De Soto, Illinois

History

De Soto was laid out in 1854 when the railroad was extended to that point. The village's name honors Hernando de Soto (c. 1496/1497–1542), a Spanish conquistador who explored the region in 1541–2. A post office has been in operation at De Soto since 1855.

De Soto was largely destroyed by the Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925. Sixty-nine people died in De Soto when approximately 30% of the town was destroyed, and of this total 33 were children at a local school that collapsed from the winds. The tornado affected Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 and injuring over 2,000.

Geography

De Soto is located in northeastern Jackson County. U.S. Route 51 passes through the center of the village, leading north 13 mi to Du Quoin and south 6 mi to Carbondale. Illinois Route 149 crosses US-51 in the village center, leading southwest 7 mi to Murphysboro, the Jackson county seat, and east 5 mi to Hurst.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, De Soto has a total area of 0.92 sqmi, of which 0.91 sqmi (or 98.70%) is land and 0.01 sqmi (or 1.30%) is water. The Big Muddy River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, flows to the east and south of the village limits.

Demographics

There were 645 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.90% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.83% were non-families. 28.68% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.39% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 2.42.

The village's age distribution consisted of 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,744, and the median income for a family was $65,216. Males had a median income of $35,635 versus $27,703 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,418. About 5.7% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2398695
3. "Explore Census Data".
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
5. "History". Village of De Soto, IL.
6. Callary, Edward. (September 29, 2008). "Place Names of Illinois". University of Illinois Press.
7. "Jackson County". Jim Forte Postal History.
8. (March 18, 2025). "100th Anniversary of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, Deadliest Twister in US History". [[WSIL-TV]].
9. US Census Bureau. "Gazetteer Files".
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.