Illinois Bend is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Montague County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 30 in 2000.

History

The community was founded in 1862 by a small group of people who relocated to Texas from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. It was formerly known as Wardville after the local landowner C. M. Ward. When a post office was established there in 1877, the name was changed to Illinois Bend. The community had 300 residents, two gristmills, numerous cotton gins, and several churches in 1885. Due to rail lines avoiding the village, its population had decreased to 112 by 1910. In the late 1940s, when one business was there, there were 68 residents. Sometime around 1930, the community's post office was shut down. There were just 51 people living in Illinois Bend by the late 1960s. The population had decreased to thirty by 2000. It then went up to 40 in 2020. Early settlers were plagued by occasional raids from

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

and

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...

Indians who had been placed in the Leased Lands north of the Red River and on the eastern border of the Chickasaw Nation. On May 15, 2013, an EF0 tornado struck Illinois Bend. It damaged a home and downed several trees. Another tornado reportedly struck the community on March 20, 1955, injuring one.

Geography

Illinois Bend is located on

Farm to Market Road 677 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

, northeast of Montague in the extreme northeastern corner of Montague County.

Education

Illinois Bend had its own school in 1885. Today, the community is served by the

Saint Jo Independent School District Saint Jo Independent School District is a public school district based in Saint Jo, Texas (USA). Located in Montague County, a small portion of the district extends into Cooke County. Academic achievement In 2009, the school district was rat ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Montague County, Texas 1862 establishments in Texas