Essex Township | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 41°09′32″N 88°11′19″W / 41.15889°N 88.18861°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Kankakee |
Established | August 1, 1855 |
Government | |
• Supervisor | Don Babjak |
Area | |
• Total | 36.23 sq mi (93.8 km2) |
• Land | 35.64 sq mi (92.3 km2) |
• Water | 0.59 sq mi (1.5 km2) 1.63% |
Elevation | 584 ft (178 m) |
Population (
2010) | |
• Estimate (2016)
[1] | 1,414 |
• Density | 41.5/sq mi (16.0/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 ( CST) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-5 ( CDT) |
ZIP codes | 60424, 60481, 60913, 60917, 60935, 60941, 60961 |
FIPS code | 17-091-24465 |
Essex Township is one of seventeen townships in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,480 and it contained 686 housing units. [2]
The now lost towns of Tracy, Oklahoma, and Clarke City, which housed coal miners in the 1800s, were located in Essex Township. [3]
According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 36.23 square miles (93.8 km2), of which 35.64 square miles (92.3 km2) (or 98.37%) is land and 0.59 square miles (1.5 km2) (or 1.63%) is water. [2]
The township contains these two cemeteries: North Essex and South Essex.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2016 (est.) | 1,414 | [1] | |
U.S. Decennial Census [4] |
The township is governed by an elected Town Board of a Supervisor and four Trustees. The Township also has an elected Assessor, Clerk, Highway Commissioner and Supervisor. The Township Office is located at 315 North Pine, Essex, IL 60935.
The most dramatic "lost towns" story took place in Essex Township...In the early 1880s, three towns sprung up to house miners exploiting a seam of coal...They lived in the towns of Tracy, Oklahoma and Clarke City...When the coal seam ran out around 1900, the towns were doomed. Tracy and Oklahoma disappeared quickly, but Clarke City declined more gradually.