BlockTolu, Kentucky
23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1916 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the West Crittenden census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42064. It stands on Caney Fork. The Survey maps it on the Cave-in-Rock quadrangle. 81 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 377 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresTolu fell from 88 to 81 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 88 | |
| 2020 | 81 | -7 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
16 surveys from 23 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1916 USGS Cave in Rock quadrangle1:62500
- 1916 USGS Fords Ferry quadrangle1:62500
- 1921 USGS Fords Ferry quadrangle1:48000
- 1925 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1949 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:24000
- 1954 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:62500
- 1961 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1996 USGS Cave-In-Rock quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
21 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 21 fires within 5 miles of Tolu between 1994 and 2020, burning about 121 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 6 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Shawnee National Forest | POUNDS HOLLOW #76 |
| 16 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Shawnee National Forest | BARREL |
| 17 August 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Shawnee National Forest | PICNIC |
| 27 July 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Shawnee National Forest | TOWER ROCK |
| 11 April 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 15 acres | Shawnee National Forest | TOWER ROCK |
| 7 March 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 March 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 March 2010 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Shawnee National Forest | CAVE IN ROCK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 20 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 20 workings within 5 miles of Tolu: 17 past producers, 2 prospects, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Stone, Lead, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin City Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Patrick Mine | Lead, Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite | Occurrence | Fluorite, Galena, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | |
| Patrick Mine | Zinc, Lead, Fluorine-Fluorite | Prospect | ||
| Alco-Palmer Lead Mine | Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Alco-Palmer Lead Mine | Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Lead Hill Mine | Lead, Fluorine-Fluorite | Past Producer | ||
| Dimick Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Past Producer | Fluorite | |
| Dimick Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Past Producer | ||
| Eureka Fluorspar Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Past Producer | Fluorite, Galena | |
| Eureka Fluorspar Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
22 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tolu in 22 storm reports between 1995 and 2020: 13 flood, 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2011 | Flood | Tolu | $300,000 | Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. Based on data from river gages in nearby Pope and Gallatin Counties in Illinois, the flood crest of 2011 was two to three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still 6 to 9 feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Crittenden County from an even higher crest that would have inundated even larger areas of the county. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly. The community of Tolu was evacuated, and water was halfway up the windows of a house in Tolu. U.S. Highway 60 was closed just west of the Tradewater River bridge. Backwater from the Ohio River contributed to major flooding on the Tradewater River. About two dozen houses were flooded or threatened countywide. |
| March 2018 | Flood | Tolu | $50,000 | Moderate flooding continued along the Ohio River from late February. The river crested very early in March. Tributaries such as the Tradewater River flooded extensively due to backwater flooding from the Ohio River. Flooding of the Tradewater River forced a couple of state roads to close. Countywide, numerous county roads and some state roads were closed. There were about ten state road closures. The Cave-In-Rock ferry connecting Illinois and Kentucky was closed due to flooding. Schools opened one hour late on some days during the flooding. |
| February 2019 | Flood | Tolu | $20,000 | Moderate flooding of the Ohio River occurred. At the Shawneetown, IL gage, the river crested at 48.96 feet on February 20. Flood stage there is 33 feet, and moderate flooding begins at 43 feet. The ferry from Hardin County, IL to Crittenden County was shut down due to high water for an extended period of time. Several state roads and numerous county roads were flooded. Backwater flooding along the Tradewater River affected areas near the Webster County line. Large areas of agricultural land were flooded. Crop losses were negligible since planting was not yet underway. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tolu | $15,000 | Tree damage was reported in northwest Crittenden County. Large tree limbs were blown down in Tolu, damaging vehicles. Several miles west-northwest of Marion, a tree was down along State Route 1668. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tolu | $8,000 | County road crews opened several county roads that were blocked by fallen trees or limbs. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tolu | $5,000 | Trees, power lines, and a power pole were downed. |
| November 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tolu | $4,000 | Several trees were blown down. |
| June 1998 | Hail | Tolu | $4,000 | Golf ball size hail occurred. Tree limbs were down. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tolu | $3,000 | Windows were blown out of a house. Large trees were blown down. |
| January 2016 | Flood | Tolu | - | Minor flooding of the Ohio River continued into January. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater, along with some river access roads. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Tolu | - | The Ohio River rose above flood stage late in the month, but the river did not crest until early January. In December, there was flooding of low-lying fields and woodlands. Some river access roads were underwater. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Tolu | - | Golf-ball hail fell near Tolu. Hail bigger than golf balls fell at the Marion Police Department. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Tolu | - | Minor flooding of the Ohio River occurred. At the Golconda, IL gage, the river crested at 48.62 feet on March 27. Flood stage there is 40 feet, and moderate flooding begins at 50 feet. The ferry from Hardin County, IL to Crittenden County was shut down due to high water for an extended period of time. The ferry operator reported the shutdown was longer than the Flood of 1997. Large areas of agricultural land were flooded. Crop losses were negligible since planting was not yet underway. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Tolu | - | Many roads were impassable for a short time. Water rose over U.S. Highway 60 near the Union County line. Several county roads were closed for a couple of days. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| February 2018 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| April 2018 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| December 2011 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Tolu | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Flood | Tolu | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnett (historical) | 2.0 miles | 24 | |
| Irma | 3.1 miles | 23 | |
| Milford | 4.6 miles | 24 | |
| Hebron (historical) | 5.4 miles | 23 | |
| Liberty Grove (historical) | 5.6 miles | 21 | |
| Glendale (historical) | 5.9 miles | 21 | |
| Blooming Rose (historical) | 5.9 miles | 21 | |
| Sheridan | 6.1 miles | 21 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Tolu | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q7814653 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 515965. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.