THE TOWNSHIPS – HOW AND WHEN ORGANIZED

The first election was held in 1852, all of the territory included in both Risley and Yell counties was called Cass township. There seems to have been no legal authority for the use of this name, but for that matter there was no legal authority for the election and the name Cass township was used, probably, because it pleased those in charge of the election.

In April, 1853, after the organization of Webster county, all of the territory within that county was legally named Washington township. The following August, the entire southern tier of congressional townships (known as township 86) was detached from Washington township and given the name of Hardin township, and at the same time the next tier north, being township 87, was also detached from Washington and named Webster. So at the beginning of the year 1854, Webster country was composed of three townships, viz., Washington, composed of the north half of the county; Webster, composed of all congressional townships numbered 87; and Hardin, composed of all congressional township numbered 86.

In 1854, all of that part of Washington township within the present limits of Hamilton county was detached and named Boone, and it included all congressional townships numbered 88 and 89, in ranges 23-24-25 and 26. About the same time, congressional township 86 and 87, in range 23 and probably also range 24, were detached from Webster and Hardin townships and named Clear Lake. At the time of the organization of Hamilton county, therefore, its territory was divided into four townships, viz., Boone, Webster, Hardin and Clear Lake.

In March, 1858, the congressional township 89, range, 23, 24, 25 and 26, was detached from Boone township and named Cass, and thus some six years after the name was first used, it became legally the name of an organized township.

In 1861, the south line of Cass township was moved one-half mile north, and in connection with this action of the board of supervisors, Isaiah Doane tells the following amusing incident:

“June 17, 1861, there was a proposition presented to the board for removing the south line of Cass township to a little more respectful distance from Webster City, as it was then on the correction line and ran through the city. There seemed to be a sort of tacit, understanding that the measure would carry, and to the end that no legal laches might ever be found to create litigation, it was suggested that a resolution covering the case should be drawn by an attorney ‘learned in the law.’ Accordingly, one George R. Ammond, then with Jacob Skinner, was called in and ‘retained’ for the job. After due deliberation and a look of great sapiency, he dashed off the following resolution, the adoption of which was moved by Mr. Boak:

“ ‘Resolved, That all that part of Hamilton county, Iowa, lying half a mile north of the correction line in said county shall be known as, and shall constitute, the township of Cass.’

“When the question was open for discussion, the writer, with his characteristic want of reverence for superior talents or position, raised the point that the resolution, strictly construed, would not give Cass township an territory; that if, as intended, it cut off all territory within less than a half mile of the correction line, it would as effectually cut off all territory lying more than a half mile from the correction line, and that thus the township would be reduced to an imaginary line half a mile from, and running parallel with, the correction line. This construction was opposed and ridiculed with much spirit by the young attorney; but a part of the members agreed with the objector and a part thought the resolution sufficiently explicit; hence the discussion became animated, and quite a number of the professional men and literati of the city were asked to construe the meaning of the resolution; and like the board, they differed as widely and warmly as the original contestants. Finally the motion was put to vote and the resolution voted down by five to three.”

The board finally passed a resolution giving to Cass township, all of the territory in Hamilton county lying north of a line running east and west one-half mile north of the correction line and parallel with said correction line.

In 1858, the townships of Hamilton, Marion and Norway were also organized. Hamilton received from Webster township all of congressional township 87, range 25, and all of that part of the east third of township 87, range 26, lying south of Boone river. From Boone township, it received all of the south tier of township in township 88, range 25, lying east of Boone river, and it also received from Clear Lake township (or from Webster, as there seems to be some uncertainty as to which township the territory transferred belonged), sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, and the south half of sections 7 and 8 in township 87, range 24. The following July, Hamilton also received from Boone the southeast quarter of section 30-88-25.

To repay Webster township for the territory transferred to Hamilton, she was given from Boone township the south half of township 88, range 26, and all that part of sections 19, 30 and 31 in township 88, range 25, lying west of Boone river.

Marion township received from Hardin township, all of congressional township 86, range 25 and 26, and all that part of Webster township lying south of Boone river, not previously assigned to Hamilton township.

Hardin township was now extinct, having been entirely consumed in the appropriations of territory made to Clear Lake and Marion townships.

Norway township took from Clear Lake all of congressional township 86, range 23 and 24.

After the readjustment of 1858, Hamilton county was composed of seven townships, to-wit: Cass, Boone, Webster, Hamilton, Clear Lake, Marion and Norway.

Wall Lake township was created Oct. 20, 1860. It took from Norway township all of township 86, range 24, except the east half of sections 1, 12, 13 and 24.

Grove township was created Sept. 3, 1861. It was cut off from Cass township and contained all of township 89, range 26, except the south half of the south tier of townships and sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30 and the north half of 31 in township 89, range 25. Grove township did not exist, however, but a few hours at most, for on the same day it was organized, its name was changed to Fremont. At the same meeting of the board, the name of Wall Lake township, which had been organized about a year before, was changed to Ellsworth and Clear Lake was changed to Lyon and Norway was changed to Scott.

The townships of Grove, Clear Lake, Wall Lake and Norway had now been wiped off the map and the county was composed of nine townships, to wit: Fremont, Cass, Boone, Webster, Hamilton, Lyon, Marion, Ellsworth and Scott.

June 5, 1862, that part of township 86, range 24, which at the time of the organization of Wall Lake township, except the east one-eighth of section 25 and 36 were transferred from Ellsworth to Scott.

Rose Grove township was organized March 27, 1865. It was taken from Boone township and originally comprised township 88 and the south one-twelfth of township 89 in range 23, and the east two-thirds of township 88, and the south one-half of sections 35 and 26 in the township 89, range 24.

Blairsburg township was organized Sept. 3, 1867. It received from Rose Grove, sections 1 to 12 inclusive of township 88, range, 23 and sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in township 88, range 24, and the south one-half of sections 31 to 36 in township 89-23, and the south one-half of sections 35 and 26 in township 89, range 24. It received from Cass township the north one-half of sections 31 to 36, sections 25 to 30 and the south one-half of sections 19 to 24 in township 89, range 23.

November 20, 2868, the remainder of township 89, range 23 was transferred from Cass to Blairsburg as was also the north eleven-twelfths of the east one-third of township 89, range 24.

The name Clear Lake was revived June 3, 1868, when that township was organized, taking from Marion all of township 86, range 25.

Lincoln township was organized June 7, 1875. it was taken from Lyon and received all of township 87, range 23. On the same day all that part of Hamilton township located in township 87, range 24, was transferred to Lyon.

Williams township was organized Sept. 6, 1876. It received from Blairsburg township all of township 89, range 23, that was not then a part of Rose Grove township. On the same day Blairsburg township received from Boone township the south one-half of section 33 and 34, township 89, range 24, and sections 5, 6, 7 and 8, township 88, range 24; and from Cass, the remainder of the middle third of township 89, range 24.

Liberty township was organized Sept. 6, 1882, and at the same time, the township lines of several townships were readjusted to conform to congressional lines, and to do this, the board of supervisors passed the following resolution:

“Whereas, several petitions have been presented to this board asking that the boundary lines of the civil township boundaries in the north and east part of the county by changed so as to conform more nearly to congressional township lines, and in order to carry out the wishes of the petitioners as nearly as possible, and make the townships uniform in size and shape, be and it is ordered by this board that sections one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7), eight (8), nine (9), ten (10), eleven (11) and twelve (12) north of range twenty-three (23), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the civil township of Williams, and attached to the township of Rose Grove.

“It is further ordered that sections six (6), seven (7), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), thirty (30) and thirty-one (31), in township eighty-nine (89), north of range twenty-three (23), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the civil township of Blairsburg and attached to the township of Williams.

“It is further ordered the sections five (5), six (6), seven (7), eight (8), seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-nine (29) and thirty (30), and the north one-half (1/2) of sections thirty-one (31) and thirty-two (32), in township eighty-nine (89), north of range twenty-four (24), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the civil township of Cass, and attached to the township of Blairsburg.

“It is further ordered that sections: north one-half (1/2) of sections thirty-one (31) and thirty-two (32), in township eighty-nine (89), north of range twenty-four (24), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the civil township of Blairsburg, and sections thirteen (13), fourteen (14), fifteen (15), sixteen (16), twenty-one (21), twenty-two(22), twenty-three (23), twenty-four (24), twenty-five (25), twenty-six (26), twenty-seven (27), twenty-eight (28), thirty-three (33), thirty-four (34), thirty-five (35), thirty-six (36), township eighty-eight (88), north of range twenty-four (24), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, form the civil township of Rose Grove, and sections seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-nine(29), thirty (30), thirty-one (31) and thirty-two (2), in township eighty-eight (88), north of range twenty-four (24), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, form the civil township of Boone, which together constitute the congressional township eighty-eight (88), north of range twenty-four (24), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, is hereby created a new civil township of Hamilton county, Iowa, to be know by the name of Liberty.

“It is further ordered that the southeast quarter of section thirty (30), all of section thirty-one (31), except the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter and all of sections thirty-two (32), thirty-three (33), thirty-four (34), thirty-five (35) and thirty-six (36), in township eighty-eight (88), north of range twenty-five (25), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the township of Hamilton and attached to the civil township of Boone.

“It is further ordered that the southwest quarter of section thirty-one (31) and the south half of sections thirty-four (34), thirty-five (35) and thirty-six (36), in township eighty-nine (89), north of range twenty-five (25), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, be severed from the civil township of Boone and attached to the township of Cass.

“It is further ordered that sections six (6), seven (7), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), and thirty (30), and the north half of thirty-one (31), be severed from the civil township of Fremont and attached to the township of Cass.

“It is further ordered that the south one-half of sections thirty-three (33), thirty-four (34), thirty-five (35) and thirty-six (36), be severed from the civil township of Boone and attached to the township of Fremont.

“It is being the intention that the civil township of Rose Grove shall constitute the congressional township eighty-eight (88), range twenty-three (23), that the civil township of Williams shall constitute the congressional township eighty-nine (89), range twenty-three (23); that the civil township of Blairsburg shall constitute the congressional township eighty-nine (89), range twenty-four (24), that the civil township of Liberty shall constitute the congressional township eighty-eight (88), range twenty-four (24); that the civil township of Cass shall constitute the congressional township eighty-nine (89), range twenty-five (25), excepting so much as is within the incorporation of Webster City; that the civil township of Fremont shall constitute township eighty-nine (89), range twenty-six (26), west of the fifth principal meridian, Iowa, and that the boundary line of Boone and Hamilton townships shall conform to the congressional township line of eighty-seven (87) and eighty-eight (88).