HOWARD TOWNSHIP.
A HISTORY OF HOWARD TOWNSHIP FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO
MARCH, 1887.—CONTAINING, ALSO, A NOTICE OF MANY
OF ITS CITIZENS.
POPULATION, ROLAND AND TOWNSHIP, 1191,
Elsewhere will be found a history of the first settlement of Howard Township. It is presumed to have been named in honor of General W. O. Howard, a very distinguished Union General in the late Rebellion. The Township was organized in 1859—comprising all of township 85 north, range 23 west.
The brief items, with dates, were partly culled from our county papers.
ROLAND.
The following township officers were elected: Justices, R. K. Garard and E. E. Evans; Constables, H. Osmundson and R. P. Sheffield; Trustee. Jeremiah Olson; Assessor M. Olson, and Clerk, J. Evenson.
Roland is improving right along. It has of stores, two general, one hardware, one furniture, one dress-making and millinery, and one grocery. It has also a restaurant, and a hard and sweet cider establishment. Those who wish to get drunk can be accommodated at the latter institution. It has also three blacksmith shops, two shoemaker shops and one harness shop; one grain buyer and coal dealer, a lumber yard, a creamery and two farm implement houses. The people can usually get what they want in the way of trade. Roland needs a hotel, a drug store, a doctor, and perhaps a lawyer, and some other necessary evils, to make it a complete towm.—(November 22, 1882.)
The farmers are very busy picking corn. Boardman Brothers are now ready for picking turkeys and chickens which the farmers will bring in by the wagon load.
Messrs. Sowers and Minkler and Lockwood and Bechtel, are busy buying and shipping hogs and cattle from Roland at the rate of five and six cars loads a week, and are spreading the money at the rate of six and seven thousand dollars per week.