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Steve Shield's First automobile |
On July 3, 1854, West Township was constituted as a civil township.
On that same date an election was ordered held at the house of
James Shanks, which was a log cabin near the old railroad depot,
on the first Monday in August next, for the purpose of electing
township officers. At this election there were eight voters. Six
Democrats and two Whigs as follows: Daniel Stennett and son, Wayne Stennett, James Shanks and son, G. A. Gordon,
Joseph Zuber, Stephen Lane and one other name, unknown.
Wayne Stennett cast the only vote for the Maine liquor law -- a
measure restricting the sale of liquor. G. A, Gordon
remarked when the result of the election was announced that he
didn't think there was many among them fool enough to cast such a
vote. No returns of the above mentioned elections appear on
the records. However, we find that T. A. Petty was
appointed in 1856 as agent to sell liquor in West Township for
medicinal mechanical and religious purposes. That this business
prospered is noted when a motion was made by the trustees that the
sum of $293.13 be allowed in payment for liquor bought for the above
purposes.
The Township was a progressive one for we find in 1859 that B. F.
Runnells was allowed $85.00 for building a
bridge across
Walnut Creek, the County retaining that amount out of the bridge
fund.
About this time G. W. Hunt and Charles Montgomery were
appointed constables for West Township. Isaac Hunt
appears as assessor in 1861 and Perry Carr as clerk.
Wm. A. Mahan was re-elected as member of the county board for
1862, but refused to qualify; the county board declared a vacancy;
the township trustees appointed Perry Carr; he was sworn in
by the county board and served that year. At the same meeting that Carr took his seat Daniel Stennett
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1886 picture
above is the half-way house, then owned by the Carr family,
where the freighters and travelers stopped for the night in the days
of the stage coach. The trail crossed the Missouri river on a
ferry at Nebraska City. The farm on which the house stood is
now owned by Henry Wookey. Pictured left to right are:
Geo. Wookey, Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Wookey (seated), Henry
Wookey, Ed Wookey, Ellen Fisher, and a niece from England.
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