Chillicothe is a city in the state of Missouri and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Livingston County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States. The population was 9,107 at the 2020 census. The name "Chillicothe" is

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

for "big town", and was named after their ''Chillicothe'', located since 1774 about a mile from the present-day city.

History of Chillicothe and Livingston County

This territory was originally settled by

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of the Americas. The Osage and

were in the territory at the time of earliest European contact, which was mostly by French explorers and traders. By 1800 the

and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

had migrated here. The Shawnee came from the Ohio Country, where they had been under pressure before the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

from aggressive

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

and later encroaching European Americans. Displacing the Osage, the Shawnee had a major village known as ''Chillicothe'' about a mile from the present-day city. '' Chillicothe'' was also the name of a major

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

. Other Native American tribes in the area were the Sac and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, and

Pottawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

, all of whom hunted in the area. In the early 19th century, European-American migration to Missouri increased. The original survey of Chillicothe by United States citizens was filed for record August 31, 1837, and a resurvey of the same was filed August 5, 1859. Chillicothe was incorporated as a city by an act of the General Assembly, approved March 1, 1855. It was selected as the County seat by commissioners and the first term of the county court began on May 7, 1838. In August of that year an order was made to erect the first Court House, the cost not to exceed $5,000, in the Public Square; The first circuit court for the trial of civil and criminal causes was held on the 3d of July 1887. HARRY W. GRAHAM, " 'THE HIGHWAY CITY': CHILLICOTHE, MISSOURI"
"CHILLICOTHE AND LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MISSOURI", Compiled by J.D. Smith, ''The Chillicothe Constitution'', 24 Jun 1916, accessed 23 Dec 2009 Livingston was settled by emigrants from the older counties and others from the

Upper South The Upland South and Upper South are two overlapping cultural and geographic subregions in the inland part of the Southern and lower Midwestern United States. They differ from the Deep South and Atlantic coastal plain by terrain, history, econom ...

states of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, as well as

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and other "Old Northwest" states, as the westward migration continued. Prior to completion of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad in 1859, the city was minimally developed with cheap frame houses, with little pretense of architectural beauty or design. The building materials being hewed and sawed from the oak and walnut timber surrounding the town, as timber originally covered the site. The

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

gave an impetus for town improvements. Soon two and three-story brick business buildings were constructed in place of the former frame structures. From 1865 to 1870, the city improved rapidly, then a lull lasted until 1875, when the erection of the beautiful three-story, $36,000 school building was started, now known as "Middle School." From that time on Chillicothe made a slow, steady growth up to 1886, when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad was built through here. That year also saw the introduction of the "Water Works" and electric lights. The city continued to modernize in the early 20th century.

The Missouri Training School for Girls

The Missouri Training School for Girls (1889-1981) was the correctional facility of the

Missouri Division of Youth Services The Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) is a state agency of Missouri that operates juvenile correctional facilities. A division of the Missouri Department of Social Services, DYS has its headquarters in Jefferson City. History Circa the 197 ...

. It opened in 1889. In 1956, the school received all of the black girls after the Missouri Training School for Negro Girls in

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

closed.Annual Report Fiscal Year 2014

Archive
.

. Retrieved on December 19, 2015. p. 32. The school closed in 1981.Annual Report Fiscal Year 2014

Archive
.

. Retrieved on December 19, 2015. p. 34.

Geography

Chillicothe is located in central Livingston County. The Grand River flows past approximately one mile south of the city and the confluence of the

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

with the Grand is about three miles to the southwest. The city is served by

U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...

U.S. Route 65 U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of ...

and

Missouri Route 190 Route 190 is a highway in northern Missouri. Its eastern (or southern) terminus is at U.S. Route 65 north of Chillicothe; its western (or northern) terminus is at Route 146 west of Trenton. Route description History Major intersections ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 9,515 people, 3,612 households, and 2,146 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 4,108 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 3,612 households, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 41.3% male and 58.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,968 people, 3,608 households, and 2,197 families living in the city. The

was 1,370.9 people per square mile (529.4/km²). There were 4,060 housing units at an average density of 620.7/sq mi (239.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.86%

, 3.69%

, 0.41% Native American, 0.40%

, 0.35% from

, and 1.29% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 3,608 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. school districts. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,053, and the median income for a family was $40,163. Males had a median income of $29,070 versus $19,745 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,172. About 9.6% of families and 13.4% 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 t ...

, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Chillicothe R-II School District provides preschool through 12th grade education as well as some other educational programs to students in and around Chillicothe. ;PK-12th grade: * Chillicothe High School (9th-12th grade) * Chillicothe Alternative School (9th-12th grade) * Chillicothe Middle School (6th-8th grade) *Dewey Elementary School (4th-5th grade) * Field Elementary School (2nd-3rd grade) * Chillicothe Elementary School (Pre-K-1st) ;Other programs and campuses: * Garrison School - headquarters for Title I Preschool, Even Start Family Literacy, Parents as Teachers, adult GED classes, and Early Intervention Assistance * Grand River Technical School * Litton Agri-Science Learning Center ;Private schools * Bishop Hogan Memorial School (PK-8), operated by St. Columban Catholic Church, Chillicothe ;Public library The town has a lending library, the Livingston County Library. The town has a children library, the Lillian DesMarias Youth Library.

Media

Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune The ''Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper published Mondays through Saturdays in Chillicothe, Missouri, United States. It is owned by Gannett. Founded in 1860 as the weekly ''Chillicothe Constitution'', the paper has been pub ...

, established in 1889 * KCHI Radio- KCHI-AM transmission on 1010 kHz and KCHI-FM on 102.5 MHz. * KRNW Radio (88.9-an FM repeater station which co-broadcasts Northwest MO State University's flagship station KXCV's programming-NPR affiliated) * KULH Radio (105.9 The Wave) Christian Radio station

In popular culture

* Chillicothe is known as "The Home of Sliced Bread". On July 7, 1928, the Chillicothe Baking Company began selling pre-sliced bread "at quality grocers in the area", marking the first time sliced bread was available commercially in the world. They used the Rohwedder Bread Slicer, a machine created by

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

Otto Frederick Rohwedder Otto Frederick Rohwedder (July 7, 1880 – November 8, 1960) was an American inventor and engineer who created the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use. It was first used by the Chillicothe Baking Company. Early life and ed ...

Notable people

Moses Alexander Moses Alexander (November 13, 1853 – January 4, 1932) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 11th governor of Idaho, the second elected Jewish governor of a U.S. state, and the first who actually practiced that religion. ...

, 11th

governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

* Bower Slack Broaddus, judge *

Courtney W. Campbell Courtney Warren Campbell (April 29, 1895 – December 22, 1971) was an American lawyer, World War I veteran, and politician who served one term as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, from 1953 to 1955. He repres ...

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

* Ray and Faye Copeland, serial killers *

William Lincoln Garver William Lincoln Garver was an American architect, civil engineer, author, socialist leader, and political candidate from Missouri. He was primarily an architect by trade, and learned while working under his uncle, architect Morris Frederick Bell ...

, architect, author, and socialist politician * Claude B. Hutchison, botanist and politician *

Mike Lair Michael Lair (February 26, 1946 – September 5, 2017) was an American politician and former educator from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Lair was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives on November 4, 2008 and subseque ...

, politician and teacher *

Jerry Litton Jerry Lon Litton (May 12, 1937 – August 3, 1976) was an American politician from Missouri who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Missouri's 6th congressional district from 1973 until his death in ...

, congressman * Charles H. Mansur, congressman *

Shirley Collie Nelson Shirley Collie Nelson (born Shirley Angelina Simpson, March 16, 1931 – January 27, 2010) was an American country music and rockabilly singer, yodeler, guitarist and songwriter. From 1963 to 1971, she was the second wife of country star Willie ...

, country music artist/actress * Henry Moses Pollard, congressman * John Quinn, politician *

William Y. Slack William Yarnel Slack (August 1, 1816 – March 21, 1862) was an American lawyer, politician, and military officer who fought for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Born in Kentucky, Slack moved to Missouri as a c ...

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

general and politician *

Clarence Edwin Watkins Clarence Edwin Watkins (July 1, 1894 – November 13, 1944) was a long term editor of the '' Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune''. He was born on July 1, 1894, in Chillicothe, Missouri, to James Edward Watkins and Martha Pearl Ireland. He died on Nov ...

, publisher

References

External links

City of Chillicothe, Missouri
Official Website

Livingston County Library

Official Website

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

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

{{authority control Cities in Missouri Cities in Livingston County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in Missouri