Dowell.<ref name="Murphsboro"/><ref name="Smallneighbor"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Kathleen Coal Mine

The town has supported miners from local coal mines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Kathleen Coal Mine was located northeast of the village.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was opened and operated by the Union Colliery Company. It was the scene of a disaster in 1921 and again in 1936.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In early 1937, it was the largest producing mine in Jackson county, producing over 5,000 tons of coal per day and employing over 500 men.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The mine workers were members of the United Mine Workers union led by John Lewis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its miners went on strike from 1933 to 1937. They struck for the right to join the Progressive Mining Union.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The period was marked with occasional violence related to the unionization movement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The mine was closed in November 1946 after the coal vein was no longer accessible.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the site as of December 2021 is Cobin's Salvage Yard. There are few remaining signs of the mine that once built the village of Dowell.<ref name=Murphsboro/> A small concrete structure, the mine tipple, is the only structure that remains from the mine.<ref name="arch"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A second mine, known as the "New Kathleen", was opened in January 1946. This second mine closed by 1958.,<ref name="autogenerated2018"/><ref name="autogenerated1983">Template:Cite news</ref> Land scars are still visible from this mine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At one time, oil companies conducted research to determine if oil could be extracted from the coal seams around the Kathleen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Baseball team

The town hosted a baseball team that consisted of players who worked in the Kathleen Mine. The team was named the Dowell Kathleens. They occasionally played against the St. Louis Browns, a professional team,<ref name="Murphsboro"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as the Belleville Stags, a minor league team.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Dowell today

With the departure of the Kathleen Mine, Dowell has become a quiet residential community. The mine has been suspected of causing sinkholes in the village.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 census<ref name=":0" /> there were 368 people, 158 households, and 93 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 191 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the village was 89.40% White, 2.17% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 6.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.

There were 158 households, out of which 12.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.57% were married couples living together, 6.96% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.14% were non-families. 25.32% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.39% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 2.25.

The village's age distribution consisted of 13.8% under the age of 18, 16.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,111, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,340. About 20.4% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 63.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Dowell is located in northeastern Jackson County at Template:Coord (37.939545, -89.239553).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> U.S. Route 51 passes through the eastern side of the village, leading south Template:Convert to De Soto and north Template:Convert to Du Quoin.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Dowell has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 99.74%) is land and Template:Convert (or 0.26%) is water.<ref name="gaz2021">Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable person

Rudolph Wanderone Jr. (a.k.a. Minnesota Fats), noted billiards player,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wanderone met and married his first wife, Evelyn Graff. A Dowell resident, she was a waitress at a DuQuoin steakhouse, The Perfection Club. They married two months after they met and resided in Dowell for several years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>