Odin, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Odin, Illinois
Village
Location in Marion County, Illinois
Odin, Illinois Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Marion
Township	Odin
Area
• Total	1.00 sq mi (2.60 km2)
• Land	1.00 sq mi (2.60 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	525 ft (160 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	935
• Density	932.20/sq mi (359.85/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	62870
Area code(s)	618
FIPS code	17-55210
GNIS ID	2399560
Public Transit	South Central Transit
Wikimedia Commons	Odin, Illinois

Odin is a small village located in Marion County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, about 935 people lived there. This number was a bit lower than the 1,076 people who lived there in 2010.

History of Odin Village

Odin was first settled by people from Scandinavia. The village got its name from Odin, an important god in old Germanic stories.

How Illinois Became a State

The area known as the Territory of Illinois was separated from the Indiana Territory in 1809. Ninian Edwards became the first governor, and the main government office was in Kaskaskia. In April 1818, Illinois officially became the 22nd state in the United States. Shadrach Bond was the first governor of the new state.

Marion County and Odin Township

Marion County was created on January 24, 1823. It was named after General Francis Marion, a hero from the Revolutionary War. Odin Township originally included both Odin and Sandoval villages. However, in 1896, it was split into two separate townships: Odin and Sandoval.

Early Settlers and Railroads

The village of Odin celebrated its 100th anniversary based on when the Illinois Central Railroad received land grants. These grants allowed them to build a railroad from Chicago to Cairo. The railroad later sold extra land to farmers for a low price, allowing them to pay over several years.

Thomas Deadmond, from Virginia, was the first settler in Odin Township in 1827. He built a simple home in the timber. Other early settlers included Silas Barr in 1829, his brother James N. Barr, and Samuel McClelland in 1830. The Wilburn brothers, James Adams, Thomas Pigg, and John Hill also settled there early on.

Most early farms were in the timber areas. However, Bluford Deadmond was one of the first to farm in the open prairie. Other early settlers in the northern part of the township were G. L. Chitwood, John Davidson, John Puleston, John Vaugh, and Silas Hurd.

Odin's Growth and Community Life

Odin is about 65 miles from St. Louis and 244 miles from Chicago. It is located where two railroads, the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad, cross. The village was officially recognized as a town in 1865 and became a village in 1874. After the Civil War, the community grew and became a welcoming place.

By 1960, Odin had about 1,000 people, several churches, a public school, and a public library. It also had a brick and tile factory. Many community clubs were active, including the Odin Lodge, Odin Women's Relief Corps, American Legion Auxiliary, Odin PTA, and the Odin Fire Department.

Early businesses in Odin included general stores, a confectionery, a drug store, an implement shop, a paint store, a bakery, and a jewelry store. There were also livery services, a clothier, a print shop, barber shops, a bank, a hat shop, and real estate services. Hotels like the Virginia, Moddy, and Kellar provided places to stay. Blacksmith shops and a lumber yard also served the community. The post office was set up in 1861.

Schools in Odin's Past

The first school in Odin was a log cabin near the McClelland graveyard. As the village grew, Odin School used other buildings for extra space, like the Smith Hall and the Schumaker Building. Later, around 1898, extra classrooms were in the Presbyterian Church. Teachers' wages were low at first, but they slowly increased over time.

• Barr School: Built in 1834, this school was near Silas Barr's farm. Peter Welburn was an early teacher there.
• Brick School: Located two miles north of Odin, this school was built in 1856. In 1920, it was replaced with a new building. At one point, it had 70 students.
• Rankin School: The land for this school was given by the Hamlin family in 1884. Teachers' salaries increased over the years. By 1952, the school was sold, and students were taken to other schools.
• Lakeview School: This school was built in 1893.
• Forest Park School: Later known as Love School, it was built in 1892.
• Matthew School: This school was built in 1896.

Some old school rules included: no swearing on school grounds, no whispering, and always listen to the teacher.

Odin Coal Company

Citizens of Odin came together to start a coal mining company. They raised $25,000 to begin the project. Important local citizens formed the mine commission, including W. H. Phillips and N. B. Morrison, who became the president. The company was officially named Odin Coal Company.

The company started digging for coal in 1886. They expected to find coal at 600 feet, but they found it deeper, at 669 feet. When the coal was found, the whole town celebrated with a big picnic and speeches from important people like Governor Oglesby.

The Odin Coal Company paid its workers a daily wage. They sold coal to customers like the University of Illinois. However, in 1899, the University of Illinois had problems with the quality and amount of coal they received from Odin Coal Company. They decided to find another company to supply their coal.

Mine Safety and Challenges

Mining was a dangerous job. The Odin mine operated for nine years before its first serious accident.

• In 1895, an explosion caused one death and several injuries.
• In 1897, Fred F'elax was hurt by falling coal and passed away.
• In 1898, Charles Denman fell down the shaft and died. His wife later received money from the company.
• In 1899, William Risinger was killed by falling slate.
• In 1900, Evert Turner, a mule driver, was caught between equipment and died.
• In 1902, Louis Kirgan was killed by falling slate.
• In 1903, Greene Harris also died from falling slate.
• In 1907, two men died within three days: Elmer Shinn from falling slate, and Edmond Poole from a delayed explosion.

The mine had a good safety record from 1907 to 1936, with no fatal accidents. However, in 1936, James Bradley was killed by falling coal and rock. The mine also had two fires in the mule barns. The first fire in 1906 killed 18 of the 21 mules. The second fire in 1910 did not harm any mules.

The Odin Mine was fully developed by 1902. It could produce 1,000 tons of coal in an eight-hour day and employed 200 men. The mine worked well until 1924, when the old coal processing building (tipple) burned down. A new, modern tipple was built in 1925, but coal production dropped. By 1930, during the Great Depression, the coal business was difficult. The company could not compete with larger mines and faced financial trouble in 1936. The mine officially closed in 1938.

Geography of Odin

Odin is located in the western part of Marion County. U.S. Route 50 runs through the northern part of the village. This road leads east about 6 miles to Salem, which is the county seat. It also leads west about 3 miles to Sandoval.

The village covers an area of about 1.0 square mile (2.6 square kilometers), all of which is land. Water from the village flows southwest into Turkey Creek. This creek then flows into Crooked Creek, which eventually joins the Kaskaskia River.

Population and People

According to the census from 2000, Odin had 1,122 people living in 440 households. About 293 of these were families. The village had about 1,111 people per square mile. Most of the people living in Odin were White (98.48%). A small number were African American, Native American, Asian, or from other backgrounds.

About 34.5% of households had children under 18. Nearly half (48.6%) were married couples. About 13% of households had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.37 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 25.2% were under 18, and 19.8% were 65 or older. The average age in the village was 39 years old.

The median income for a household in Odin was $32,019. For families, it was $38,400. The per capita income (income per person) was $14,814. About 11.7% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 18.3% of those under 18 and 5.9% of those 65 or older.

Notable People from Odin

• Paul Farthing: He was a Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He was born in Odin.
• Chuck Hawley: He played and managed in minor league baseball from 1936 to 1954.
• Grover Lowdermilk (also known as Slim): He was a pitcher for several Major League Baseball teams.
• Lou Lowdermilk: He was a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and also played in the Southern Association. He also served as the mayor of Odin.

See also

In Spanish: Odin (Illinois) para niños