Skidmore, Missouri

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Skidmore, Missouri
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Memorial to Bobbie Joe Stinnett


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Skidmore, Missouri

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mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 = U.S. Census Map

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Missouri
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Nodaway
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 0.8
area_land_km2 = 0.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 0.3
area_land_sq_mi = 0.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 342
population_density_km2 = 408.8
population_density_sq_mi = 1058.8

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 288
elevation_ft = 945
latd = 40 |latm = 17 |lats = 19 |latNS = N
longd = 95 |longm = 4 |longs = 44 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 64487
area_code = 660
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 29-68132GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0726506GR|3
website =
footnotes =

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 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). [ [http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?sid=2e6e9cef75f05a99ffb0674ed8ecfd30&idno=umls000020&c=umlib&cc=umlib&q1=Skidmore&seq=8&view=text Past and Present of Nodaway County Missouri – B.F. Owen & Co. – 1910] ] The railroad no longer operates.

Notable events

Two sensational 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. [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/ken_mcelroy/index.html] 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. The story of the killing was described in the book In Broad Daylight by Harry M. Maclean (ISBN 0-440-20509-3). In 1991 it was made into a made-for-TV movie starring Brian Dennehy and Cloris Leachman (although filmed in Texas). [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102106/]

The Ken McElroy shooting was also the focus of the A&E 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, Missouri. Branson was last seen by his friend on April 11, 2001 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 $20,000.00 , 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 [http://www.castlerecords.com] a $25,000.00 recording contract for any info in regards to Branson Perry's disappearance.

In December of 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. [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/women/women_killers2/11.html] The baby, Victoria Jo Stinnett, was found two days later in Topeka, Kansas.

Geography

Skidmore is located at coor dms|40|17|19|N|95|4|44|W|city (40.288488, -95.078955)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 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/sq mi (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.

References

External links

* [http://www.bransonperry.com Branson Perry Family Website]

* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0407/1101_branson_perry.html Article on Crime Library]
* [http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=46629 Branson Perry's Exclusive Web Story on America's Most Wanted]