Rulo is a village in Richardson County,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, United States. The population was 144 at the 2020 census.

History

Rulo was laid out in 1857. It was named for Charlie Rouleau, the original owner of the town site. In 1933, the foundation for the Rulo Bridge, a toll bridge across the Missouri River, was laid. The owner of the bridge was originally John Mullen from Falls City, together with a group of investors, the "Kansas City Bridge Company". Construction of the bridge began in 1938, after the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

decided to finance half the cost. The bridge was finished in 1939. During the early 1980s, a small group of

Christian Identity Christian Identity (also known as Identity Christianity) is an interpretation of Christianity which advocates the belief that only Celtic and Germanic peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic nations, or the Aryan race and kindred peoples, are ...

survivalists, led by Michael W. Ryan, began living in a religious cult located on a farm two miles north of Rulo, along the Missouri River. The farm was converted into a compound and the members of the cult would commit thefts throughout the Nebraska-Missouri-Kansas area. The stolen property would be sold in order to buy weapons and survival equipment for the group. Ryan was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death after the Nebraska State Patrol discovered that he was responsible for the torture murders of a 26-year-old cult member and a five-year-old boy. Ryan died of natural causes in prison in 2015. In 2013, a new bridge carrying U.S. Highway 159 across the Missouri River was opened. The 1939 bridge, deemed too narrow for

semi-trailers A semi-trailer is a trailer (vehicle), trailer without a front axle. The combination of a semi-trailer and a tractor truck is called a ''semi-trailer truck'' (also known simply as a "semi-trailer", "tractor trailer", or "semi" in the United Sta ...

and farm machinery, was demolished in 2014.

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 172 people, 85 households, and 43 families residing in the village. 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 116 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 70.9%

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 ...

, 23.8% Native American, 0.6%

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 ...

, and 4.7% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 85 households, of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.4% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the village was 48 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 34.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 226 people, 97 households, and 62 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 132 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 75.66%

, 23.45% Native American, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. In 2006 the population by the United States Census Bureau estimated at 197 a decrease of 29 (-12.8%). The average age was 39.2 years in 2010. There were 97 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in Rulo was 39 years. 24.8% of the residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between 18 and 24 years old; 23.9% were aged between 25 and 44; 27.4% from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $21,719, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $20,357 versus $17,292 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 $11,971. About 20.0% of families and 28.0% 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 52.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.4% of those 65 or over.

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 village has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Education

It is in Falls City Public Schools. File:Rulo, Nebraska (1917).jpg, Rulo, 1917 File:Rulo-bridge.jpg, alt=Steel bridge with three through truss spans, 1939 Rulo bridge File:Corp of Eng. 6-15-11 137.JPG, Rulo during the 2011 Missouri River floods File:Rulo, Nebraska US159 bridge from Nebraska 2.JPG, alt=Concrete bridge on concrete double pillars, 2013 Rulo bridge

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Richardson County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska Nebraska populated places on the Missouri River Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Nebraska Territory