Blackwater is a city in northwest Cooper County, Missouri, United States located along the

Blackwater River A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...

, from which it takes its name. The population was 162 at the 2010 census. Founded by the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...

, Blackwater's economy was largely defined by freight until the mid-twentieth century. With the railroad's decline, Blackwater's status as a boom town came to an end, and the population thinned considerably. The city has preserved a number of historic, rail-related structures that have been repurposed as museums, hotels, or antique shops. Many parts of Blackwater's commercial and residential districts 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 ...

History

Blackwater was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1887, although it had long functioned as a trading point. A post office called Blackwater has been in operation since 1873. In the late nineteenth century, the

sought to construct a "River Route" to link important sites like

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, Boonville, and

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

. A number of smaller towns and villages sprang up among the route, which provided a vital economic lifeline to otherwise isolated areas. As one of these smaller towns, Blackwater retained a small but economically stable population. First consisting of railroad workers, the discovery of a rock quarry several miles outside the town provided a new set of economic opportunities, drawing miners to the area. In subsequent decades, the town would develop drugstores, banks, hardware stores, millinery shops, cafes, a hotel, lumber yard, livery stables, a creamery, meat market, blacksmiths, and saloons. At the coming of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Blackwater had a population of about 650 people, but the economic and social changes of the

postwar era A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, w ...

presented a new series of challenges. The

, which declared bankruptcy during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, did not provide the same labor opportunities it had previously. As for many other small towns, Blackwater found itself losing its young people to larger metropolitan areas with available jobs, and the population dwindled. In 1950 the Blackwater Stone Company, the town's largest employer, accidentally hit water while detonating within the quarry, which flooded. This incident forced the permanent closure of the mines, dealing the town another heavy blow. By the twenty-first century, Blackwater's population and economy had significantly shrunk from their former peaks. To boost the town's fortunes, a group of residents formed the Blackwater Preservation Society and began applying to grants to restore or repurpose the town's historic buildings. These activities have attracted some tourism to the area, particularly among rail or local history enthusiasts, and support a small number of local businesses. The video games ''

Red Dead Redemption ''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redemption'' is se ...

'' (2010) and ''

Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...

'' (2018) include a version of the city. Blackwater Commercial Historic District, Blackwater Residential Historic District, and Imhoff Archeological Site are listed on the

Geography

Blackwater is located along

Missouri Route K A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in addit ...

two miles north of

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 appr ...

. The site is on the south bank of the Blackwater River, and the community of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

in adjacent Saline County lies two miles to the west-northwest.

Lamine Lamine is a given name and a surname, a local form of Al-Amin (a title given to the prophet Muhammad which means "the Trustworthy"). Notable people with the name include: First name * Lamine Ba (footballer, born 1997) (born 1997), French-born ...

is six miles to the southeast on Missouri Route 41.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 36, 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 162 people, 64 households, and 45 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 87 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1%

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 ...

, 1.9%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, and 2.5% 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 1.9% of the population. There were 64 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 199 people, 85 households, and 57 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 96 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.98%

, 2.51%

and 0.50% Asian.

or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population. There were 85 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,481, and the median income for a family was $26,932. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $23,750 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 $13,186. About 21.3% of families and 21.1% 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 20.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those 65 or over.

References

External links

* Historic maps of Blackwater 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 Cooper County, Missouri Cities in Missouri Columbia metropolitan area (Missouri)