| Skidmore, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Memorial to Bobbie Joe Stinnett | |
| Location of Skidmore, Missouri | |
| U.S. Census Map | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Nodaway |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 945 ft (288 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 342 |
| • Density | 1,058.8/sq mi (408.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 64487 |
| Area code(s) | 660 |
| FIPS code | 29-68132[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0726506[2] |
Skidmore is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census. The small farming community which has a yearly "Punkin' Show", has made international headlines with high profile murders.
The Skidmore area was first settled in 1840 by William Bunton shortly after the Platte Purchase opened the area to settlement. Skidmore itself was platted in 1880 when M. Skidmore donated 20 acres (81,000 m2) to the Nodaway Valley Railroad Company (the agent for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad which was eventually taken over by the Burlington Northern Railroad).[3] The railroad no longer operates.
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Three killings that made front page headlines around the world occurred here.
In 1981, Ken McElroy was shot while sitting in his truck in front of the pool hall in town. Though dozens of people saw the event, all denied seeing anything that would help identify the shooters.[1] McElroy had a reputation as the "town bully" was alleged to have committed several area thefts and violence. Town residents had been upset over the inability of the courts to deal with him. In 1991 it was made into a made-for-TV movie starring Brian Dennehy and Cloris Leachman (although filmed in Texas).[2]
The Ken McElroy shooting was also the focus of the A&E Network program City Confidential, season two, episode twenty-two entitled, "Skidmore: Frontier Justice".
On April 11, 2001, Branson Kayne Perry, twenty years old at the time, mysteriously disappeared from near his home in Skidmore. Branson was last seen by his friend on April 11 at approximately 3:00 p.m. They were cleaning house for his father before he came home from the hospital. He told his friend he was putting jumper cables in the shed and would be right back. He has not been seen since. He left behind his van and personal belongings. The jumper cables weren't in the shed, but a few days later, they were placed there by an unknown person.
The family is currently offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of Branson Perry and/or the arrest and conviction of the person and/or persons responsible for his disappearance, and Castle Records is offering [3] a $25,000 recording contract for any information in regards to Branson Perry's disappearance.
In December 2004, Skidmore was once again the focus of national attention when Bobbie Jo Stinnett was murdered and had her unborn baby cut from her womb.[4] The baby, Victoria Jo Stinnett, was found two days later in Topeka, Kansas.
Skidmore is located at .[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3-square-mile (0.78 km2), all land.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 342 people, 148 households, and 96 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,058.8 people per square mile (412.6/km²). There were 173 housing units at an average density of 535.6 per square mile (208.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.42% White, 0.29% African American, and 0.29% from two or more races.
There were 148 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,500, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $20,156 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,881. About 14.7% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
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