Bogue Chitto is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) situated in Kemper and Neshoba counties,

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 ...

. The population was 864 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians () is one of three federally recognized tribes of Choctaw, an indigenous Indian people, and the only one in the state of Mississippi. On April 20, 1945, this tribe was organized under the Indian Reorgan ...

Reservation and the population is 93% Choctaw.

History

During

Freedom Summer Freedom Summer, also known as Mississippi Freedom Summer (sometimes referred to as the Freedom Summer Project or the Mississippi Summer Project), was a campaign launched by civil rights movement, American civil rights activists in June 1964 to r ...

of 1964 and a voter registration drive, three civil rights workers:

James Chaney James Earl Chaney (May 30, 1943 – June 21, 1964) was an American civil rights activist. He was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) civil rights workers murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan on June 2 ...

, Andrew Goodman and

Michael Schwerner Michael Henry Schwerner (November 6, 1939 – June 21, 1964) was an American civil rights activist. He was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) field workers murdered in rural Neshoba County, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux K ...

, were killed by Ku Klux Klan members about 10 miles north of Bogue Chitto on the night of June 21, 1964. Their bodies were discovered by the FBI and other law enforcement, buried in an earthen dam on the Old Jolly Farm in

Neshoba County, Mississippi Neshoba County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,087. Its county seat is Philadelphia. The county is known for the Neshoba County Fair and harness horse r ...

in August 1964. The murders galvanized national attention and contributed to passage of the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

. The events were the subject of the 1988 drama film ''

Mississippi Burning ''Mississippi Burning'' is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 investigation into the deaths of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars ...

''.

Etymology

The name Bogue Chitto, meaning "Big Creek," comes from the

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

words "bok" (creek) and "chito" (big).

Geography

Much of the Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation is in Neshoba County with a portion extending into western Kemper County. Bogue Chitto is one of 8 communities in the nation. 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 CDP has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.4 km), of which 6.3 square miles (16.3 km) are land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km) (0.63%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 864 people, 114 households, and 92 families residing in the CDP. 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 2000, there were 533 people, 160 households, and 127 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 5.82%

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 ...

, 0.38%

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 ...

, 92.68% Native American, and 1.13% 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 comprised 0.38% of the population. There were 160 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.9% 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, 31.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 11.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.48. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 34.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $18,641, and the median income for a family was $16,597. Males had a median income of $18,250 versus $15,240 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 CDP was $6,080. About 56.1% of families and 54.2% 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 58.3% of those under age 18 and 80.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Neshoba County portion of Bogue Chitto is served by the

Neshoba County School District The Neshoba County School District is a public school district based in Neshoba County, Mississippi (USA). The district headquarters are in Philadelphia, Mississippi. See Philadelphia. The district's physical boundaries include Pearl River an ...

. The Kemper County School District serves the portion of Bogue Chitto that lies in Kemper County. Native American students are eligible to attend schools in the Choctaw Tribal School System, which is operated by the Mississippi Band of

Indians. Bogue Chitto Elementary School is in the community.

Notable people

* The Hodges Brothers, bluegrass quartet

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Neshoba County, Mississippi Census-designated places in Kemper County, Mississippi Census-designated places in Mississippi Census-designated places in Meridian micropolitan area Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Mississippi placenames of Native American origin