Whiteclay, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Whiteclay, Nebraska
Makȟásaŋ
|
|
|---|---|
| Whiteclay, Nebraska | |
Nebraska Highway 87 forms the main street of Whiteclay
|
|
Location of Whiteclay, Nebraska
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Sheridan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.07 sq mi (0.18 km2) |
| • Land | 0.07 sq mi (0.18 km2) |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 10 |
| • Density | 142.9/sq mi (55.17/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Whiteclay (Lakota: Makȟásaŋ; "whiteish or yellowish clay") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10 at the 2010 census.
A significant part of Whiteclay's economy was based on liquor sales to residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, located two miles (3.2 km) north across the border in South Dakota, where alcohol consumption and possession is prohibited. According to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, beer sales at Whiteclay's four liquor stores totalled 4.9 million cans in 2010 (~13,000 cans per day) for gross sales of $3 million. The four beer merchants paid federal and state excise taxes (included in liquor's sale price) of $413,932 that year. In 2017 the four liquor stores lost their licenses.
History
The border town of Whiteclay has always been tied to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to the north within the state boundaries of South Dakota. The majority of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) live at Pine Ridge reservation. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Oyate), also known as the Brulé Sioux, have an independent and federally recognized reservation to the northeast within the boundaries of South Dakota.
In 1882, after the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were already established, by executive order the United States government added a 50-square-mile (130 km2) strip of land in Nebraska known as the White Clay Extension (named after White Clay Creek) to the reservation. The area was created to serve as a buffer zone to help prevent the sale of alcohol to residents of the reservation. The language of the order said that the buffer zone would be used until it was no longer considered necessary.
In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order that removed 49 of the 50 square miles (130 km2) of the White Clay Extension from the reservation. There was no consultation with the Oglala Sioux Tribe as to whether they believed this was useful. Traders immediately established a post near the reservation border and started selling alcohol, and most of their customers came from the nearby reservation. The trading post developed as the unincorporated community of Pine Ridge, commonly known as Whiteclay. It reached its peak population of 104 in 1940, but residents have been considerably fewer for decades.
Geography
Whiteclay is located at 42°59′37″N 102°33′34″W / 42.99361°N 102.55944°W (42.993658, -102.559497).
For the 2000 Census, the CDP for Whiteclay was erroneously named 'Pine Ridge'. The name has been corrected to 'Whiteclay' in 2010 for all subsequent census products and reports. A small portion of the Pine Ridge reservation overlaps with the Whiteclay CDP in Nebraska. According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) known as "Whiteclay, Nebraska" has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (8.33%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14 people, seven households, and three families residing in the CDP. The population density was 15.8 people per square mile (6.1/km2). There were 9 housing units at an average density of 10.1/sq mi (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 64.29% Native American and 35.71% White.
There were seven households, out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, and 57.1% were non-families. 57.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $61,250, and the median income for a family was $76,250. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $53,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,394. None of the population or the families were below the poverty line.
Liquor license renewals denied
In April 2017, the three-member Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted to deny license renewals to the four liquor stores in Whiteclay, citing inadequate law enforcement in the area. The stores were allowed to operate until the existing licenses expired at midnight April 30, 2017. The store owners appealed the decision to the Nebraska Supreme Court, but their appeal was denied. Since then, the town has cleaned up, with fewer vagrants;
