Castorland 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 Lewis County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States; it is north of Lowville and southeast of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. The population was 360 in 2019.

History

The village name means "Land of the Beaver". The name stems from a colony of refugees from the French Revolution, established in 1792 to provide a new home away from the violence in France. The land, , was originally part of

Macomb's Purchase Macomb's Purchase is a large historical area of northern New York in the United States purchased from the state in 1791 by Alexander Macomb, a merchant who had become wealthy during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as a land speculator, sel ...

. It was purchased by ''La Compagnie de New York''. "Castorland" is a literal translation of the old Indian name of the area, ''Couch-sach-ra-ga''. Due to many reverses, including harsh winters, poor planning, and loss of livestock and funds, the colony was dissolved in 1814. Many of the original settlers from the Castorland colony returned to Europe or moved to larger communities.

Geography

Castorland is located in the southeast corner of the town of Denmark at (43.887379, -75.514002), on ground rising above the west side of the valley of the Black River, near the point where the Beaver River enters from the east. The village is located on

New York State Route 410 New York State Route 410 (NY 410) is a east–west state highway in Lewis County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a connector between New York State Route 26, NY 26, New York State Route 126, NY 126, and the vi ...

. The village of Croghan is east, Lowville is to the south, and

is to the northwest. 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 of Castorland has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

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 306 people, 115 households, and 74 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.06%

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 ...

, 0.65%

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 ...

, 0.33% Asian, 0.33%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.65% from other races, and 0.98% 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 1.31% of the population. There were 115 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% 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, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.23. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $33,125, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $35,714 versus $16,806 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 $12,101. About 1.4% of families and 13.3% 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 6.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.0% of those 65 or over.

The Castorland Medal

In 1796 the Paris Mint struck a

half dollar The term "half dollar" refers to a half-unit of several currencies that are named "dollar". One dollar ( $1) is normally divided into subsidiary currency of 100 cents, so a half dollar is equal to 50 cents. Although more than a dozen countries h ...

-sized token (''jeton'') to commemorate the "Franco-American Colony". Since that time numerous restrikes have been made and remain commercially available to collectors. While listed in ''

A Guide Book of United States Coins ''A Guide Book of United States Coins (The Official Red Book)'', first compiled by R. S. Yeoman in 1946, is a price guide for coin collectors of coins of the United States dollar, commonly known as the Red Book. Along with its sister public ...

'', it was not intended for circulation.The Castorland Jeton or demi écus "Half Dollar" of 1796: Introduction
/ref>

References

External links

* {{authority control French-American culture in New York (state) Villages in New York (state) Populated places established in 1792 Villages in Lewis County, New York 1792 establishments in New York (state)