Linneus, Missouri
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1946 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Locust Creek Township. It lies in ZIP code area 64653. It stands on Couch Branch. The Survey maps it on the Linneus quadrangle. 281 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 827 feet above sea level.
On record in Linneus
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Linn County Courthouselisted 1999- Linn County Jail and Sheriff's Residencelisted 2001
Population over time
2 figuresLinneus grew from 278 to 281 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 | 278 | |
| 2020 | 281 | +3 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 11 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.
- 1946 USGS Brookfield quadrangle1:62500
- 1948 USGS Brookfield quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Moberly quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Moberly quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Moberly quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Moberly quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Chillicothe quadrangle1:100000
- 1984 USGS Linneus quadrangle1:24000
What happened here
An account from the chapter on Locust Creek township. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.
The Nichols Tragedy
Oil the morning of Febrnarj 10, 1867, Sid Nichols, a man some fifty jears of age, with a good character for honesty, etc., living on a farm in the township, committed one of those horrible deeds of murder and self-destruction that sends a thrill of horror through the communitj^ in which it occurs. Mr.
In the county-history sources
42,547 words on this townshipThe History of Linn County, Missouri. An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, published 1882 names this settlement in its chapter on Locust Creek Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
The township is now composed of about equal portions of prairie and timber, some very excellent varieties of the latter abounding. The general surface is level. East and northeast of Linneus lies the finest portion of the township. In the northern part, among " the white oaks," or on Bear Branch, and along Locust Creek are the most broken parts of the territory. The greatest extent of timber is along Locust Creek, but perhaps the most valuable is on Muddy and Turkej'' Creeks. On the latter streams there is excellent oak and walnut timber in abundance.
Passage source: The History of Linn County, Missouri. An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, published 1882.
A singular fact is to be recorded in this connection. When the township was first settled it was very difficult to find living water. Wells were dug to the depth of fifty feet or more without obtaining water. Especially in and around Linneus was this the case, and this state of affairs lasted for many years. Latterly this condition of things changed, and now Where once water could not be found, it gushes forth as readily and abundantly as it did from the rock at Horeb upon the smiting of the great Jewish lawgiver. Water-seers and well-wizards aver that the water is rising under all the surface of the earth in these parts.
Passage source: The History of Linn County, Missouri. An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, published 1882.
Underlying the surface of the earth, at a depth easily accessible, in many parts of the township, are large and valuable coal beds, some of which have been opened and are worked. The most important of these are the mines of A. E. Relph, on section thirteen, township fifty-eight, range twenty-one, and Mr. Harrison's, near the Linneus cemetery. The coal beds of the township run in a general direction, north and south, and are identical with those at Laclede, Brooktield, St. Catharine, and other portions of Linn county.
Passage source: The History of Linn County, Missouri. An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, published 1882.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Locust Creek Township - it names this place 126 more 126 times.
Fires near this place
8 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Linneus between 1999 and 2018, burning about 161 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | 178028-05827-04232018-0445 |
| 23 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | 176721-05827-04232018-0320 |
| 23 March 2002 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 19 November 1999 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 27 January 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 27 January 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 26 January 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 58 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | 176723-05827-01262018-1144 |
| 22 January 2002 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 12 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Linneus: 12 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Ben Parry Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Brinkley Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Singleton Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
21 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Linneus in 21 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 9 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | $50,000 | Thunderstorm straight line wind gusts were estimated from 80 to 100 mph. One residential building, just west of Highway 5, had its roof taken off. The residents were not home at the time. Many large trees were reported down, along with several barb wired fences. |
| July 1995 | Tornado | Linneus | $8,000 | The Missouri Highway Patrol reported a tornado on the ground north of Linneus. The landmark Little Red School House in Linn County was leveled. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | About a mile to two miles south of the main tornado circulation widespread unidirectional wind damage occurred, likely as a result of a strong rear flank downdraft. This RFD wind was responsible for numerous damaged residences and outbuildings across Linn County. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | About a mile to two miles south of the main tornado circulation widespread unidirectional wind damage occurred, likely as a result of a strong rear flank downdraft. This RFD wind was responsible for numerous damaged residences and outbuildings across Linn County. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | About a mile to two miles south of the main tornado circulation widespread unidirectional wind damage occurred, likely as a result of a strong rear flank downdraft. This RFD wind was responsible for numerous damaged residences and outbuildings across Linn County. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Linneus | - | Route B was closed in both directions near Linneus. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | A tree was blown over with thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to 60 mph. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph, caused 4 to 6 inch diameter tree branches to snap off on Route P. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | Trees reported down by ham radio. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Linneus | - | Brief tornado touchdown in open country. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Linneus | - | A cooperative observer reported dime-size hail during a severe thunderstorm at Linneus. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| February 2000 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Linneus | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Linneus | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdin | 5.2 miles | 11 | |
| Grantsville | 6.0 miles | 11 | |
| Laclede | 6.5 miles | 11 | |
| Hecla | 7.4 miles | 14 | |
| Leverton | 8.2 miles | 11 | |
| Meadville | 8.9 miles | 14 | |
| Shafter | 8.9 miles | 14 | |
| Brookfield | 8.9 miles | 11 |
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 Linneus | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q577271 | 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 736318. 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.







