Asian, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. There were 656 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% 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 2.87. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $38,152. Males had a median income of $29,333 versus $18,571 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,254. About 8.4% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over. History The Sac and Fox tribe once thrived on flatlands that gently fold into the Mississippi River. They called the area Oquawkiek, meaning “yellow banks.” White settlers arrived and kept the peace, thanks to Stephen S. Phelps, the founder of the village of Oquawka, who harbored respect for the native peoples. Phelps would befriend Abraham Lincoln, who was said to spend a lot of time visiting Oquawka. Here, long before his presidency, Lincoln supposedly met Jefferson Davis, then a faithful officer with the U.S. Army. And in 1858, Lincoln made a stump speech here, as did his rival and another Phelps family friend, Stephen Douglas, the first circuit judge in this seat of Henderson County. That period saw the peak of commerce in Oquawka, as a mill and shipping concern. Civic leaders saw great promise for growth, but — in a familiar story from the 19th century — that went to the wayside when railroads went elsewhere. Still, Oquawka survives well as a village, with 1,539 residents and a half-shuttered downtown that supports