Quitman is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in west central

Nodaway County, Missouri Nodaway County is a county located in the northwest part of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,241. Its county seat is Maryville. The county was organized February 14, 1845, and is named for the Nodaway River. It is the l ...

, United States. The population was 42 at the 2020 census.

History

Originally it was called Russellville which was first platted in 1856 by R. R. Russell. Later, the name was changed to Quitman in honor of

John A. Quitman John Anthony Quitman (September 1, 1798 – July 17, 1858) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. As President of the Mississippi Senate, he served one month as Acting Governor of Mississippi (from December 3, 1835, to January 7, 1836) a ...

, a strongly

pro-slavery Proslavery is support for slavery. It is sometimes found in the thought of ancient philosophers, religious texts, and in American and British writings especially before the American Civil War but also later through the 20th century. Arguments in ...

former governor of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, leader of the Fire Eaters, and veteran in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. The city was incorporated on February 8, 1881 when it was a stop on the Nodaway Valley Railroad (which was building the railroad for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad that eventually became part of the

Burlington Northern The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

network. The railroad no longer continues. In November 2012, the Nodaway County Commission voted to disincorporate Quitman after local residents asked for it.

Geography

The community is located on

Missouri Route 113 Route 113 is a highway in northwestern Missouri. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 136 (Missouri), U.S. Route 136 in Burlington Junction, Missouri, Burlington Junction; its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 59 (Missouri), U.S. Route 59 e ...

between

Skidmore Skidmore may refer to: Places United States * Skidmore, Kansas * Skidmore, Maryland * Skidmore, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Skidmore, Missouri, a city * Skidmore, Texas * Skidmore, West Virginia * Skidmore Fountain, a public fountai ...

5.5 miles to the south and

Burlington Junction, Missouri Burlington Junction is a city in northwestern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 521 at the 2020 census and is the second largest city in the county by population. History Burlington Junction was founded in 1879, and n ...

4.5 miles to the north. The

Nodaway River The Nodaway River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 tributary that flows from southwest Iowa through northwest Missouri into the Missouri River. It ...

flows past the west side of the community, and Bowman Branch passes by Quitman to the east and joins the Nodaway River just south of it.

Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area is a public conservation area located in northwest Missouri, United States. The 5,111-acre (2,068 ha) conservation area was established in 1987 when the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) purchased a larg ...

is three miles to the west.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 15, 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 45 people, 23 households, and 11 families living 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 27 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.0%

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 ...

. There were 23 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.2% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age in the city was 44.5 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 37.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 46 people, 21 households, and 11 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 24 housing units at an average density of . Everybody in the town was white. There were 21 households, out of which six had children under the age of 18 living with them, ten were

living together, one had a female householder with no husband present, and nine were non-families. Nine of all households were made up of individuals, and three had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town the population was spread out, with thirteen people under the age of 18, one between 18 and 24, ten from 25 to 44, seventeen from 45 to 64, and five who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. In town, there were twenty-three males (of whom sixteen were over age 18), and twenty-three females (of whom seventeen were over age 18). The median income for a household in the town was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $16,500 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 town was $11,644. There were 10.5% of families and 21.0% of the population living 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 36.8% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Notable people

* John S. Bilby, founder of Bilby Ranch, which in the early 1900s was the second largest ranch in the United States. *

Forrest C. Donnell Forrest Carl Donnell (August 20, 1884March 3, 1980) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator and the List of governors of Missouri, 40th governor of Missouri. Early life Donnell was bor ...

, former Missouri Governor *

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promotion, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AW ...

Professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

legend

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Nodaway County, Missouri Census-designated places in Nodaway County, Missouri Unincorporated communities in Missouri Populated places established in 1881 Populated places disestablished in 2012 Former villages in Missouri Census-designated places in Missouri 1881 establishments in Missouri 2012 disestablishments in Missouri