Bonne Terre ( ) is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bonne Terre had a population of 6,903. Situated in the Southeast Missouri Lead District, lead mining shaped the history and character of the area from the earliest French settlers in the 1720s until today, even though Bonne Terre Mine (established by St. Joseph lead mining company in 1864) closed in 1962. Mine tailing piles eroded, and contaminated the area as dust, posing residential hazards or were washed into the Big River. Not until 1992 was the Bonne Terre Mine Tailings Site listed as a Superfund site; as of 2022 remediation is still ongoing.

The Bonne Terre Depot from 1909, the St. Joe Lead Company Administration Building and the Bonne Terre Mine, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The latter is spring water filled and has become a scuba diving attraction.

Bonne Terre is also home to the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, a 3000 bed prison of adult males who may have substance abuse issues or are mentally disabled, and where Missouri has conducted all of its executions since April 2005.

History

Lead mining era, 1860s-1963

The community was originally part of the Louisiana Territory and settled by Frenchmen in 1720 after they discovered lead ore. Two Frenchmen, La Motte and Philip Francois Renault, had left France in 1719 with 200 miners in search of minerals as part of the Company of the West. Surface miners referred to it as La Bonne Terre around 1825, meaning "the good soil" because of the lead. In 1828, St. Anne, the first Catholic chapel in St Francois County, was built here.

In 1864, Bonne Terre Mine was established by St. Joseph lead mining company which was incorporated in NYC the same year. In 1865, a new superintendent, J. C. Winslow, brought a number of Cornish miners.

In 1880, Bone Terre was platted as a town.

21st century

Chat dumps or mine tailing piles remain until today; lead dust contaminated the surrounding area and was a hazard to residents. Only in 1992, the Bonne Terre Mine Tailings Site was listed as a Superfund Site. As of 2021, over 1,400 residential yards have been remediated. The Bonne Terre East Tailings Flat is still used as a repository for lead-contaminated soils. Because lead levels in fish downstream of the mining area are elevated above World Health Organization Standards, the state of Missouri advises people not to eat fish they catch from the Big River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Bonne Terre had a population of 6,903. The median age was 37.2 years. 15.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 190.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 218.0 males age 18 and over.

94.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,796 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.6% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 6,864 people, 1,634 households, and 1,063 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,882 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.60% White, 18.72% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.10% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 1,634 households, of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.

The median age in the city was 34.2 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 37.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 67.1% male and 32.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census

The town has a lending library, the Bonne Terre Memorial Library. The Limestone building in the style of Italian renaissance was built in 1905 by St. Joe Lead Company director Dwight Jones.

The mine was the first in the network of St. Joe Minerals lead mines that led to Missouri producing 70 percent of the United States' lead in the Southeast Missouri Lead District. The mine was a target of Price's Raid during the American Civil War. The mine is open for tours and is also known as a scuba diving attraction.

The French village was a campsite on a trail branching of the Camino Real. Downtown architecture includes as the oldest building the Shepard house from 1869, while the former post office is from 1878 and a bathhouse (natatorium) is from 1889. The city hall from 1909 was built in Tudor style, and reportedly is a replica of Shakespeare´s home, while the modern city hall was built as a cash and carry store.

Notable people

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  • Ron Bockenkamp
  • Will Compton
  • Firmin V. Desloge
  • Ray Sanders MLB All-Star, later an MLB scout
  • Jon Simmons
  • Patrick Williams

See also

  • List of cities in Missouri

References

  • The Space Museum
  • Historic maps of Bonne Terre in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri