Pollock is a small town in

Grant Parish Grant Parish is a parish located in the North Central portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,169. The parish seat is Colfax. The parish was founded in 1869 during the Reconstruction era. ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. It is part of the

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat and largest city of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 469 as of the 2010 census, up from 376 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

History

The town proper that sprang up in 1892 around a sawmill was named in honor of the manager of the Big Creek Sawmill and Lumber Company, Captain James W. Pollock. Pollock was for many years a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

, a community that did not allow black people to be there after sundown. Historian

Herbert Aptheker Herbert Aptheker (July 31, 1915 – March 17, 2003) was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He wrote more than 50 books, mostly in the fields of African-American history and general U.S. history, most notably, ''American Negro ...

reported a sign "Niggers stay out of Pollock" at the town's boundary during World War II when he commanded a group of black soldiers nearby. The town's official history notes "the few individuals of African descent" living in the Pollock area left soon after the Colfax massacre. The Louisiana Almanac reported that as late as 1990, Pollock still had no black residents.

Geography

Pollock is located in southeastern Grant Parish. U.S. Route 165 is the main highway through the town, leading north to Georgetown and south 16 miles to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. 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 town has a total area of , all land. Pollock is within

Kisatchie National Forest Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands (some of Louisiana's oldest ...

. Stuart Lake Recreational Area, part of the national forest, is southwest of the center of town.

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 376 people, 157 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 204 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.87%

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.53% Asian, and 1.33% 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 1.86% of the population. There were 157 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $28,125 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 $12,134. About 20.5% of families and 22.9% 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 33.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The

Federal Correctional Complex, Pollock The Federal Correctional Complex, Pollock (FCC Pollock) is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department o ...

, consisting of the

United States Penitentiary, Pollock The United States Penitentiary, Pollock (USP Pollock) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana. It is part of the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Pollock) and operated b ...

and

Federal Correctional Institution, Pollock The Federal Correctional Institution, Pollock (FCI Pollock) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana. It is part of the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex and operated by the ...

, is located nearby.USP Pollock
"

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.USP Pollock Contact Information
."

. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.

Education

Pollock residents are zoned to

Grant Parish School Board The Grant Parish School Board is an entity responsible for the operation of public schools in all of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. Text list/ref> It is headquartered in the town of Colfax. The parish is named for Ulysses S. Grant (18 ...

schools.

Notable people

* Henry E. Hardtner, timber magnate and Louisiana legislator * Russ Springer, pitcher for 10 Major League baseball teams spanning 18 seasons from 1992 until 2010

References

External links

Town of Pollock official website
{{authority control Towns in Louisiana Towns in Grant Parish, Louisiana Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana Sundown towns in the United States