USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 36
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CHAPTER XXXI
MONROE TOWNSHIP
This township is part of towns 17 and 18, range 3 west, and when created, in January, 1860, comprised all of the territory then lying west of Columbus Precinct. The first election was held at the house of Charles Whaley and the judges were Joseph Gerrard, Joseph Selzer and Charles Whaley.
Monroe is bounded on the west by Nance County and Wood- ville Township; on the north by Joliet Township: east by Lost Creek Township, and south by Oconee Township. The Lookingglass enters the Territory of Monroe on seetion 6 and wending its way along the western border flows into Oeonee from seetion 32. A branch of Lost Creek, Shell Creek and Cherry Creek water the east half of the town- ship. On seetion 5 is a hamlet containing one store known as West Hill. Near by on section 4 is a church and another one on section 7.
Monroe Township and that part of Lost Creek in Oeonee taken from it, attraeted settlers as early as 1857. Among them were Lean- der Gerrard and C. H. Whaley. Gerrard eame here, helped organize Monroe County, which subsequently became a part of Platte, and while a citizen of the Town of Monroe, now in Oconee Township, engaged in the eattle business, overland freighting and trading with the Indians during the period from 1857 to 1866. In the latter year he removed to Columbus. A full detail of his activities thereafter is found on another page.
C. H. Whaley also took up a claim here about the time of Ger- rard's arrival, and he, too, finally found his way to Columbus, where he became quite prominent in the affairs of that community and the county.
Robert E. Wiley, one of the pioneers of the county, arrived here in May, 1873, with his father, mother, four sisters and a few com- panions, and immediately became the possessor of 160 aeres of the community's rich soil. His first night in Monroe Township will not
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soon be forgotten. With a number of others, he stopped in a sod house, belonging to Henry Clayburn. Soon after all had retired for the night, a heavy rainstorm came on, such as frequently occurred at this time of the year, but this one seemed to the newcomers more severe than they had ever witnessed. The roof of the house was car- ried away, part of the earthen walls caved in, and the inmates rushed from their beds to secure anything at hand which would protect them from the drenching rain. Mr. Wiley was married in 1881 to Jane M. Brown. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Wiley had taught four terms of school in the township. Mr. Wiley became quite successful and at one time owned 500 acres of land.
Samnel C. Smith came to Platte County in the '60s. He was Government trader at the Pawnee reservation eighteen months. after which he located on a farm in Monroe Township, about 1866. Here he remained four years as a successful farmer and in 1871 removed to Columbus, where he opened a real estate office. Mr. Smith was agent for the Union Pacific Railroad lands in Platte and surrounding counties through which the road extended.
On section 5 is a locality known as West Hill, where there is a general store. On section 4 is the Lookingglass Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church, which was organized about 1880. In 1882 a meet- ing of the members was held for the election of trustees to hold prop- erty for the use and benefit of the society. Nels Munson was modera- tor of the meeting, and Jonas Anderson, clerk. The trustees elected were Nels Munson, Nels Olson, August Peterson, Frederick Peter- son and L. Hedlund.
William A. Walton was one of the large farmers and a breeder of thoroughbred Durham cattle of this township and settled on sec- tion 32. He was born in Maryland and in 1869 started West, stop- ping to visit his father, the Government Indian trader at Genoa. Here he remained and in 1871 bought out his father in the post trader- ship. Two years later he became instructor of the village Indians. In 1877 he located in this township, on what became known as the Elm Springs farm. Walton devoted much of his time to raising thor- oughbred cattle and took a great interest in educational matters. With others, he organized a library, known as the Loup Valley Library, located at Keatskotoos, in this township. It was organized in Janu- ary, 1881, with sixty volumes, and its officers were: James O. Tasker, president; George S. Truuman, secretary ; William E. Walton, treas- urer; Lafayette Anderson, chairman.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY BISMARK TOWNSHIP
At a session of the board held August 1, 1871, Bismark Precinct, consisting of towns 18, 19 and 20, range 1 east, was created and named Bismark. Andrew Mathias, Henry Lusche and C. Reinke were appointed judges; Henry Rickert and Benjamin Spielman, clerks. From this territory the townships of Sherman and Creston later were carved out. Bismark has the County of Colfax for its northern boundary line. On the south is Columbus Township, west Shell Creek Township, and north, Sherman. Short Creek coming into the township from the west, forms a junction with Spring Creek on section 3, which then forms a junction with Loseke on section 2. Then trending south, the reinforced stream empties into Shell Creek, which crosses the central part of the township from west to east. The topography of the country here is two-thirds level upland and one- third is rolling, and throughout, the soil is of a rich loam. The farms, with their improvements, take first rank in this agricultural prairie country. Corn, oats and wheat grow in profusion, and the staple industry is that of stock-raising.
Bismark has no towns, but cannot be said to be unfortunate in that respect, as its people are within a short distance of the county seat. With the modern automobile, with which many of the people are supplied, the journey has been shortened to a great extent, for it should be added also that Bismark has a number of very good thoroughfares leading into Columbus. There are five school dis- tricts, with passably good schoolhouses, and two churches.
Charles Schroeder was one of the well known men of this day in Platte County and an early settler in his township. Coming from Germany to the United States in 1862, he worked in various places and in 1868 located on a homestead in this locality. Here Schroeder farmed until 1873, when he moved to Columbus and opened a black- smith shop, which developed into a wagon and carriage factory. He established the first and only foundry and machine shop and also was an extensive dealer in farm implements, etc. The Schroeder mill, still in operation, chiefly owes its existence to the exertion and enter- prise of Charles Schroeder.
Edwin Ahrens was born in Oldenburg in 1833 and crossing the Atlantic, he set foot on the land which harbors no principality or potentates. He came to Nebraska in 1860, and finding his way to Platte County, located on section 23, in Bismark Township, becom- ing not only one of the first settlers of the county, but also of this
GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, BISMARK TOWNSHIP
GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SCHOOL. BISMARK TOWNSHIP
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township. He was a good farmer and stock raiser. In 1864 he married Miss Anna Loseke, at Columbus, who was also a native of Oldenburg.
William Gerhold was born in Pennsylvania. His parents re- moved to Ohio and when the war broke out he was in Charleston, Ill., where he enlisted for the Civil war. Previous to this, while a boy, he drove mules on the Ohio canal. Mr. Gerhold became quite prominent in the township as a farmer, citizen and public officer. He was for many years justice of the peace. Mr. Gerhold first spent three years in Columbus as a carpenter and bridge builder and in 1870 began farming in this township. He married Mary Wiss, at Columbus, in 1868.
Carl Reinke was the first settler in this township, locating on section 24. in what is now Bismark Township. A full description of Carl Reinke, one of the original thirteen members of the Columbus Town Company, is given elsewhere.
Henry Lusche, a native of Oldenburg, Germany, was one of the pioneers of this county and located on section 23, in 1856. He had in his home farm over seven hundred acres, where he raised large quantities of corn, wheat and other grain, besides cattle, hogs and other stock. He married Katherina Mistedt, a native of Oldenburg, at Columbus, in 1858, and was the parent of eight children.
IIerman Wilkin was one of the early settlers of Bismark Town- ship. He was also a native of Oldenburg, Germany, immigrated to America in 1859, first located in Pennsylvania, and then in Illinois, where he enlisted for the Civil war and served three years. He was with General Sherman in his famous march to the sea. Wilkin re- turned from the war to Illinois, where he remained until January, 1867, and then went to Wisconsin and married Miss Anna Wurde- man, a native of Oldenburg. With his bride, Herman Wilkin came to Platte County in the fall of 1867, and located on section 4, in this township, where he prospered and long was known as one of the prominent men of the community.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation was organized early in the history of the township and on April 4, 1906, the church was incorporated by Adolf Marty, Heinrich Buss and John Ahrens, who were elected trustees; Fritz Otte, clerk.
SHERMAN TOWNSHIP
Sherman Precinct was created December 2, 1872, and comprises township 19, range 1 east. J. Stauv, Herman Bockenhouse and
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Norman Small were township judges; John Riley, constable; Her- man Small, assessor; Herman G. Luschen, road supervisor.
This township is bounded on the east by Colfax County; on the south by Bismark Township; on the west by Grand Prairie Township, and on the north by Creston Township. The soil here is very good for general farming purposes and stock-raising. There is a super- abundance of water furnished by Elk Creek and its tributaries, Suiss Creek, Spring and Loseke creeks.
One of the early settlers who came to Platte County was John Henry Wurdeman, who removed from Wisconsin in 1869, and in March of that year located on section 10, Sherman Township. Like his neighbor, Herman G. Luschen, he was a native of Oldenburg, Germany, and possessed the capabilities of the German people for the making of first class farmers. Needless to say, Wurdeman became successful in his undertakings and before many years owned several hundred acres of well improved land. This he acquired through industry, frugality and good business judgment. Like others who came to this new country, he and his family were for some years deprived of many conveniences and even of actual necessities, which go to make life worth the living. His neighbors were few and far between. There were no roads to speak of and schools and churches were in the dim distance. He lived to see this section of the county blossom out as the rose, with many fine farms, comfortable buildings, good roads, schools, churches and all the conveniences of older com- munities.
Wurdeman's neighbor, Herman G. Luschen, who had first set- tled in Wisconsin, removed from that state to Platte County in the summer of 1869, and located on section 8. He was a man built physically and mentally to battle bravely and successfully against the trying difficulties met in the life of a pioneer settler. He was possessed of the habits and instincts of the builder, and coming here with the determination to make for himself and family a new home, he became eminently successful in his endeavors, soon having one of the well improved farms of this section. Mr. Luschen developed into a citi- zen and neighbor of value. IIe had, before coming here, earned a splendid record in the Civil war, having been engaged in many hotly contested battles in that great struggle for supremacy between the North and the South.
James Davis arrived here from Iowa in 1873 and settled on sec- tion 8. He was a good husbandman and a valuable citizen. Joshua
TWO VIEWS OF FLOWING WELL ON ADOLF GROTELUSCHEN'S FARM IN SHERMAN TOWNSHIP
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and Mary Davis, his aged parents, came with him and settled here permanently.
In 1878 Sherman Precinct had a population of 310, which showed an increase of 34 over the preceding year, of which 132 were Ameri- cans, 13 Irish, 3 English and 162 German. The agricultural report showed 3,380 acres under cultivation.
A German Lutheran Church was organized early in the '70s and a church building erected on section 2, in 1877. A burial ground was laid out across the road opposite the church, and the first interment there was of the wife of Julius Hempd, in February, 1877.
JOLIET TOWNSHIP
Town 19, range 3 west, was organized August 5, 1873, as Looking- glass Township, but later the name was changed to Joliet. It was located on the petition of B. J. H. Yerion and others, and the first election was held at the house of Robert Jones. The land here is about one-half rolling and about one-half level upland. The soil is a rich loam and is nicely drained by Shell Creek and its tributaries. This township is devoid of any trading point. It is bounded on the north by St. Bernard; east by Burrows; south by Monroe, and west by Walker and Woodville townships.
LOUP TOWNSHIP
Loup Precinet, or township, was created September 7, 1880, and comprises all of the territory on the south bank of the Loup Fork River, where the east line of section 24, township 17, range 2 west, joins said river; thence running south on the section line to the south- east corner of section 36, town 17, range 2 west; thence west on the section line to the west line of Platte County; thence north along the west line of Platte County to the Loup River. The first election was ordered to be held at district schoolhouse No. 37; judges, John C. Whitaker, John Graham, John Jaisli; clerks, John B. Kyle, J. G. Kummer.
Loup Township has no towns or railroads. Its northern boundary line is the Loup River; on the west is Butler Township, on the south Butler Township and Merrick County, and on the west, Nance County.
CHAPTER XXXII
GRAND PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
This township was erected May 7, 1872, and named Stearns Pre- cinct. On October 13, 1874, the name was changed to Grand Prairie. The territory of Stearns Precinct at its birth was comprised of town 19, range 1 west, and the east half of town 19, range 2 west. When Burrows Township was created this township lost that part of its territory lying in town 19, range 2 west, and it is now known as town 19, range 1 west. When established, the place selected for the first election was what was then known as the Half-Way House. The judges were Robert Gentleman, John Brown and William Gentle- man; clerks, O. E. Stearns and John P. Brown.
Grand Prairie is a full congressional township. Its soil is watered by Elk Creek and its tributaries. The land is about one-half rolling and one-half level upland, having a rich loam soil. There are no villages, towns or cities within the borders of Grand Prairie. Its farms are well improved and its people prosperous. With good schools and churches, splendid roads and a railroad just across its border line in Burrows, the citizens of this township have no cause for complaint. The boundaries are as follows: On the north is Hum- phrey Township, on the east Sherman, on the south Shell Creek and on the west Burrows.
At the meeting of the board of county commissioners held Sep- tember 7, 1875, all of the territory in town 20, range 2, was separated from Pleasant Valley Precinct and named Granville Precinct. A. G. Quinn, Riley Leach and Andrew O'Donnell were appointed judges of election; Abraham Rowe, clerk; II. A. Potter was appointed assessor; W. H. Selser and C. MeAlpin, justices of the peace; P. I .. Baker, S. C. Morgan, constables; G. W. Clark, road supervisor. The polling place for the first election was established at schoolhouse No. 38.
The persons whose names appear in the preceding paragraph, chosen by the board of county commissioners to control the township
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affairs until an election could be held to complete the organization, were chief among the men who first came into the township and settled here. They were all of good pioneer timber, well fitted for the strenuous undertaking of staking out homes on the open prairie, and braving all the vicissitudes of a frontier life. They accomplished their desires and made this township one of the best in Platte County. Special mention should be made of Henry T. Spoerry, who was early upon the scene of action and made his name familiar in all parts of the county through his activity in local public affairs. Spoerry was born in Canton Zurich, Switzerland, in 1835. He emigrated to this country in 1845, after an ocean voyage of thirty-two days, which was considered a short trip for those days. He took the train for Chicago, and upon arriving there discovered that the railroad extended no farther west. He went to Milwaukee, Oshkosh and other towns in Wisconsin, traveling over eighty miles of the journey on foot. Find- ing employment in sawmills of the different lumber camps of Wis- consin, he remained there until 1857. His home was at Milwaukee from that time until 1861, when he enlisted for the Civil war, becom- ing a member of the famous Iron Brigade, in which he rose to the rank of first lieutenant. Shortly after the war Mr. Spoerry came to Platte County, when the unbroken prairie stretched in endless extent in every direction. He clerked in a store for John Rickly until 1872, when he took a homestead in Grand Prairie Township and in- dustriously began working to improve a farm. Mr. Spoerry was among the first settlers here and held the office of justice of the peace a number of years. He was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 1877, to fill a vacancy, took an active part in educational matters and with his assistance the little schoolhouse was one of the first buildings erected here. This pioneer lived in a sod house for ten years with his widowed mother. After a successful career of over fifteen years on the farm, during which time he accumulated prop- erty, he removed to Columbus. For his third wife he married the widow of Vincent Kummer.
Henry T. Spoerry was one of the men who gave Grand Prairie its first start in life, and in speaking of the infant days of this township in a letter to the Journal, he had this to say, on December 11, 1874: "Since about all our expostulations and applications for aid have reached deaf ears, we will try what effect printer's ink will produce. Two years and eight months ago only one family was living in what is now school district No. 21, and at this day twenty- two families, numbering 104 persons, are actually living and residing
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in this district. Some families moved away this fall, with the inten- tion of returning next spring. This shows we are all new settlers, without the advantage of former years' abundance of crops. This last season 385 acres were sown in wheat, and 2,696 bushels har- vested, averaging not quite 7 bushels per acre; 37 acres were sown to oats and 724 bushels harvested, averaging 19 2-3 bushels per acre; 387 acres were planted to corn and not one bushel harvested: potatoes, cabbage and garden vegetables were a complete failure. At this day 1,079 acres are under cultivation, which proves we are not idle. Some of the wheat has been sold to pay last summer's store bills and nearly all of the oats has been fed during fall plowing. Fuel consists of prairie and slough grass. No other wood is growing in the district except what we planted here since our settling. The shoes and cloth- ing we brought are by this time worn out and as the grasshoppers have destroyed our crops, we are unable to replace them and conse- quently are at the mercy of the Nebraska storms."
Another carly settler here was O. E. Stearns, whose name was first given the precinet, and which was for some reason changed to Grand Prairie. Stearns took a very active part in the building up of this community and in 1877, among other things, the following was published in the Columbus Journal: "Stearns' Prairie, April 25, 1877. O. E. Stearns writes that at the last meeting of the school district No. 28, a school site was donated by your humble servant on the main road, 100 rods south of the house. Bonds to the amount of $400 were voted for a school building, and O. E. Stearns, Robert Gentleman and P. McNamara were appointed a building committee. The director, Alexander Shillitoe, reported that he is bound for the Black Hills and Stearns was elected in his place. There is hardly a grasshopper to be seen in the neighborhood. Wheat is now three to four inches high. I notice lumber being hauled to the next town west, presumed to be for the colony locating there."
Robert Gentleman, Sr., took up a homestead in Grand Prairie Township in 1872. At the time his son, Robert W. Gentleman, was twelve years of age. Here the family lived for many years. When Robert W. grew to manhood, he farmed for several years in Shell Creek Township and later conducted a livery stable at Platte Center. He then became a resident of Columbus.
Grand Prairie is well supplied with churches. The St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized January, 1879, by Rev. E. A. Frese. The original members were: W. Patschke, W. IIoefle- mann, M. Froehlich, F. Schure and E. Brundt. The first meeting
EVANGELICAL ZION'S CHURCH, GRAND PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
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was held in the district school and the first church was built in 1884. Present church built in 1898. The church has 200 communicant members.
The Evangelical Zion's Church of Grand Prairie was organized in 1890 and incorporated May 28, 1891. The Otto Kalweit and Gehring families were charter members. There were at first twenty- one voting members; now there are over a hundred. The church was built in 1893.
St. Mary's Church had been organized for some time when it was incorporated, October 24, 1893, by Bishop Scannell, Rev. Valen- tine Dorenkemper, pastor of the church, and Joseph Kruse and Vin- cent Wieser, two members of St. Mary's.
WOODVILLE TOWNSHIP
Woodville Township was created August 5, 1873, and comprises the north half of town 18, and south half of town 19, range 4 west. It is bounded on the north by Walker Township, on the east by Joliet and Monroe townships, on the south by Nance County, and on the west by Boone County.
At the time of its creation the board of county commissioners appointed B. F. Baird, Samuel Picken and H. Sanders, judges of election; Alonzo Getchell and Joseph Apgar, clerks; Joseph Fitzger- ald was appointed justice of the peace; John Harkins, constable; Joseph Apgar, assessor; H. A. Sanders, road supervisor. This part of the county is drained by Beaver, Spring, Branch and Looking- glass creeks and offers special advantages for stock-raising and dairy- ing. Woodville has no towns or railroads within its borders, but about two miles to the west is the Town of St. Edward, in Boone County.
The names of some of the first settlers in this township are men- tioned in the paragraph above, among those selected by the board of county commissioners to perfect the organization of Woodville Pre- cinct. These men formed the nucleus of a strong body of pioneers who came into the township and opened farms, built schoolhouses, churches and roads. Within a few years these men and women of brawn and determination placed Woodville permanently upon the map as one of the important agricultural communities in Platte County. The products from their farms, consisting of the cereals to which this climate is favorable and large herds of stock gave this section high standing and credit in the business world.
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The First Baptist Church in Palestine was organized and some time later, on November 14, 1889, it was incorporated as the Palestine Baptist Church, A. G. Rolf, P. G. Jones and S. Mahood were elected trustees, and W. D. Henchett, clerk.
HUMPHREY TOWNSHIP
On the 7th day of May, 1872, town 20, range 1 east, and town 20, ranges 1 and 2 west, was erected into a new township and named IIumphrey, but in 1875 that part of its territory lying in township 20, range 2, was taken to form a part of Granville Township, so that Humphrey is now in town 20, range 1 west. Its northern boundary line is formed by Stanton County. On the east is Creston Township; south, Prairie Township, and west, Granville Township.
The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad enters Humphrey Township at the extreme northwest corner of section 30. It is here that the Valley road crosses the Sioux City & Columbus Railroad, where the Town of Humphrey is located.
Humphrey is a full congressional township and one of the best in the county. Tracy Creek waters its northern boundary, together with branches of that stream, and also a tributary of Elk Creek.
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