Dalton is a village in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Dalton is located at (39.397130, -92.991248).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.
History of Dalton
Lewis and Clark made camp at what would later be known as the Cut-Off on June 12, 1804, and it was here that the expedition met with Pierre Dorion, a man who had reportedly been with the Sioux for 20 years and was thought to have some influence upon them. The Lewis and Clark journal entry describes the Dalton Cut-Off as connected to the Missouri River by a creek. It was founded in 1907 by Nathaniel Bruce, a student and disciple of Booker T. Washington. The first permanent building was erected in 1909 after flooding forced a move to higher ground. In 1923, the school received funds from the state legislature to construct a model farm home, trade shop, and hog and poultry houses. Eventually the campus would expand to . Bruce shared Washington's view that a practical education for African American youth was best. The emphasis was on vocational and agricultural training. African American students from a relatively wide geographical area were bussed to Dalton where they studied agriculture, industrial arts, and home economics.
The demonstration farm and school came under the supervision of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture in 1924. Eventually Lincoln University, a then all-Black college in Jefferson City, took control of the school. The Supreme Court's 1954 ruling that schools were to be integrated forced the closing of Dalton Vocational School; the last school year was 1955–1956. Buildings and property were later sold at auction. The campus has sat empty since that time and all but two of the buildings are gone.
In 1979, Dalton resident Rod Skillman was a walk-on for the Missouri football team at defensive tackle and later played professionally for the New Jersey Generals ('83–'84) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats ('84–'92).
As for the village of Dalton today, the decline of the rural economy and flooding have taken their toll. The 1993 flood reduced Dalton to a grain elevator, a post office, two churches, a community center and a few houses. But the small community still celebrates its heritage with the annual Dalton Days festival.
Dalton Vocational School Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 17 people, 9 households, and 6 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 18 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 70.6% White and 29.4% African American.
There were 9 households, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.89 and the average family size was 2.17.
The median age in the village was 63.2 years. 11.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 0% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 5.9% were from 25 to 44; 47% were from 45 to 64; and 35.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 58.8% male and 41.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census