Illinois Bend, Texas
unincorporated community
Illinois Bend is located in Texas
Illinois Bend
Illinois Bend
Location within Texas
Illinois Bend is located in the United States
Illinois Bend
Illinois Bend
Illinois Bend (the United States)
Coordinates: 33°52′54″N 97°29′14″W / 33.88167°N 97.48722°W / 33.88167; -97.48722
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyMontague
Settled1862
Founded byC. M. Ward
Elevation
797 ft (243 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)

Illinois Bend is an unincorporated community in Montague County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 30 in 2000.

History

The community was founded in 1862 by a small group of people who relocated to Texas from Illinois. It was formerly known as Wardville after the local landowner C. M. Ward. When a post office was established there in 1877, the name was changed to Illinois Bend. The community had 300 residents, two gristmills, numerous cotton gins, and several churches in 1885. Due to rail lines avoiding the village, its population had decreased to 112 by 1910. In the late 1940s, when one business was there, there were 68 residents. Sometime around 1930, the community's post office was shut down. There were just 51 people living in Illinois Bend by the late 1960s. The population had decreased to thirty by 2000.[1] It then went up to 40 in 2020.[2]

Early settlers were plagued by occasional raids from Comanche and Kiowa Indians who had been placed in the Leased Lands north of the Red River and on the eastern border of the Chickasaw Nation.[3]

On May 15, 2013, an F0 tornado struck Illinois Bend. It damaged a home and downed several trees.[4] Another tornado reportedly struck the community on March 20, 1955, injuring one.[5]

Geography

Illinois Bend is located on Farm to Market Road 677, 20 mi (32 km) northeast of Montague in the extreme northeastern corner of Montague County.[1]

Education

Illinois Bend had its own school in 1885.[1] Today, the community is served by the Saint Jo Independent School District.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Illinois Bend, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
  2. ↑ "Illinois Bend, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. ↑ Trevis, Michael. "Montague County Historical Markers". Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "1955 Tornadoes". Tornado Archive. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
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