La Rue is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Marion County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. The population was 676 at the 2020 census. The village is served by Elgin Local School District. La Rue was named for Major William LaRue, who founded the town on June 3, 1851.

History

In the early 19th-century, prior to their removal in the 1830s, there was a

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, who have been called Wyandotte, Huron, Wendat and Quendat * Wyandot language, an Iroquoian language * Wyandot Nation of Kansas, an unrecognized tribe and nonprofit organization ...

village at this location. La Rue had its start in the early 1850s when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office has been in operation at La Rue since 1853. La Rue was home to

Walter Lingo Walter Houston Lingo (October 12, 1890 – December 31, 1966) was an Airedale Terrier breeder from La Rue, Ohio. During the 1920s, he owned the Oorang Dog Kennels. As a way of promoting his kennels, Lingo financed a National Football League fra ...

, owner of the Oorang Dog Kennels, which bred the nationally recognized King Oorang

Airedale Terrier The Airedale Terrier (often shortened to "Airedale"), also called Bingley Terrier and Waterside Terrier, is a dog breed of the terrier type that originated in the valley (''dale'') of the River Aire, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It ...

s. Lingo also owned the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

Oorang Indians The Oorang Indians () were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio (near Marion). The franchise was a novelty team put together by Walter Lingo to market his Oorang (Airedale Terrier) dog kennels. All of the Indians ...

, which played in 1922 and 1923. The team consisted of Native American players and was led by

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

. They were strictly a traveling team; of the 20 games they played over two seasons, only one was played at "home" in nearby

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

. La Rue remains the smallest town ever to have been the home of an NFL franchise, or probably any professional team in any league in the United States, though River Vale was awful close in the late 1930s.

Geography

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 village 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 747 people, 291 households, and 202 families living in the village. 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 327 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.9%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.5% from other races, and 2.1% 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 3.7% of the population. There were 291 households, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the village was 39.8 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 775 people, 308 households, and 207 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.23%

, 0.13% Native American, and 0.65% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population. There were 308 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.6% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $34,375, and the median income for a family was $44,808. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $25,238 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 village was $15,873. About 4.4% of families and 7.8% 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 9.5% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Events

A festival called the "Oorang Bang" in honor of the Oorang Indians, Thorpe, and Oorang Airedales was held on the second weekend of June, featuring a parade, food, rides, and live music. The festival was first organized by local resident Harry Roberts (1924–2003) to fund improvements to the then derelict municipal swimming pool and park, located north of the village. Th
Marion County Raceway
was located in La Rue.info page on raceway
/ref>

Notable people

Edgar Bain Edgar Collins Bain (September 14, 1891 – November 27, 1971) was an American metallurgist and member of the National Academy of Sciences, who worked for the US Steel Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked on the alloying and heat ...

, metallurgist who developed techniques for alloying steel *

Toby Harrah Colbert Dale "Toby" Harrah (born October 26, 1948) is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from to . Harrah played the majority of his career for the Texas Rangers franchise, i ...

, baseball player, played high school baseball in LaRue *

, dog kennel owner and owner of the

football team * Gladys Milligan, painter *

Grant E. Mouser Grant Earl Mouser (September 11, 1868 – May 6, 1949) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Ohio for two terms from 1905 to 1909. He was the father of Grant E. Mouser Jr., who also became a United States Congres ...

, congressman from Ohio * Charles E. Sawyer,

homeopathic Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths or homeopathic physicians, believe that a substance tha ...

physician who is blamed for giving a false diagnosis of U.S. President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

that led to Harding's premature death; practiced medicine in La Rue *

Richard Secord Major general (United States), Major General Richard Vernon Secord (July 6, 1932 – October 15, 2024) was a United States Air Force officer who worked in covert operations. Early in his military service, he was a member of the first U.S. avia ...

, U.S. Air Force major general, figure in the Iran-Contra scandal

References

External links

*
History of the village

History of the Oorang Indians
{{Authority control Villages in Marion County, Ohio French-American culture in Ohio 1853 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1853 Villages in Ohio