Scales Mound is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 376 at the 2010 census, down from 401 in 2000. History The original town of Scales Mound was located at the base of an erosional remnant similar to Charles Mound, about a mile southwest of the present-day village. In 1830 Samuel Scales purchased the original village site from John Sole and built a tavern at the base of the mound along Sucker Trail, a major east-west corridor. The land that the present-day village of Scales Mound is on was purchased from the U.S. government in 1848 by a man named Dunning. Little is known about Dunning or the use of the land until the 1850s. In 1851 the Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) was established and it would become a major factor in the settlement of much of rural Illinois, including Scales Mound. In September 1853, anticipating the arrival of the railroad, the village of Scales Mound was platted by Josiah Conlee and B.B. Provost. During the summer of 1854 track crews from ICRR laid out of track between Scales Mound and Apple River and trains were running the line the day after completion. With the arrival of the railroad, Scales Mound's first building was constructed in the late fall 1854; a store built by Sherman Eddy. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 401 people, 164 households, and 108 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 188 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.25% White, 0.25% Asian, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.49% of the population. There were 164 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.08. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The