Home » Illinois » Dupo

James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Dupo

Illinois

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Unions, Organized Labor?

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Probable
Was there an ordinance?
Don't Know
Sign?
Don’t Know
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Probably Not, Although Still Very Few Black People

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960 2239 1
1970 2937
1980 2979
1990 3164
2000 3933 3823 46
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

Main Ethnic Group(s)

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

Email 1/2008

I looked at the 1940 Illinois census info available online, but did
not see stats for Dupo – it was too small. I found a 1930 census list
for Dupo online – with the names of everyone who lived in town, but no
racial data. The family names were mostly German, with a few Irish,
French, and Anglo-Saxon names in the mix.

When I was going to high school in Dupo, there were a handful of
African American students, but they were all from East Carondolet
(which was “only” 92.5% white as of 2000) or North Dupo (counted as
part of Cahokia in the 2000 census), not Dupo proper. I was aware of
one black family that moved into a rural Dupo home (on Old Cement
Hollow Road – I can visualize where it is, but I do not know the
address) in the 1980s, only to be run out by a cross burning. It
seems likely that Dupo could be added to your list of sundown towns.

If I have time to do some more digging, I’ll be sure to pass along
whatever I find. Thanks for your insightful work.

In case you want to add it to your database, I did a quick census
search on Dupo, IL:

2000
total population 3,933
97.2% white
1.2% black

1990
total population 3,164
99.3% white
.2% black

1980
total population 2,979
all white (4 of Hispanic origin)

1970
total population 2,842
all white

1960
total population 2,937
[I saw nativity but not racial stats.]

1950
total population 2,239
99.3% white
1 “Negro”