Douglas Township is the northeast
corner of the vast prairie land of , Iowa, through
which flows the West Nodaway River. Here the pioneer found
water, here he found timberland for his cabin, here were plum thickets
where his stock ---- shelter from the winter blizzards, here were wild
fruit trees and nuts in abundance, here was prairie grass waving as far
out as the eye could see, wild flowers to satisfying the heart's longing for
beauty. By March 1, 1853 cattle could be seen coming over the brow of
the hill with a man on horseback driving them, then the top of a
covered wagon slowly into view with a woman driving the
team of horses. On they went zigzagging to avoid the
brush, breaking the first crooked trail into the
territory now known as Douglas Township, Montgomery
County, Iowa and came into camp under the big elm trees
on the banks of Sixteen Mile Creek now rightly named West Nodaway River.
Wm. and Ann Stipe and their three daughters were among the first to
settle in . Wm. Stipe filed on land on both the north and south sides
of the Nodaway River. He established his
homestead on the south side. The land purchased from the
government cost him $1.25 an acre.
Digging into the records we find that the first deed in
conveying land was record in April
1854, Wm. and Ann Stipe to Allan S. Donoho.
The
first marriage license was issued to Samuel McNeely and
Miss Martha Elizabeth Donoho, January 20, 1855. Miss
Donoho was the daughter of Allan Donoho.
In
March 1855 the first Methodist Church in Montgomery
County was organized, and at the time the circuit took
in all of and all of Cass, except a
small strip along the east side. There were four
preaching places --Milford (now Grant), Edna Grove (now
Reno), Newland Grove and Lewis.
J. W. Patterson, a
resident of Douglas Township, was the first Montgomery
County Treasurer. It is believed that Mr. Hannaway was elected but did not serve, and Mr.
Patterson was appointed October 14, 1853. He was
the first Worshipful Master of Villisca and Red Oak
Masonic Lodge.
O. S.
Donoho, son of Thomas Donoho, was the first white male
child born in Douglas Township September 28, 1855 and
Sarah Patterson the first white female, October 4, 1855.
Wm. T. Reid,
a local preacher, his wife Elizabeth, and four children,
Catherine, Elizabeth, William and Thomas came in May
1856.
"Uncle
Billie" known by that endearing name from the first,
settled near a small creek (now (1953) the John Yeske
farm). He preached for the Milford class when the
circuit rider could not reach there because of the
swollen streams or blizzards. He was the first
County Superintendent of Schools in .
The
first log school house was built in 1855 by Wm. Stipe on the
site where the Carl Tidgren residence is now located,
but it seems no that records were kept
earlier than 1865.
Samuel M. Smith came in 1856. He operated a saw mill and
built and operated the Milford Mill which supplied it's
products to many distant points by wagon.
Milford (now Grant) was
laid out in 1854 and the plat was purchased by S.
M. Smith in 1859. The first frame house was
built in 1857 by Thomas Donoho.
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