RAILROADS.—The D. M. & M. railroad passes through Sheldahl from Des Moines northward, crossing the C. M. & St. Paul railway near the interior center of section 30 at Sheldahl Crossing, and crossing the C. & N. Western road at Ames. This road also crosses the north line of section 5, about eighty rods west of the northeast corner of section 5. The C. M. &. St. Paul enters the township near or at the southeast corner of section 24, passing westerly through the township and crosses the west line of the county about forty rods south of the west quarter section corner of section 30.
A few who engage in shipping stock and grain will be named, viz: Messrs. BAGWILL & Freed, about December, 1882, were lively shippers of stock,—they may still be doing a lively business; Miller & Freed, G. W. Strong, A. L. Kloster & N. J. Thompson, merchants; H. Hendrickson, hardware.
Stock and grain raisers, farmers and others of energy, etc., etc., of the township are about as follows: John V. Kalsem, S. V. Kalsem, A. K. Olson, John Johnson, J. Severid, A. G. Person, Lars Frowick, H. Klongeland, Eric Sheldahl, Henry Ersland, Amos Thompson, Thor Olson, Peter Kjelsvig, H. O. Hendrickson, W. P. Viland, C. Person, John Severtson, R. Richardson, Eric Erickson, John Amfensen, K. B. Thompson. John Storing Nels N. Sydnes, A. Lande, J. Steenson, O. S. Hegger, Nels Highland, J. W. Lyttel.
UNION TOWNSHIP.
A HISTORY OF UNION TOWNSHIP FROM ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT AND
ORGANIZATION TO MARCH, 1887.—CONTAINING, ALSO, A
NOTICE OF MANY OF ITS CITIZENS.
POPULATION, 1585-TOWNSHIP 894, CAMBRIDGE 473—1,367.
Elsewhere will be found, also, a partial history of its early settlers. "Union" being a short name, as well as a favorite name, was given the township when organized. I presume this to have been the case; It was organized in 1855, comprising now only township 82 north, range 23 west.
The brief items were partly culled from our county papers.
A DAY WITH UNION TOWNSHIP SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS.
CENTER GROVE, May 9, 1875.
On arriving here in company with O. Hambleton, I. H. Mathews and P. Williams, we found the large brick school-house filled with little and big old and young folks, from the surrounding country.