Kirksville, Missouri

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Template:Infobox City Kirksville is a city located in Adair County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,988. It is the county seat of Adair CountyTemplate:GR. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises of Adair and Schuyler counties

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Noteworthy events in Kirksville history
5 Features of interest
6 Major employers
7 People associated with Kirksville and surrounding cities
8 External links

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Geography

Kirksville is located at 40°11'37" North, 92°34'46" West (40.193520, -92.579529)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.2 km² (10.5 mi²). 27.1 km² (10.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.38% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 16,988 people, 6,583 households, and 2,975 families residing in the city. The population density was 627.1/km² (1,624.0/mi²). There were 7,303 housing units at an average density of 269.6/km² (698.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.38% White, 1.73% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 1.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,583 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.8% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.6% under the age of 18, 37.6% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,836, and the median income for a family was $36,772. Males had a median income of $26,776 versus $22,309 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,388. 30.6% of the population and 14.4% of families were below the poverty line. 20.7% of those under the age of 18 and 13.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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History

The first permanent settlement in Adair County began in 1828. Most of the settlers were from Kentucky. This was twenty-five years after the Louisiana Purchase and four years after the Sac and Fox Indians surrendered their claims to the land. The original settlement was six miles west of present-day Kirksville, along the Chariton River, which later was called The Cabins. The area was named after John Adair who was governor of Kentucky at the time. The town of Kirksville was laid out in 1841 and became the county seat on May 18, 1842. It was first known as Long Point, then as Hopkinsville before its current name.

According to tradition, Jesse Kirk, Kirksville’s first postmaster, shared a dinner of turkey and whisky with surveyors working in the area on the condition that they would name the town after him. Not only the first postmaster, Kirk was also the first to own a hotel and a tavern in Kirksville.

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Noteworthy events in Kirksville history

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The Big Neck War

"Cabins of White Folks", a very small settlement near what is now Kirksville, had been established for one year in July 1829, when a large party of Iowa (or Ioway) led by Chief Big Neck returned to their former hunting grounds, in violation of treaty. One of the Ioway's dogs killed a pig, and they threatened (or according to some sources insulted) the white women. The settlers sent messengers south to Randolph County. Captain William Trammell led a party north to help, and engaged the Indians. Routed, they returned to the cabins, got the women, and headed for Huntsville. Four of the Randolph men, including Trammell, were killed in the fight. A group of militia under General John B. Clark pursued and apprehended Big Neck and his braves, Big Snake, Young Knight, and One-that-Don't-Care. The Ioway tribsemen were captured March 11, 1830, and put on trial by a grand jury of Randolph County. The jury found on March 31, 1830, that: "After examining all the witnesses, and maturely considering the charges for which these Iowa Indians are now in confinement, we find them not guilty, and they are at once discharged."

source: History of Randolph County

The leniency of the verdict is remarkable, given the racism and hysteria of the period. Other contemporary accounts note that the corpse of Capt. Trammell was undesecrated (fires had been built on the chests of others); according to one Indian who participated in the fight, this was done as a mark of respect for the courage he had shown in the fight.

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The Battle of Kirksville

Template:Main The Battle of Kirksville was fought in August 1862 during the American Civil War. Union troops led by John McNeil forced Confederate volunteers under Joseph Porter to vacate the city. Casualty estimates (almost entirely Confederate) range from 150-200 dead and up to 400 wounded.

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The Kirksville Cyclone

On the evening of April 27, 1899, a cyclone passing through Adair County cut a path of destruction three blocks wide, killed 32 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings. The popular song "Just as the Storm Passed O'er" was based on the event, and the Kimball Piano Company exploited the incident for its advertising, when one of their instruments was carried a long distance by the tornado but still found in working condition.

The external link below to Special Collections, Pickler Memorial Library at Truman State University provides many photos.

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Features of interest

Kirksville is home to two institutions of higher learning:

Truman State University, originally the North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College, and more recently Northeast Missouri State University.
A.T. Still University, home of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the founding osteopathic medical school. The campus in Kirksville also includes ATSU's School of Health Management.

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Water sources

Kirksville is served by two watersheds. Hazel Creek Lake, formed in 1982, was first used as a water source the next year. The larger water source, Forest Lake, was formed by the city in the 1950s when it dammed Big Creek. Forest Lake anchors the Thousand Hills State Park, located just west of the city.

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Transportation

State highways 6, 11, and U.S. Highway 63 run through Kirksville. In late 2005, a four-lane stretch of U.S. 63 between Kirksville and Macon opened, partially funded by a one-half cent sales tax passed by Kirksville voters in 2002. However, the new four-lane stretch does not enter Kirksville or Macon; the Missouri Department of Transportation will construct the remaining lanes in 2007, forgoing a bypass of either city.

The City of Kirksville operated the Kirksville Regional Airport (formerly Clarence Cannon Airport), four miles south of the city, by the village of Millard. Kirksville, by way of La Plata, is serviced by Amtrak's Southwest Chief.

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Aviation

In 1952, the United States Air Force opened a radar base that was home to the 790th Radar Squadron, an Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, in Sublette, about 10 mi (15 km) north of Kirksville. The Air Force deactivated the 790th Radar Squadron in 1968. The Federal Aviation Administration took over running the radar and most of the surrounding 78.51 acres were given to Northeast Missouri State University.[1] The current radar, an Air Route Surveillance Radar - Model 3, is a long-range radar that feeds data to air traffic control centers that control aircraft flying over the region.

Three fatal airplane accidents have occurred near Kirksville:

On May 6, 1935, a plane carrying Senator Bronson Cutting of New Mexico crashed south of Kirksville, killing him. As a result, Congress created the Civil Aeronautics Administration.[2][3].
On May 22, 1962, Continental Airlines Flight 11, heading to Kansas City from Chicago under heavy weather, was brought down by a dynamite explosion northwest of Kirksville. Some aviation historians consider this the first act of aviation terrorism in history.
On October 20, 2004, Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 (now RegionsAir) crashed just south of Kirksville Regional Airport, killing 13 of 15 passengers and crew.

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Kirksville media

Paired with Ottumwa, Iowa, Kirksville is a media market region, ranked 199 by Nielsen, and home to an ABC affiliate, KTVO-TV 3. Kirksville is home to seven radio stations.


Frequency	Call sign	Nickname	Format	Owner	Web site
1450 AM	KIRX	News, Talk and Good Time Oldies	Oldies Simulcast	KIRX Group	[4]
88.7 FM	KTRM	The Edge	College Radio/Alternative	Truman State University	[5]
89.7 FM	KKTR		National Public Radio Simulcast of KBIA-FM Columbia	Truman State University	[6]
90.7 FM	KGHN	Christian Radio	Religious	C.A.R.E. Broadcasting	[7]
93.7 FM	KTUF	K-TUF	Country Simulcast	KIRX Group	[8]
94.5 FM	KRXL	The X	Classic Rock	KIRX Group	[9]
107.9 FM	KLTE		Religious	Bott Radio Network	[10]

The Kirksville-Ottumwa DMA includes a FOX affiliate, KYOU-TV 15, and is covered by NBC and CBS from Hannibal-Quincy and, in some areas, Kansas City. Radios in Kirksville can also pick up stations from Brookfield, Macon, Moberly, Hannibal-Quincy, and Keokuk, Iowa.

In print, Kirksville is served by the Daily Express six days a week and on Thursdays by the Truman Index, the weekly newspaper produced by students at Truman State University.

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