Cardwell, Missouri

Cardwell is a city in southwestern Dunklin County, Missouri. It had a population of 713 at the 2010 census.

History[edit]

Cardwell was laid out in 1895 by two brothers from Paragould, Arkansas, by the name of Bertig, who intended it to be the eastern terminus of the Paragould & Southeastern Railroad (though it was later extended further east). It was named for Frank Cardwell of the Bank of Paragould, who helped finance the project.^[1] Cardwell was incorporated in 1904, with J. R. Pool as its first mayor, and quickly grew in the following years, with agriculture and several small factories boosting its prosperity.^[2]

Geography[edit]

Cardwell is located near the intersection of U.S. Route 412 and Missouri State Highway 164 in extreme southwestern Dunklin County, about nine miles southwest of Senath and two miles east of the St. Francis River. The Arkansas state line lies just to the south, as well as to the west along the St. Francis. Its exact coordinates are 36°02’50”N 90°17’33”W.

The city has a total land area of 0.63 square miles, and an average elevation of 246 feet.^[3] The St. Francis River bottomlands near Cardwell are the lowest point in the state of Missouri, with an elevation of about 230 feet.^[4]

Demographics[edit]

At the 2010 census, Cardwell had a total of 713 inhabitants, grouped into 317 households, with a population density of 1,131.7 people per square mile. This figure represented a significant decrease from the 2000 census, when Cardwell had a population of 789. 96.35% of the inhabitants were White, 0.42% were African-American, 0.28% were Native American, 1.12% were from some other race, and 1.82% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 3.37% of the population.

The median age in Cardwell was 39.5 years, with 25.0% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 9.1% between 18 and 24 years old, 24.2% between 25 and 44, 25.1% between 45 and 64, and 16.5% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 50.2% male, 49.8% female.^[5]

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, the median household income in Cardwell was $24,183, and the median family income was $26,250. The unemployment rate was 10.5%. The per capita income was $14,755. About 26.7% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 48.3% of people under the age of 18 and 11.4% of people 65 years old or older.^[6]

Community Life[edit]

Cardwell and the nearby city of Arbyrd are served by the Southland C-9 School District, a PK-12 public school with a total enrollment of about 290 students. All school facilities are located in Cardwell.^[7] The Southland mascot is the Rebels, and the school colors are red, gray and white.^[8]

Two members of the Southern country/rock band The Kentucky Headhunters, brothers Doug and Ricky Lee Phelps, grew up in the Cardwell area. In the 1990s, they formed a gospel musical group, Brother Phelps, which recorded several hits.^[9]

References[edit]