History of Keg Creek Township, 1907
KEG CREEK TOWNSHIP. The general history of
this township is that of Silver Creek up to 1873,
when it was cut out of that township. This was done
by order of the board of supervisors, made October
14, 1873, and it was also ordered that the first election
should be held at the schoolhouse known as the Keg
Creek schoolhouse, near what is known as the Dick
HARDIN farm. This is one of the sons of Davis HARDIN
that came in 1838 to look after the interests of the
Pottawattamies. The name HARDIN has been made very
popular. One son (Mart, as he was always called) having
held public offices of various kinds for years and
now his son, Will, is the present assessor of the
city, and has been for many years and likely to be
many years more, being one of these Democrats that
can always catch a lot of Republican votes.
This township was named after its principal stream.
This stream derives its name from the circumstance
that some early emigrants found several kegs of whiskey
that had been hidden in the willows on its bank. Among
the early settlers who have become prominent and contributed
largely to the development of this township were:
Wooster FAY, A. W. WYMAN, S. G. UNDERWOOD and Col.
Wm. ORR. Of these, only Mr. UNDERWOOD is living. He
has one of the finest and well stocked farms in the
county.
The first officers of the township were: A. W. WYMAN,
Wooster FAY, and Fredrick MILLER, trustees, and George
KIRBY, justice of the peace. The first road laid out
was what is known as the state road, established by
Judge J. P. CASADY in 1860, and was known as the Council
Bluffs and Lewis Road, and for many years it was the
only road in the township.
The first school of which there is any record was
taught in 1856 in an old log cabin that had been moved
out of Moffat's grove to the edge of the prairie,
and taught by Miss Catharine BUFFINGTON. The winter
of 1856 was so cold that they did without school.
It seems but proper that we should retain and hand
down the names of the sturdy, patient men that first
opened up this most glorious country and we take pleasure
in doing so, especially as there are few now remaining
with us, and we even wonder if we have their equals
with us today, and we will mention a few more that
came in the early times. Thomas MOFFATT came in 1856,
and a Mr. BRECKINRIDGE the same year, Mr. GRIERSON
came in 1855 and Henry KAMS opened a farm at the same
date. Mr. GRIERSON died in the fall of the same year
that he came. Mr. McNAY and Wm. CAMPBELL also came
in an early day and have been some of our best citizens.
The present township officers are: F. HEUWINKEL, H.
KIRCHOFF and A. L. INGRAM, trustees; Henry HEUWINKEL,
clerk; F. C. FROHARDT and F. W. BASCH, justices of
the peace. No constable qualified, which leaves a
vacancy, but so law-abiding are the people that the
election of justices and constables in only a form.
The school board consists of R. McKINZIE, president;
F. C. FROHARDT, secretary and H. F. SAAR, treasurer.
The township has nine schoolhouses and according to
the state census of 1905, there were two hundred and
eighty eight persons of school age in the township,
of which one hundred and forty-five were males and
one hundred and forty-three females to fill them.
The township has two churches, that of the Methodists
on section 19, and German Lutheran on section 2. No
country in the world can raise better crops or people
than this township.
|
