CHAPTER XXXII FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (CONT'D)

THE TOWN OF WIOTA.

In the midst of a beautiful rolling prairie, rises the flourishing and growing town of Wiota. Fifteen years ago, this was a clear expanse of prairie, except here and there a lonely farm, but the virgin soil whereon the town now stands was then unbroken. In 1868, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad, passed this point but a station was not located here until 1872. The town was started in that year; the land upon which it was laid out being the property for the most part, of Franklin H. Whitney. It was not platted or filed for record, for some time, the date upon the records being November 13, 1877, and the owners being set forth as Hoyt Sherman, assignee of B. F. Allen, in bankruptcy, and F. H. Whitney. On the 20th of August, 1878, Mr. Whitney filed for record an addition to the town which is known by his name. The town is laid out upon the northwest quarter of section 9, and the plat covers about sixty acres. The first building erected on the present site of the town was a dwelling house, just east of where the hotel now stands. The second building was moved here from Atlantic, by Frank Whitney I the winter 1772-3, and was used by Robert T. Young as a place to store grain. The building is now owned by D. P. Lewis. The first store in the village was kept by T. L. Pollard. A stock of groceries were bought and shipped to this point by R. T. Young and F. H. Whitney, in the spring of 1873. Mr. Young intending to engage in that branch of the mercantile trade, but finding that his other business had already attained proportions as necessitated his full attention, the goods were sold to T. L. Pollard who opened a small store as above stated. Mr. Pollard followed this business for some time, when he accidently fell down the stairs of his dwelling house and was killed.

PREV <== Continue Reading ==> NEXT

Transcribed by Deb Lightcap-Wagner, February, 2014 from:"History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Reporesentative Citizens", published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 802.