Go West Young Man, Go West!

Page 102

 
 

Steve Shield's First automobile

 

   

    On July 3, 1854, West Township was constituted as a civil township. On that same date an election was ordered held at the house of James Shanks, which was a log cabin near the old railroad depot, on the first Monday in August next, for the purpose of electing township officers. At this election there were eight voters. Six Democrats and two Whigs as follows: Daniel Stennett and son, Wayne Stennett, James Shanks and son, G. A. Gordon, Joseph Zuber, Stephen Lane and one other name, unknown.  Wayne Stennett cast the only vote for the Maine liquor law -- a measure restricting the sale of liquor.  G. A, Gordon remarked when the result of the election was announced that he didn't think there was many among them fool enough to cast such a vote.  No returns of the above mentioned elections appear on the records.  However, we find that T. A. Petty was appointed in 1856 as agent to sell liquor in West Township for medicinal mechanical and religious purposes. That this business prospered is noted when a motion was made by the trustees that the sum of $293.13 be allowed in payment for liquor bought for the above purposes.

 

    The Township was a progressive one for we find in 1859 that B. F. Runnells was allowed $85.00 for building a bridge across Walnut Creek, the County retaining that amount out of the bridge fund.

 

    About this time G. W. Hunt and Charles Montgomery were appointed constables for West Township.  Isaac Hunt appears as assessor in 1861 and Perry Carr as clerk.  Wm. A. Mahan was re-elected as member of the county board for 1862, but refused to qualify; the county board declared a vacancy; the township trustees appointed Perry Carr; he was sworn in by the county board and served that year. At the same meeting that Carr took his seat Daniel Stennett

 

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1886 Carr Family Home

  

    1886 picture above is the half-way house, then owned by the Carr family, where the freighters and travelers stopped for the night in the days of the stage coach.  The trail crossed the Missouri river on a ferry at Nebraska City.  The farm on which the house stood is now owned by Henry Wookey. Pictured left to right are: Geo. Wookey, Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Wookey (seated), Henry Wookey, Ed Wookey, Ellen Fisher, and a niece from England.