Cole Camp is a small city in

Benton County, Missouri Benton County is a county located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 19,394 as of the 2020 Census. Its county seat is Warsaw. The county was organized January 3, 1835, and named for U.S. Senator Thom ...

, United States. The population was 1,121 at the 2010 census. The town is known for the annual

street fair A street fair celebrates the character of a neighborhood. As its name suggests, it is typically held on the main street of a neighborhood. The principal component of street fairs are booths used to sell goods (particularly food) or convey informa ...

in September. It also hosts a

Maifest Maifest (or Mayfest in English) is the traditional German celebration of the arrival of spring. Maifest is still celebrated throughout Germany with the ''maibaum'' (maypole) decorated to show off the history and crafts of the town. Maifest, simil ...

in May, an

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

in October, and a Christbaumfest in late November; all highlight the town's German heritage.

History

Cole Camp was laid out in 1857. It became a Flag Stop on the

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service in ...

route that next year. Tipton was an eastern terminus of the when it was launched in 1858. The route was connected to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

by the

Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad (not to be confused with Union Pacific Railroad) was a railroad based in Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 184 ...

. The Butterfield Overland Mail Route ran in the 1858-1861 Period before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The first postmaster of Cole Camp was Ezekiel Williams, Sr., appointed February 26, 1839. The city most likely was named after pioneer Captain Stephen Cole. Cole Camp was the site of a skirmish early in the

, when the local pro-Union Home Guard company was attacked by a

Missouri State Guard The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a military force established by the Missouri General Assembly on May 11, 1861. While not a formation of the Confederate States Army, the Missouri State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at variou ...

force on June 19, 1861. At the Battle of Cole Camp, the Home Guard were defeated with a loss of 35 men killed or wounded. The Central Cole Camp Historic District and Augustus Sander House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Cole Camp is located in northeast Benton County along

Missouri Route 52 Route 52 is an east/west highway running from its eastern terminus at Route 133 east of St. Elizabeth to the Kansas state line where it continues as K-52 (this road continues for 23 additional miles). Highway 52 comprises of primarily two ...

approximately four miles west of US Route 65. The headwaters of

Cole Camp Creek Cole Camp Creek is a stream in Benton County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a tributary of the Osage River arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. Cole Camp Creek most likely was named after Stephen Cole, an early settler, although folk etymology m ...

are adjacent to the west side of the community. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,121 people, 492 households, and 286 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 560 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 492 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 29.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.7% male and 55.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,028 people, 451 households, and 261 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 493 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.93%

, 0.10%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.19% Asian, and 0.68% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population. There were 451 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 28.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,190, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $26,827 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,280. About 2.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Cole Camp R-1 School District operates one public elementary school, one middle school, and Cole Camp High School. Cole Camp Methodist Pre-School and Trinity Lutheran Pre-School are private institutions. Lutheran School Association is a K-8 school in the community and the majority of those students attend Cole Camp High School. As of 2022 Cole Camp High School is ranked by ''

U.S. News and World Report ''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...

'' as the #195 best high school in Missouri, with an enrollment of 222 students. Cole Camp has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Boonslick Regional Library.

Notable people

Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor Heinrich ( ; born October 17, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the ...

, raised in Cole Camp. Former congressman and U.S. Senator from New Mexico *

Stan Kroenke Enos Stanley Kroenke (; born July 29, 1947) is an American billionaire real estate magnate and sports team owner. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal of the Premier League and Arsenal Wo ...

- owner of

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

, and majority owner of

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

* Carol Loomis- Journalist and retired senior editor-at-large at

Fortune (magazine) ''Fortune'' (stylized in all caps) is an American global business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, a global business media company. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. T ...

References

External links

Cole Camp, Missouri web site

* Historic maps of Cole Camp in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

{{authority control Cities in Benton County, Missouri German-American culture in Missouri German communities in the United States Cities in Missouri