History of Boomer Township, 1907
The order to constitute Boomer was made
June 8, 1858. It formerly was a part of Rockford.
It is a full congressional township, being bounded
on the north by Harrison County, east by Neola, south
by Hazel Dell, and west by Rockford Townships.
The first election under the new organization was
held on the 12th of October 1869, at the house of
Samuel BATEMAN and township officers were chosen.
There were nineteen votes cast, of which eighteen
were democratic and one republican. This one was that
of Z. REMMINGTON, referred to in part of the history
of Neola. The first township officers chosen were
Samuel DIGGLE, Wm. FOUTS, and Joseph MOHAT, as trustees;
Henry GITTINGS, clerk; and Samuel BATEMAN SR. and
Joseph BARDSLEY, justices of the peace. There is no
record of constables having been elected.
The first settler was Lee BYBEE, a Mormon, who, with
a number of families, established a camp and built
cabins as was their custom during their temporary
sojourn while enroute from Nauvoo to Salt Lake. In
two or three years, these moved on and their camping
ground was later included in the farms of L.S. AXTELL
and George DRAKE. The names of the first births and
deaths are not known, but the first wedding was a
double one, the parties in one being William McKEOWN
and Miss Eliza Jane HALL, and in the other Ezekiel
CHEENY and Miss Lucy HARDY. This was in 1848. The
latter couple subsequently went on to Utah and were
lost sight of.
The first school opened was in Bybee's camp in the
winter of 1847-8. J. L. DEFOREST was the teacher,
who afterward died in Harrison County. The persons
most active in securing the organization were Judge
HALL and I. M. SIGLER. The latter being the strongest
kind of Democrat, and something of a wag, proposed
the name of Bloomer as a joke on D. C. BLOOMER, who
was equally as strong a Republican. But Judge SHERMAN
spoiled the fun by leaving out the "l" making
it Boomer, which was adopted. The first highway laid
out was what is known as the Harris Grove and Council
Bluffs road, laid out by Edward LATHAM, as commissioner,
in 1853, and the first bridge a wooden one across
the North Pigeon near William McKEOWN's.
Nearly all the first settlers were English and accustomed
to reaping with the sickle. Ike SIGLER had the only
grain cradle, which was as much a wonder to them as
the McCormick reaper to us a half century ago. The
first fanning mill was owned by Robert KENT and he
charged his neighbors toll for using it. I. M. SIGLER
was, for many years, a prominent citizen. He died
about 1888 in Nebraska from the effects of a fall,
and his remains were brought home for interment. He
was a soldier of the Mexican War and a native of Indiana.
Mr. L. S. AXTELL has always been a highly useful
citizen, was a school teacher in Council Bluffs in
the early days, where he married a Miss WADE; has
represented Pottawattamie County in the Legislature
and was, for several years, county superintendent
of schools.
Boomer has been at a disadvantage compared with her
neighbors in having neither a railroad nor town. It
has as good soil, however, as the sun shines upon,
well adapted to grain or stock raising. It also has
groves of native timber that have been a wonderful
help to the settlers. The township officers at this
writing (1907) are C. M. AXTELL, J. H. PAGE, and G.
H. DARRINGTON, trustees; and Nels CHRISTIANSON, clerk;
J. M. AXTELL and Geo. H. DARRINGTON, justices of the
peace; C. L. THOMAS, assessor; and G. F. PAGE and
Wm. WRIGHT, constables. The school board consisted
of Joseph MACKLAND, president; secretary, Geo. H.
DARRINGTON; treasurer, Lewis PETERS. Pay of teachers,
first grade $40; second, $35 per month, respectively.
According to state census of 1905, there were four
hundred of school age in the township, of which two
hundred and twenty were males and one hundred and
eighty were females.
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