SUGAR GROVE.

     This township occupies the second place from the north and east in the township tiers, and is therefore the northeast one of the four central townships of Dallas county. It is known in the government surveys as congressional township 80, north of range 27, west of the fifth principal meridian.

     For a long time the boundary lines of Sugar Grove were in, a very unsettled state, and it has passed through a great many changes since its first organization as a township. When the county was divided into precincts in March, 1850, the present territory of Sugar Grove was divided up and formed parts of Buena Vista and Des Moines precincts. The first record we find of a township being organized by this name, is the following one, making it to include its present territory and that of Beaver, date of September 2, 1851:

     Ordered, That hereafter the territory included in the following metes and bounds, commencing at the northeast corner of township No. 81, north of range 27, west; thence south

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to the southeast corner of township No. 80, north of range 27, west; thence due west sixmiles; thence due north twelve miles; thence east six miles to the place of beginning, shall constitute an election township, to be called Sugar Grove township.

     The first election to be held at the house of James V. Pierce, in said township.

     Under date of March 3, 1856, also, appears the following order changing the boundary lines of Sugar Grove township:

     Ordered, That hereafter the following shall be the metes and bounds of Sugar Grove township, to-wit: Commencing at the southeast corner of section thirty-six (36), township eighty (80), north of range twenty-seven (27); thence north six miles; thence west twelve miles; thence south six miles to the southwest corner of section thirty-one (31), township eighty, (80) north range twenty-eight (28); thence east to the place of beginning.

And again, date of June 2, 1856, appears the following:

     Hereafter the boundaries of Sugar Grove township shall be as follows: Commencing at the southeast corner of section 36, township 80, range 27; thence north to the northeast corner of section 36, township 81, range 27; thence west three miles; thence north two miles; thence west to range line dividing ranges 28 and 27; thence south on said range line to the southwest corner of section 21, township 81, range 27; thence west six miles; thence south six miles; thence east twelve miles to the place of beginning".

     In the general division of the county into townships, February 2, 1857, Sugar Grove was reduced in size and again made to include its present territory and the present territory of Washington township-congressional township No. 80, north of ranges 27 and 28, west. March 2, 1858, Washington township was cut off, and again in January, 1859, the boundaries of Sugar Grove were changed, making it to include part of the present territory of Beaver, as shown by the following:

     Ordered, By the court that the district of country included in the following limits shall form and constitute the township of Sugar Grove, to-wit: Commencing at the northwest corner of section nineteen (19), in township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence south to the southwest corner of section thirty-one (31), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the middle of the channel of North 'Coon river; thence south along the channel of said river to where the township line dividing townships seventy-nine (79) and eighty (80) crosses said river; thence east on said line to the southeast corner of township eighty (80), range twenty-seven (27); thence north to the northeast corner of section thirty-six (36), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the northwest corner of section thirty-four (34), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence north to the northeast corner of section twenty-one (21), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the place of beginning.

     This change of line cut off all the southeast part of Beaver township left out of Des Moines, and added it to Sugar Grove township, thus destroying Beaver township altogether, as organized, February 2, 1857.

     In June, 1861, Beaver township was again organized, cutting off some territory from Sugar Grove, and the latter, after passing through various minor chal1ges in its boundary lines, was finally settled in its present form, June 7, 1870, as shown by the following order of the board of supervisors:

     Ordered, That all the territory included within congressional township No. eighty (80), north of range No. twenty-seven (27), west of the 5th P. M., Iowa, shall constitute the township of Sugar Grove.

     No record appears of any important change occurring in its boundaries since that date.

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     Judge L. D. Burns has kindly furnished us with the following sketch of the first settlement of his township, which we quote as follows:

     "L. D. Burns, Harvey Adams and Zabina Babcock were the first settlers. They took claims here simultaneously in 1847. In the spring of 1848 came Adam Vineage, James V. Pierce, James McLain and John Sullivan, Jr., and their families. Dutch Henry, a bachelor, settled here the same year. In 1849 came Wil1iam Boyd, wife, sons and daughters. The sons were Samuel and James; the daughters married were Jane Taylor and Nancy Boyles, and their husbands; the daughter unmarried was Catharine, who afterward married Al1en Boyles. S. O. Taylor and family, Hayes Boyles, Isaac Bal1ard and Milton Randolph closed the immigration for that year.

     "In 1850 came Wm. Groves and Wm, Cartwright and their families, Rachael and Louisa Sutton, unmarried sisters of Mrs. Groves, Wm. Boyles and Allen Boyles.

     "The first school was taught by Slemmons C. Taylor, for which he was paid twenty dollars for a term of three months. It was a subscription school.

"The township is an independent school district, and has nine schoolhouses, Minburn has an additional house to accommodate its pupils, making, in all, ten school-houses in the township.

     "The first religious services were held at the house of Wm, Boyd, on the evening of the 22d day of April, 1851, sermon by Rev. Hare, of the M. E. Church; text, Acts, 10th chapter and 43d verse. It was a practical, well timed effort. Those in attendance were, besides the immediate family of Wm. Boyd, Samuel Taylor and wife, Taylor Boyles and wife, Harvey Adams and wife and children, Geo. P. Garoutte and wife, Adam Vineage, a Mr. Wilson (a peddler), James V. Pierce, Wm. Groves and wife, L. D. Burns and wife, and the two Misses Sutton."

     The church organizations and buildings within the bounds of Sugar Grove township are all at Minburn (see sketches), and this is the only town in its limits.

     Dallas Center is just across the south line, in Adel township, and is about as convenient as though situated in its own bounds, affording good market and mail privileges; and though Minburn is the only post-office in Sugar Grove, yet it has the use and convenience of two, the southern portion generally going to Dallas Center.

The Des Moines & Fort Dodge R. R. passes through the township diagonal1y, entering near the southwest corner of section 35, and passing out near the northwest corner of section 6, thus affording the township splendid opportunities for shipping.

     The North Raccoon river passes through the southwest corner of the township, cutting off a very small portion of section 31, and Slough creek rises about section 26, and flows northward, passing out of the township on section 3, thus watering and draining the northeast portion of the township.

The North Raccoon river, in and adjoining the west side, affords plenty of timber and building material for the township, at a very convenient distance to an parts.

     In the southwest corner of the township the Sugar Grove flouring mill is situated, on the east bank of the Raccoon river, owned by John H. Warrington, and does a thriving business.

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     The old mill on this site was built some thirty years ago by Mr. Rinehart, while the present one was built in 1872-3, J. N. Southgate, of Des ,Moines, being the mill-wright. It has two run of stone, one three and a half foot wheat burr and one corn burr; will average about six bushels per hour in wheat grinding. The dam has about seven feet of head. Just below the mill site, in the North Raccoon, is where the old fish trap was located which supplied all that section with fresh fish in early days, as before mentioned.

     There is one good county bridge on or near the township line called the Garoutte bridge, which may be claimed either by Sugar Grove or Adel township, and aside from this bridge Sugar Grove has no bridges of any importance.

     This township is becoming quite well advanced in general improvements, especially in the southwestern portion, where numerous fine farms and orchards are found. In the northeast portion some prairie still remains uncultivated, but the per cent of such in the township is becoming rather small.

     The first election in the township was, perhaps, the one held at the house of James V. Pierce, in the fall of 1851.

     The township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:

Township clerk-G. L. Rinehart.
Assessor-David Roush.

Trustees.
F. Peters,
M. D. Crannell,
G. F. Brayton.

Justices:
J. O. McClure,
M. W. Gibben.

Constables :
F. J. Edmundson,
Jasper Foster.

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LINN.

     This township is the second one from the south in the west tier of townships in Dallas county, and is known in the government surveys as congressional township 79, north of range 29, west of the 5th principal meridian.

     The Middle Raccoon rivet passes through the southwest corner of this township, and the Mosquito creek flows almost centrally through it in a winding course from north to south, the two streams thus abundantly supplying it with water, wood, coal, stone, and mill sites. It has fine farming land, and a good many valuable farms, being quite an old settled township,especially in the southern part and along the Mosquito creek.

     As shown by the orders regarding the changes in Union township, the present territory of Linn township was also a part of Owens precinct, in 1850, and afterward formed part of Union township until February 2, 1857, when it was cut off from Union and united with what is now Lincoln township, to form Iowa township, as shown by the order of the county court forming Iowa township. (See order February 2, 1857.)

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     It remained in this connection as part of Iowa township a little more than a year, when it was settled in its present form as bounded by the congressional township lines, as shown by the following order given March 2, 1858, by the county court:

     Now on this day comes R. W. Lumpkin et al., and file a petition for the division of Union township. (Should be Iowa township.) Whereupon it was

     Ordered, That the district of country included within the following bounds shall form and constitute the township of Linn, to-wit:

     All of township No, seventy-nine (79), north of range twenty-nine (29) west; and that a warrant issue for an election to be holden at the house of John Lamb, in said township, on the first Monday of' April, A. D. 1858, for the perfecting an organization of said township; and that there be elected at that time and place three township trustees, one township clerk, two justices of the peace, and two constables, and such other officers as may be provided by law.

     In May, 1859. a slight change was made in the boundary lines (as before mentioned in the description of Union), when the east half of section 36 was cut off from the southeast corner of Linn and attached to Union township for school purposes.

     After this we find only one order on record changing the boundary lines of Linn, and that is the following one, made June 7, 1870, by the board of county supervisors:

     Ordered, That all the territory included within congressional township No. seventy-nine (79), north of range twenty-nine (29), west of the 5th P. M., Iowa, shall constitute the township of Linn.

     This order simply restored to Linn its lost half section which had been attached to Union previously for school purposes, and at the same time Union, Sugar Grove and Washington were settled in their present form.

     No record of any important change in its boundaries appears since that date.

     Linn is one of the thrifty townships in the county, and shows marked indications of enterprise and industry on the part of its citizens.

     It was perhaps first settled by Samuel Carpenter, about 1848-9, who selected his home just across the line from Union township, in the southern part of Linn. About the same. time, also, or soon afterward, James Brooks, Thomas El1iott and perhaps others, settled in that vicinity, and a few years later the settlement was materially increased.

     About 1850-1 James Harper and his son W. W. Harper, William Maulsby, Judge Jamison, Isaac Fee, and others, made settlements in the township.

     Mr. Fee is among the very few first settlers of the township now living in it. He settled in 1851 on section 34, where he still lives, and to him we are indebted for much important information regarding the early settlement of the township.

     Among the early settlers who came about the same time and soon after Mr. Fee, also, were Abner Hill, George Bailey, George Duck, Mr. Howell, Abner Hill, Joel and Isaac Davis, Seth Pattee, Squire Lumpkins, W. M. Thornburg and sons, and others. These latter are known rather as the second settlement in the township.

     The settlement in the south part of the township increased quite rapidly during the few years following, and soon good improvements were made for those times, though the early settlers in these parts, like those in other

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localities, were compelled to endure severe trials and hardships for many years, in order to secure and prepare themselves homes, and very few of the first ones now remain here to enjoy them.

     The great floods that occurred during several seasons, did considerable damage, especially to those living along and near the river and other streams, and greatly hindered them in their work of improvement, there being no bridges or means of crossing during high water, except on rafts and canoes extemporized for the occasion, and many dangerous adventures were made with these.

     During the spring of 1852, Mr. Fee tells us, a heavy fall of rain continued for a long time, swelling the streams, completely flooding the bottom lands, and keeping the citizens for a long time from doing anything toward their spring work, and rendering it almost impossible to cross the streams to mill and market, and compelling them to do the best they could by dividing up what little remained in the neighborhood, and patiently waiting until the flood was gone.

     This flood was the means of destroying some good farms along the river bottoms by seeding them to cottonwood groves.

     There is now a cottonwood grove, containing, perhaps, forty acres or more, near the mouth of Mosquito creek, just below Mr. Fee's farm, which Mr. Fee tells us was planted by that flood. He also says that the year previous there was a crop of corn raised on it that would average 75 or 80 bushels per acre. But after it was so flooded and seeded it was left idle, and became thickly set with cottonwoods, which now make a dense and beautiful grove, many of the trees now measuring from eighteen to twenty inches in diameter, with a growth of 26 or 27 years.

     The timber is quite valuable for lumber, and while frozen, splits easily into rails and cord-wood, and when well seasoned makes very good rails, but is of not much account when used green or near the ground, being easily rotted.

     Mr. Fee also has a similar grove near his house, which was started in the same way, and which he has taken great pains in pruning and cultivating, so that it is now a nice ornament, and yields him considerable wood and lumber.

     The township is generally well timbered, and well watered, and has at least five good coal mines now opened and being worked to some extent, known as Maulsby's, Bailey's, Howell's, George Duck's and D. Lewis's coal banks. (See account of coal banks.)

     The township also has one good water-power grist mill situated on the bank of the Middle Raccoon river, near the southwest corner of the township, known as Harvey's Mill, and owned by O. M. Owens.

     The old mill was built on this site some twenty-two years ago, by William Harvey, and the new one was built about 1875, and is doing a good local business. There is also a saw-mill in connection with the grist-mill, both run by the same power.

     Linn township is well supplied with post-offices, having three, Greenvale, Linn, and Harvey's Mills post-office; and has nine good school-houses.

     There is one frame bridge across the Middle Raccoon at Harvey's Mills, 132 feet long, one across Mosquito creek, just above the mouth, 75 feet long, and three others across the same stream further up within the township limits, each about 60 feet long, mostly all built by Peppard, at the expense of the county.

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     The township has no railroad yet but the grade of the Des Moines, Adel and Western (narrow-guage [gauge] ) passes through the southwest corner of the township, entering on section 34, and passing out at the west side on section 18, and the township have strong hopes that before another year passes the cars will be running on this grade. Dexter is at present its nearest market, but before long it will doubtless have one within its own bounds, with Redfield also a short distance south.

     A good many well-improved stock and grain farms are found in the southern part of the township, and along either side of the Mosquito creek for some distance up, and numerous fine orchards are beginning' to bear quite extensively. The greater part of the prairie land in the township is now under cultivation except some in the northeastern portion.

     This township has one church within its borders, a Methodist Episcopal church, situated on section 20, and called the Berean M. E. Church, which was organized about 1866; and as nearly as we can learn, the organizing members were about as follows: J. Laubach, Mrs. Sarah Laubach, Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey, Mrs. Catharine Thornburgh, Elizabeth North, Mrs. Sarah Duck and Rebecca Boher. Rev. W. Abraham was the preacher in charge, and the organization was attached to the Des Moines Conference. For, some time before this organization a class had been formed in this vicinity, and also, one west in Guthrie county, which had occasional services at private houses and elsewhere, as they could, until the above date, when these two classes were united under one organization, about 1866, constituting the Berean church as above mentioned. After the organization was effected, they first worshiped in a school-house, and in 1874, the present church building was erected at a cost of $1,800, and dedicated free from debt. It is a neat, new, comfortable building, and is well filled by appreciative audiences on occasions of their regular meetings. The pastors who succeeded Rev, W. Abraham, are: Rev. J. W. Adair, Rev. A. Badley, Rev. John Hestwood, Rev. Ofling, Rev. J. W. Adair, and Rev. W. H. Burke, the present pastor. Services are held every Sabbath.

     The present trustees of this church are John E. Lisle, J. Laubach, J. A. Bailey, J. W. Duck, and Joseph Lisle.

     The stewards are Joseph Lisle and J. Laubach.

     The church has been blessed with several revivals, and the active membership at this time is about sixty. The church building is located in the northeast part of the northwest quarter of section 20, township 79, range 29, near the west side of Linn township, Dallas county, Iowa.

     The township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:

Township clerk-Thomas Hoyt.
Assessor-Hiram Hoyt.

Trustees:
T. A. Thornburg,
J. O. Hardin,
J. O. Andrews.

Justices:
J. Balesbaugh,
J. J. Seaman.

Constable :
John Cameron;
P. S. Howell.

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WALNUT.

     This township is the second one from the south in the east tier of townships in Dallas county, and is known in the government surveys as congressional township 79, range 26, west of the [the] 5th principal meridian.

     By the general division of the county into precincts, in March, 1850, the territory now included in Walnut formed part of Penoach precinct, and in the general division into townships, February 2, 1857, it was constituted as a township, including its present territory, and that of Grant township, and was then first called Walnut (see order). October 5, 1857, a strip two miles wide and six miles-long was cut off the north end of Walnut and added to Des Moines, by order of the court. (See order under sketch of Des Moines.)

     After this no other important change in its boundaries seems to have occurred, until in September, 1868, when Grant township was organized, which cut Walnut down to its present form, as bounded by the congressional township lines, and no record appears of any important change in its boundaries since that date.

     It has no river passing through it but Walnut creek, with its two branches flowing in a winding course through different localities on the east side, and meeting a short distance before passing out through the east line about two miles north of the southeast corner, water and drain all that portion of the township.

     The thickest settlements are along the east side and in the vicinity of the above mentioned streams, and some good and well improved farms are found throughout that locality.

     In the eastern and northern portions are found a good many small ponds, which, while they are sometimes convenient for stock water, are rather too thick in certain localities to be profitable for farming and good road purposes.

     There is still some unimproved prairie land in Walnut, and being situated so near Des Moines, farming land of all classes command a a good price and ready sale when there is any market for land.

     Walnut has one town, Waukee, situated near the center of the south row of sections, a station on the Des Moines & Ft. Dodge R. R., about fifteen miles from Des Moines. The railroad crosses the southwest corner of the township, entering the south side on section 34, and passing out at the west on section 18, leaving about five sections of land in the township southwest of the railroad; and has also one post-office, Waukee.

     Walnut is an independent school district, and has eight good schoolhouses, beside the public school of Waukee.

     Among the early settlers in Walnut township were John Betts, Henry Young, Paul Hoff; Liman Ellis, Lafayette Ellis, Frank Strahl, Loren Bingham and others, some of whom came at quite an early day. T. K. Duncan is, perhaps, the oldest settler now in the township. He settled in this vicinity about twenty years ago, and still continues as an honored and. highly respected citizen of the township.

     In some parts of Walnut settlements were made at quite an early day, especially in the southwest portion, in what is known as the 'Coon settlement, in the vicinity of the North Raccoon river, and in that portion of the township there is some excellent, rolling farming land, and some large, well-improved farms. Also, northeast of Waukee, there is quite an old

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settlement, in a good locality, and now has so the good improvements, and extensive, well-arranged farms. Considerable stock is being raised in the township, and the gradual growth and prosperity is very perceptible.

     The first election in Walnut township was, perhaps, held in the spring of 1857, soon after the order was issued for its organization for political purposes, and the township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:

Township clerk-H. M. Whinnery.
Assessor-W. Lackie.

Trustees:
A. F. Strahl,
E. C. Herbert,
T. K. Duncan.

Justices:
T. F. Howe,
B. F. Wood.

Constables:
J. H. Reynolds,
W. Bartlette.

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DALLAS.

     This township is situated in the northwestern corner of Dallas county, and is known in the government surveys as congressional township 81, range 29, west of the fifth principal meridian.

     By the general division of the county into precincts, in 1850, the present territory of Dallas township formed part of Buena Vista precinct, and the first organization of a township in the county by the name of Dallas, was made March 3, 1856, as is shown by the following order of the county court, under the above mentioned date:

     Ordered, That the following shall be the metes and bounds of an electoral township: commencing at the southeast corner of section thirty-six (36), township eighty-one (81), north range twenty-eight (28); thence north six miles to the Dallas county line; thence west on said county line to the northwest corner of Dallas county; thence south six miles to the southwest corner of section thirty-one (31), township eighty-one (81), north range twenty-nine (29); thence east on the range line to the place of beginning. To be known and called Dallas township. The first election to be held at the house of Adam Collins, in said township, on the first Monday of April, A. D. 1856.

      The above order made it to include the present territory of Dallas and Spring Valley, and in the general division of the county into townships, February 2, 1857, Dallas township remained the same as before. A little more than a year and a-half later, September 6, 1858, this township was divided in the middle north and south and two townships were formed. of it (Spring Valley), each bounded by the congressional township lines, and at that time Dallas township was first constituted in its present form, as shown by the following order of court, given September 6, 1858.

     And it was
     Ordered, that the district of country included in the following bounds shall hereafter constitute the township of Dallas: Township No. eighty-one (81), north range No. twenty-nine (29).

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     We find no record of its boundary lines having been changed since that date.

     The North Raccoon river flows through the north part of this township in a winding course, across nearly the entire north side, coming in about a mile east of the northwest corner, and at one place it bends down into the township more than a mile south of the north line, and then bends back again, passing out near the northeast corner and flowing down through Spring Valley. Several other running streams of minor importance are found also in Dallas township, and one beautiful lake, Swan Lake, situated near the center of the south half of the township, on sections 27 and 28, which affords quite a supply of fish and game and is a favorite resort for hunters and fishers during favorable hunting and fishing seasons. (See previous sketch-Water.)

     The river in this locality has quite a belt of timber along its borders, which furnishes a good supply for all the township, and has one good iron, bridge spanning it within the township bounds.

     The prairie land in Dallas township is also of an excellent quality, sufficiently watered and drained for stock raising and general cultivation, with a fertile soil, and conveniently located to a good market, as Perry is only a few miles east, on the Des Moines and Fort Dodge railroad, and Grand Junction, in Greene county, on the C., N. W. R. R., is only about twelve miles from the north line of Dallas township. Though the township has no towns within its own limits it is thus well supplied with thrifty neighboring towns.

     There is no post-office yet established in the township, but Perry being 80 near on one side, and Brough post-office so convenient on the other, render post-office privileges quite convenient.

     There are nine school-houses in the township, in each of which schools are taught during the average school months each year.

     There are a good many large and well improved farms in the township, especially in the northern part, where many of the early settlers reside, and stock raising is becoming quite popular and extensive in the township. The township has one water power grist mill, Atkinson's mill, situated on the bank of North Raccoon. It was built in 1859, has two run of stone, is owned by J. F. Atkinson, and is situated in the heart of one of the oldest and thickest settlements in the township.

     In the south and southwest parts of the township there are still found large tracts of fertile prairie land not yet brought under cultivation, much of it being held by moneyed men and speculators.

     This township was settled at quite an early day in some parts up near the river in the northern portion of the township. Mr. Henderson was, perhaps, the first settler, who was soon afterward followed by several others.

     R. D. Corry settled there in 1854; William E. Toll in March, 1855; W. H. Adams in 1856; and A. L. Towne in 1857. Others accompanied these, or soon afterward followed, making quite a settlement along the North Raccoon river at an early day.

     The first election in the township was doubtless the one held at the house of Adam Collins, on the first Monday of April, 1856.

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The township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:

Township clerk-I. T. Atkinson.
Assessor-B. O. Witter.

Trustees:
W. B. Taylor,
J. R. Summerson,
J. E. :fjnley.

Justices:
W. E. Tolle,
John McElrath.

Constables:
C. A. Seckler,
C. E. Taylor (never qualified).

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