Sac County
Towns and Townships

Origin of Township Names In Sac County

Schaller Herald—25 Mar 1903

Phil Schaller in Sac Sun:  In compliance with my promise, I hereby give you a history of the naming of the several townships and towns of Sac County.  At first the county had *** civil townships; later it was divided into seven, and still later into **x**en, as now composed.  The first three were Douglas, Jackson and Sac—named respectively after Stephen A. Douglas, Andrew Jackson and the county, which derived it name from the Sac tribe of Indians.  Boyer Valley, Coon Valley and Cedar were named after the streams in the respective townships; Wall Lake, after the lake within its borders; Levey, after Chas. F. Levey, one of its early settlers, now a resident of Florida; Wheeler, after H.C. Wheeler, and Cook after C.W. Cook, both being large land owners in the respective townships; Clinton, after Clinton county, Iowa; and Delaware, after Delaware county, Iowa.  These two townships had numberous settlers from those counties.  The name of Viola was suggested by Wm. A. Robinson, a former resident of Viola, Mercer county, Illinois, but then a settler of the Viola territory.  The name of Eden was suggested by Mrs. Elizabeth Knight, a former resident and native of Eden, Erie county, N.Y., but, at the time of the naming of the township, residing in its territory.  The name of Richland was suggested by Fred Frevert, the Buehlers, Umbarger and others.  They rightfully laid claim to having rich land in their township and desired that name.  Eureka was suggested by A.P. Searle.  A.B. Holmes, J.M. Sears and others, when those three, accompanied by the writer, in search for farms stood near where Mt. Hope postoffices was later located on a bright summer day, looked over the beautiful prairie, with only two houses in the township and none in sight.  All declared that they had found the country they were seeking.  All three located on adjoining lands, and, when the township became a civil township and was to be given a name, our scholarly Mr. Searle translated the words, ‘I have found it,’ into Greek, which is ‘Eureka.’  Richland and Eureka are the only two townships with original names.  All the rest are borrowed.  There was only one contest in naming the townships—that in Delaware.   Howard A. Pierce proposed the name of Farmington, but the numberous settlers from Delaware county were so persistent in their choice, especially so Thomas Burrow, that they gained the victory.

The naming of the towns may be stated fully as briefly.  Sac City was named after the county; Grant City, after General Grant; Odebolt, after the creek by that name; Wall Lake, after the lake.  Although its 3 � miles from the town.  Uncle Charlie Sherwood insisted on that name to President P.E. Hall. Carnarvon is named after Carnarvon, Wales, the birth place of Division Superintendent Hughes; Lake View, on the border of Wall Lake, on account of the view of the lake; Herring, after James Herring, part owner of the station land; Early is named after the former town by that neme, 2 � miles south of the present town, so named by Wm. Cory, in honor of D. Carr Early.  Hence we might as well say that Early is named after Judge Early.   Schaller was named by P.E. Hall, president of the Iowa Railway Land Co., he asking permission from the writer.  Lytton is named after Lord Lytton, the author and statesman.   Nemaha is selected from the Indian names.  The name of our county and one of the townships are selected from the name of an Indian tribe, hence it was deemed appropriate to name one of the towns in memory of the first settlers on the banks of the classic Coon.

I believe this includes every town in the county except Auburn and Ulmer of the names of which I am unable to give the origin.  PHIL SCALLER.

Note—The town of Lake View was formerly called Fletcher after a man by that name who lived there, and was quite prominent in county affairs in earlier days.—Editor.”

Sac

Auburn

Carnavon, Iowa 

Early   

Lake View

Lytton

Nemaha

Odebolt

Schaller

Wall Lake

Sac City (County Seat)