Bureau Junction, usually called Bureau, is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census. The village name is shown as both "Bureau Junction" and "Bureau" on federal maps, and is commonly called "Bureau", including by phone companies and the United States Post Office. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Bureau Junction was the point where the Rock Island Line railroad's branch line to Peoria split. Track west and south of Bureau is operated by Iowa Interstate, while tracks east to Chicago were formerly operated by CSX but are currently leased to Iowa Interstate. History The village is named for Michel or Pierre Bureau. Their original surname was probably Belleau, but local aboriginals may have had difficulty pronouncing the "l" sound. One or both of the brothers ran a trading post near where Big Bureau Creek empties into the Illinois River from 1776 until 1780 or 1790. A man named Buero, of mixed French and Native American descent, and possibly a descendant of one of the earlier Bureau brothers, was operating in this area as a fur trader in 1821. In the 1870s Bureau Junction had a sizeable railroad operation as the halfway point on the railroad between Chicago and Rock Island. Geography Bureau Junction is located at (41.289155, -89.367837). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Bureau Junction has a total area of , of which (or 95.51%) is land and (or 4.49%) is water. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 281 people, 82 households, and 56 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 141 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 86.12% White, 0.36% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 1.42% from other races, and 11.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.61% of the population. There were 82 households, out of which 36.59% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.12% were married couples living together, 7.32% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.71% were non-families. 15.85% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.41% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 2.68. The village's age distribution consisted of 16.4% under the age