Marquette is a city in Clayton County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 429 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 421 in 2000. The city, which is located on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, is named after

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionary

Jacques Marquette Jacques Marquette, Society of Jesus, S.J. (; June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. M ...

, who along with Louis Joliet discovered the Mississippi River just southeast of the city on June 17, 1673.

History

Old Pontoon Bridge North McGregor Iowa 1885

Marquette is located directly across from

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlemen ...

, and the two cities are connected by U.S. Route 18, which crosses the river on the Marquette-Joliet Bridge. Effigy Mounds National Monument and the Yellow River State Forest are a few miles to the north. The city of McGregor is located just to the south. Marquette itself was originally incorporated as North McGregor in 1874, and it served as a railroad terminus for its southern neighbor. Along with McGregor, the city became a major hub on the railroad, as grain from throughout Iowa and

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

was sent through the city en route to

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. Initially trains had to be ferried across the river between Marquette and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in order to continue their journey, but this system came to an end when Prairie du Chien businessman John Lawler had a permanent

pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, is a bridge that uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the support ...

built to connect the two cities' rail lines. Marquette subsequently became home to a major rail yard, which even as late as 1920 was the busiest in Iowa, employing 400 people. Not too long afterwards, the railroad's significance declined, the last passenger train stopped in Marquette in 1960, and the pontoon bridge was disassembled in 1961. Today the city is a tourist destination along the mighty Mississippi River.

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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 429 people, 208 households, and 110 families residing 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 231.1 inhabitants per square mile (89.2/km²). There were 255 housing units at an average density of 137.4 per square mile (53.0/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

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 ...

, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 0.2% from other races and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 0.5% of the population. Of the 208 households, 22.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 7.7% were cohabitating couples, 24.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 25.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 47.1% of all households were non-families. 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 45.6 years. 20.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.1% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 and 44; 29.6% were from 45 and 64; and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 375 people, 182 households, and 104 families living in the city. The

was . There were 216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.7%

, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.3% 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 0.5% of the population. There were 182 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.60. The median age in the city was 46.6 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.2% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 421 people, 194 households, and 108 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.57%

, 0.48%

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 ...

and 0.95% Native American.

or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. There were 194 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.91. Age spread: 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

Education

It is within the MFL MarMac Community School District. The district formed on July 1, 1994, with the merger of the Mar-Mac and M-F-L districts.

References

External links

McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce website
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Clayton County, Iowa Iowa populated places on the Mississippi River 1874 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1874