Reno County History Page
Organization of Townships
From "History of Reno County, Kansas," Sheridan Ploughe, 1917
RENO TOWNSHIP
When Reno county was first organized it was put into one township,
and called "Reno Township.'' When other townships were founded they
were taken from Reno township and that part of the sub-division now
bearing that name is what is left of this organization. Little by little this
territory has been sliced off and in later years, for different causes � in one case
convenience for election purposes, � the chunks taken from the once big
township leaves now only a whittling. So sliced and whittled has Reno
township been that it lies now partly on the north side of the Arkansas river,
partly on the south side and is very irregular in its outlines.
The first township election in Reno township was held shortly after the
first county election. Peter Shafer was the first trustee elected. Mr. Shafer
lived up on Cow creek, in what is now Grant township. D. B. Miller was
the first township treasurer. He lived then north of town, but his addition
to Hutchinson, under the name of Miller & Smith's, is now covered with
houses and the city limits extend a mile north of Miller's old place. S. N.
Parker was the first township clerk. J. Rhoades and D. D. Olmstead were
the first justices of the peace, in both township and county, and John
McMurry and J. Brown were the first constables. The date of their
election was April 16, 1872. The first lawsuit in the county was held before
"Squire" Olmstead, as he was called. It was filed 011 the 23rd day of April,
1872. The case was an action in replevin to recover the possession of a
gray pony of the value of thirty-five dollars. Lewis Josephine was the
plaintiff against Jacob Eisenbarger. The result of the suit is not recorded.
Lisenbarger has the further distinction of starting the first graveyard in
the county. He accidentally killed a man called "Mountain Jack," as spoken
of in another chapter.
Among these first township officers, S. N. Parker and Peter Shafer
were the ones that became the best known in later years. Mr. Parker lived
in town and was highly regarded. Peter Shafer was a whole-souled,
companionable man. He made his home in Grant township through all his life.
There were three very large Cottonwood trees on his place, the first trees the
old settlers remember in the valley. His sons and one daughter still live in
Reno county. While the land he settled on has passed into other hands, it is
generally known as "the Pete Shafer place."
Olmstead lived in the county for many years. He was a farmer and
was generally elected justice of the peace for his township. He was a man
of good judgment and a good many cases were tried before him in the
township court.
VALLEY TOWNSHIP.
The first township to be cut off of Reno was Valley township. Martin
Hoagland "and 56 others" presented a petition to the county commissioners.
The election was to have been held on December 7, 1872, hut the county
commissioners" record has an entry "because of a disastrous prairie fire in the
county, the election was not held on the date set, but will be held on January
8, 1873." The first township officers selected were: Trustee, Martin
Hoagland; township clerk, H. Lyman; justice of the peace, J. H. Lawson. and
constables, William Ballinger and J. A. Reid. Of these officers, Martin
Hoagland and his wife are both still living in Hutchinson. They reared a large
family of boys and girls. Two of the boys, Arthur and Walter, are in the clothing
business in Hutchinson. Mr. Hoagland has been a very active man in
Hutchinson and Reno county. He is one of the few of the original members of the
local post of the Grand Army of the Republic left, and has perhaps helped in times of distress in more homes than any other of the old settlers in this county.
J. H. Lawson died several years ago. He was interested in politics and was a
member of the Legislature from the eastern district one term. William
Ballinger was a stalwart character, who lived in Valley township many years
and later moved to Hutchinson and engaged in the machinery business. He
died out on the Pacific coast, where he lived the latter days of his life.
OTHER TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATIONS.
There were four other townships organized shortly after Valley
township was cut off of the original territory. These were: Little River, Haven,
Castleton and Center townships. Petitions for the organization of these
townships were all presented to the board of county commissioners on the same
day, May 14, 1872.
LITTLE RIVER TOWNSHIP.
The petition for the laying out of Little River township was presented
by S. N. Riggs "and sixty others." The township got its name from the
stream that runs through it - the Little Arkansas. The election resulted in the
selection of the first officers as follows: Trustee, H. P. Thomas; clerk, H. W.
McKinney; treasurer, J. P. Cassiday; Henry Hartford and J. F. Black,
constables. Of these, two afterwards were elected to county offices. J. P.
Cassiday was county superintendent in 1875 and 1876. He left Reno county
years ago. Henry Hartford is still living in Hutchinson, having retired
from farming. Mr. Hartford was sheriff of Reno county from 1872 to 1877.
He is an old soldier and an active member of Joe Hooker Post, Grand Army
of the Republic, at Hutchinson. Mr. Hartford through all of his years has
been an exceedingly active man. He was generally a delegate for his
township, Medora, when the old political system of conventions was in vogue. He
has been one of the staunchest men in the development of the county. He kept
in touch with the progressive men of the county and is one of the "boomers"
worthy of the highest praise, a man who believed in the county and followed his
beliefs with his actions.
HAVEN TOWNSHIP.
Haven township was organized on a petition presented by "J. U.
Schoonover and 57 others." The first election in that township resulted as follows:
Trustee, C. W. Peckham; clerk, David Hess; treasurer, D, McArthur;
justice of the peace, Richard Astle. I. N. Gray and Henry Chalcomb were
chosen constables. Mr. Schoonover, Mr. Peckham, Mr. Astle and Mr. Gray
were among the most conspicuous of the early figures in township and in
county affairs. Mr. Schoonover was one of the farmers of Haven
township and spent his last days in that township. He was a public-spirited man
and took an active interest in all public matters. C. W. Peckham, the first
township trustee, has been identified with the business and political
interests of the county from the time of his settlement in Reno county until the
present time. He was a leader among the farmers in the Grange
movement. He is still actively engaged and enjoys a competence of worldly
goods as well as the highest regard of neighbors and friends. Mr. Astle
was a successful farmer and spent his last days in Haven township. He was
identified with the schools of his city - Haven - and took a wide interest all
his life in public matters. I. N. Gray was elected representative in the
Legislature and was a man who had the highest interest and enjoyed the
confidence of his neighbors.
CLAY TOWNSHIP.
The petition for cutting the territory of Clay township from the
original Reno township was presented by "J. R. Lindsey and 55 others," as the
records of the county commissioners show. The township's first election
resulted in the selection of S. N. Praker as trustee; Thomas Butcher, clerk;
Frank Maguire, treasurer, and J. P. Lindsey as justice of the peace, with
M. O. Sullivan and John Talbott as constables. Of these men only two are
now living, Frank Maguire and Mr. O'SuIlivan. Both remained on their
farms until the infirmities of age required that they cease their activities.
Mr. Maguire was a man of keen intellect, possessed of one of the best
memories of any man in the county, one on which he relied for correct
restatement of facts years after their happening. Mr. O' Sullivan's home is still
in Reno county, but he spends the greater part of his time with his son, who
is a Catholic priest in another county. John Lindsey moved to Hutchinson
and was engaged in the real estate business for many years, dying years
ago.
CASTLETON TOWNSHIP.
Castleton township was another of the townships whose petitions were
presented to the commissioners on May 14, 1872, "A. B. Smith and 62
others" signing it. The township was named in honor of the
home of the lady whom C. C. Hutchinson expected to wed, he being a
widower at the time he came to Reno county. That place was Castleton,
Vermont. Both the township and the town were named for that place. The
first officers of this township were: Trustee, John H. Medbury; clerk,
T. A. Fuller; treasurer, John Walker; justice of the peace, A. B. Smith,
with John P. Walker and John H. Shore as constables. None of these men
ever became prominent in Reno county.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Center township was organized on October 2, 1873, "W. L. Teeter
and 52 others" signing the petition. The first officers chosen were:
Trustee, William Teeter; clerk, W. H. Faris; treasurer, R. S. King. William
Cecil was elected justice of the peace and H. H. Crampton, constable. This
name was chosen because the township is in the geographical center of the
county.
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP. NAMED IN PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S HONOR.
Lincoln township was named after President Lincoln. The date of its
first election was fixed for October 2, 1873, but the failure to receive the
election ballots caused the election to be held on November II, 1873. The
petition for its organization was presented by "M. L. Reading and fifty
others." The first officers elected were: Trustee, W. R. Marshall; clerk,
J. L. Smith; treasurer, A. D. Deffenbaugh ; justices of the peace, C. C.
Chapin and E. G. Handey; constables, J. A. Grayson and.E. H. Cooper.
This list of names included the names of three men who afterward became
county officers and two of the men on this township board are still living
in Hutchinson, J. L. Smith and C. C. Chapin. The trustee, W. R.
Marshall, was county clerk of Reno county from 1883 to 1887. J. L. Smith,
or as he is generally known, "Fay" Smith, has held more offices in Reno
county than any other man in the county. He has been county
commissioner, sheriff, register of deeds and clerk of the district court and has the
reputation of being the best "vote getter" that ever lived in Reno county.
He is a genial man, is well acquainted and moves along the line of the least
resistance. E. S. Handy was clerk of the district court for three terms. He
moved to Hutchinson from Lincoln township after his election and lived
in that city until the time of his death. He was a successful business man
and was highly regarded by people who knew him. J. A. Grayson, the first
constable, soon moved to Hutchinson and engaged in the coal business. He
was interested in western Kansas land and was one of the men who founded
Hartland, in Kearney county. C. C. Chapin still lives in Hutchinson and
is a stout and vigorous man.
NICKERSON (GRANT) TOWNSHIP.
"Nickerson" township was cut off from Reno township on April 28,
1872. It was named for H. R. Nickerson, superintendent of the Santa Fe
railroad at that time, but its name was changed to Grant township by a
petition on May 20, 1873. Its offices were at that time officers of Reno
township except R. L. Foster and have been referred to under the
organization of Reno township. It was necessary, because the officers chosen in
the organization of Nickerson township were not residents of Reno
township, to elect other officers for Reno township. S. D. Hunt was appointed
to serve as trustee for the township until the general election in
November, 1873.
SALT CREEK TOWNSHIP.
In the early part of 1874, the balance of the county was districted off
into townships, and the petition for the organization of Langdon, Medford,
Salt Creek and Troy townships were presented at one time � March 24,
1874. Salt Creek's petition was headed by F. W. Calais and had fifty other
signers. The first officers elected for that township were: Trustee, J. J.
Carey; clerk, C. H. Phillips; treasurer, J. F. Nelson; justice of the peace,
T. B. Hand, and D. H. Holliday, constable. None of these men ever held
any county office. D. H. Holliday lived in Hutchinson the latter days of
his life, running a grocery store on South Main street.
TROY TOWNSHIP.
Troy township's petition bore Zeno Tharp's name as the first one to
ask for a new township. Mr. Tharp was the leader in his township in his
day, a man shrewd and energetic. In the election of the township's first
officers, M. J. Trembly was chosen for trustee; Israel Slack, clerk; James
Shanley, treasurer; Sam Slack and Zeno Tharp, justices of the peace;
James Ray, constable. Of these, Tharp was the best known. Both Israel
and Sam Slack were also men of high character and important factors in
their township history.
LANGDON TOWNSHIP.
Langdon was the last of the four townships to be cut out of the
original territory of Reno township. Its first officers were: Trustee, J. S.
Ulmer; clerk, G. W. Brown: treasurer, J. Elliott; justice of the peace, W.
H. Collins; constable, Isaac Jordan.
These twelve townships cut from the original township of Reno made
the thirteen townships that first constituted the sub-division of Reno county.
All of the present townships of the county, other than these thirteen original
townships, into which all of the land of Reno county was originally cut,
have been taken from the territory of those thirteen original townships.
From time to time, for the convenience of the citizens, other townships
have been created by the dividing up of these original townships. The
principal reason for organizing other townships has been to have a more
convenient place for voting, a place closer than would be possible with the
larger township; second, the task of working the roads could not be handled
as satisfactorily as in a smaller and more compact body, and third, at
assessing time, it became impossible for one man to cover the large territory as
it became more thickly settled. These reasons were the ones urged when
petitions were presented for decreasing the size of the townships of the
early day.
The origin of all of the names of these original townships can not now
be determined. Some of them have already been given. Troy township
was named by Zeno Tharp and in all of his writings to the newspapers of
that day, he constantly referred to "Beautiful Troy." It was named by Mr.
Tharp after ancient Troy, the scene of Homer's "Iliad."
Salt Creek township got its name from a stream that runs through the
territory of the township and the stream's name originated from the
brackish, salty taste of the water. On some of the earlier maps its name was put
down as "Clear creek," but on all recent maps it has had the name of Salt
creek. Neither the origin of the names of Langdon or Medford townships
can now be ascertained. The other townships of the county - nineteen in
number - will be treated of in a subsequent chapter.
MEDFORD TOWNSHIP.
The petition for the organization of Medford township was presented to
the board of county commissioners on March 24, 1874. It was signed by N.
Dixon and fifty-four others. The new township as described on the petition
states that its boundary lines should be as follows: "Beginning at the
southeast corner of township 23, range 8 west, running west to the west boundary
line of Reno county, thence north to the northwest corner of Reno county,
thence east to the southern banks of the Arkansas river, following the river
in a southeasterly direction till it should strike the east line of range 8, thence
south to the place of beginning. The first officers chosen at the election held
on April 12, 1874, were: Trustee, C. Littlefield; treasurer, U. S. Helm;
clerk, W. J. Eliot. The origin of the name Medford is not known, nor why
this township was given this name. Other early officers of Medford township
were: Trustee, W. R. Hoffman; clerk, F. S. McDennet; treasurer, C. B.
Brooks; justice of the peace, J. O. Wheeler; constable, John A. Given.
MIAMI TOWNSHIP.
Of the organization of Miami township nothing is to be found in the
county records except the date of the election of the first officers. The
petition for its organization was filed on April 4, 1875. The first officers elected
were: Trustee, Noah Ballew; clerk, H. Geezling; treasurer, J. A. Campton;
justice of the peace, J. F. Graham; constables, G. J. Lamont and Ethelbert Potter.
GROVE TOWNSHIP.
Grove township was the next to be organized. It was cut out of
Langdon township. It consists of township 25, range 10, and township 26, ranges
9 and 10. The petition for the organization of this township was filed on
October 3, 1876. The first election in the township resulted in the election of
W. J. Van Eman, trustee; A. H. Myers, clerk; F. H. Hickman, treasurer;
R. O. Van Eman and O. L. Ely, constables, and Noah Ballew, justice of the
peace.
NORTH HAYES TOWNSHIP.
North Hayes township was made by cutting Hayes township in two and
the northern part of the township given the name of North Hayes. The
petition for its organization was filed by "T. V. Starr and fifty others." It
consists of sections 1 and 36 in township 22, range 10. The first election was
held on April 7, 1874, and resulted in the selection of W. R. Hoffman,
trustee; S. W. McDermed, clerk; C. B. Brooks, treasurer, J. O. Wheeler, justice
of the peace, and H. Dixon, constable.
YODER TOWNSHIP.
Yoder township was the last township organized. It was cut out of
Lincoln township. The agitation for the organization of this new township
was kept up for many years. One board of county commissioners refused
to create the new township, but A. M. Switzer and others kept up the
agitation until it was finally granted by the county commissioners. Its description
is as follows: Commencing at the southwest corner of section 31, township
24, range 5 west, thence north to a point where the Arkansas river cuts the
west line of section 30, township 23, range 5 west, said part being the most
northern part of Lincoln township, thence in a southeasterly direction along
the south bank of the Arkansas river to a place where said river touches the
east line of Haven township, thence south to place of beginning. The petition
asking for the creation of. this township was filed on June 9, 1911, and was
finally granted on March 4, 1915.
The Reno county commissioners organized townships outside of Reno
county by virtue of a law passed in 1873, by which unorganized counties were
attached to organized counties, with a further provision that the townships
of the unorganized counties might petition the county commissioners of
organized counties to organize their township. Under this law Harper
township, which at that time consisted of all of what is now Harper county, was
organized. This petition was signed by C. W. Johns "and fifty others." It
is probable that but a very small part of these petitioners ever were in Harper
county, but that Harper county was organized by Reno county men; for a
close scrutiny of the names of these petitioners shows that most of them were
carpenters and others working on the iron bridge that was being built across
the Arkansas river, as shown by receipts on file with the clerk of Reno county.
The date of this petition for the organization of Harper township was
September 1, 1873.
In like manner Kingman township, Kingman county, was organized by
the county commissioners. A petition was presented to the county
commissioners of Reno county on May 24, 1873, signed by J. K. Fical "and
thirty-five others." It was named "Kingman township" and embraced the entire
county of Kingman. The election was held on the 1st day of June, 1873.
The vote was canvassed by the Reno county commissioners on June 15, 1873,
and the result of the election was published.
LATER ORGANIZED TOWNSHIPS.
In a former chapter relating to the organization of the original
townships, the ones that were first created out of the one township into which
Reno county was placed, at the organization of the county, something has
been said (where known) of the origin of the names of these townships, and
the names of the first officers of those townships were given. Since that time
there have been nineteen other townships created by the taking of territory
from the older townships. These subdivisions were made largely as a matter
of convenience for the people. In the beginning the commissioners laid down
a rule governing of the making of new townships. That rule was that no
township should be created with less than thirty square miles of territory.
They considered this size as a minimum, as it would be possible to locate the
voting precincts so that it would not be far for any voter in the township to
go for election purposes, and for the further reason that such a sized
township would be all that could be conveniently and expeditiously assessed by one
man, within the time prescribed by the statutes. They adopted another rule,
that the township should have at least fifty electors, and, using as a basis five
persons to a family, they insisted that the proposed township should have at
least three hundred and fifty bona fide residents before the petition for a
separation from other organized townships would be considered; when petitions
for such organizations should thereafter be made, the petitioners should
show affirmatively that the three conditions laid down had been met.
GROVE TOWNSHIP.
The first township to be formed under this rule was Grove township. It
was taken from the territory formerly in Langdon township. The petition
was presented to the county commissioners on October 3, 1876. The
territory to be cut off from Langdon was township 25, range 10 west, and
township 26, ranges 9 and 10 west. The first election was held at the regular
election time, November 7, 1876. The next townships to be organized were
Sumner and Loda. The petitions for the creation of these two townships
were presented on the same day, July 3, 1877. Sumner township was named
for Charles Sumner. The territory of the new township was located in the
extreme southeastern corner of the county. It was described in the petition
as follows: "Beginning at the northeast corner of section 36, town 25, range
4; thence running west nine miles to the northwest corner of section 34, town
25, range 5; thence south on the section line to the south line of the county;
thence east to the southeast corner of said county of Reno to the place of
beginning." The first election resulted in the selection of the following
officers: Trustee, J. N. Phillips; clerk, S. Morris; treasurer, N. E. Vandeman;
justices of the peace, R. Alexander and J. Adams; constable, F. Nichols and
George Brown.
LODA TOWNSHIP.
Loda was the township organized at the same time Sumner township
was created. It was taken from Langdon township by cutting off township
26, range 8, from Langdon. The first election was held at the time of the
general election and resulted in the selection of the following officers:
Trustee, W. H. Warner; clerk, J. C. Layman; treasurer, W. A. Watkins; justice
of the peace, William Potter; constable, J. M. Jones.
HAYES TOWNSHIP.
Hayes township was the next one created. It was cut off from what was
originally Medford township. The date of the petition for the creation of
this new township was October 6, 1877. The boundary lines set out in the
petition describes the territory of the new township to be, "All that part of
Medford township lying west of a line running from the northeast corner of
section 3, township 22, range 9, west to the southeast comer of section 34,
township 23, range 9, to be set off and called Hayes township." The election
for the first officers of the new township was held at the residence of Harry
Hill, Mr. Hill having been named trustee of the township until the election
was held. This election resulted as follows: Trustee, S. R. Boyd; clerk, W.
W. Osborn; treasurer, H. A. Hill; justices of the peace, Jonathan Duer and
S. J. Caldwell; constables, Mitchell Hunt and John Pool.
BELL TOWNSHIP.
Bell township was the next one cut off from the original thirteen
townships into which Reno county was first organized. This township was named
for Mrs. Bell Van Emmon, one of the pioneer women of that township. The
petition for its organization was presented to the county commissioners on
October 7, 1878. The territory for the new township was taken from Grove
township by cutting off all of township 26, range 9. The election for officers
was held at the time of the regular election and resulted in the selection of
the following as officers of the township for the first year: Trustee, B.
Deweese; clerk. J. R. Brown; treasurer, J. Barnett; justice of the peace. w.
Heaton; constable, C. E. Doty.
ALBION TOWNSHIP.
The petition for the creation of Albion township was presented to the
commissioners, the day after the Bell township petition was granted. October
8, 1878. This township was formed by cutting off the south half of
Castleton township. The election for the first township officers was held at the time
of the regular annual election. The first officers chosen for the new
township were: Trustee, W. H. Marks; clerk, G. W. Frank; treasurer, James
Fay; justice of the peace, V. O. Burns; constable, J. H. Shore.
ROSCOE TOWNSHIP. NAMED FOR ROSCOE CONKLING.
Roscoe township was the next to be created. The petition for the
creation of the same was presented to the county commissioners on August 23,
1879. The township was named for Roscoe Conkling, then a United States
Senator from New York and one of the leading Republicans of the country.
The territory for this new township was taken from Troy township,
township 26, range 4 west. The election of the first township officers was held
on August 23, 1879, but there is no record of the officers chosen at this
election.
ENTERPRISE TOWNSHIP.
Enterprise township was organized by the presentation of a petition on
April 9, 1879, to the county commissioners. The territory for the new
township was formerly Medford township. To make the new township, all of
township 23, range 8, and two miles off of the west side of township 23, range
9, were set off and given the name of Enterprise township. The first election
was held on May 27, 1879. No record is available of the result of this
election, as the county clerk of the period found it a great deal easier to "file"
the report of the election in some pigeon-hole rather than take the trouble to
put it in permanent form in the records of the county commissioners, where
such records should be kept.
PLEVNA TOWNSHIP.
Plevna township was created on August 2. 1879, by a petition to the
board of commissioners. This new township was taken from Westminster,
township 24, ranges 9 and 10, being sliced off of Westminster to make the
land of the new township. The first election resulted in choosing the
following for township officers: Trustee, J. B. Russell; clerk, J. W. Campbell;
treasurer, Richard Kinnaman; justice of the peace. N. P. Gregg: constable,
John Berry.
HUNTSVILLE TOWNSHIP.
Huntsville township's petition was signed by "T. B. Totten and
fifty-two others," asking for the creation of a new township, and was filed with
the county commissioners on May 19, 1885. It was found to conform to all
the things required to form a new township and its creation was authorized
and the first election held. This township was taken from both Hayes and
Enterprise townships, and consists of all of township 23, range 9 west. The
election resulted as follows: Trustee, George McKeoun; clerk, A. L. Minter,
Sr., treasurer, William Holmes; justice of the peace, S. B. Rogers;
constable, H. H. Van Liber.
WALNUT TOWNSHIP.
Walnut township was also created by the board of commissioners at
the same time the petition was presented for the creation of Huntsville
township. This township was taken from a part of Hayes and a part of Medford
townships. The first election was held on May 28, 1885, and resulted in the
selection of the township officers who should hold until the election in the
fall. But no record is to be found of these first officers, the same no doubt
having been duly "filed" instead of being recorded.
SYLVIA TOWNSHIP.
The petition for the creation of Sylvia township was presented to the
board of commissioners on October 7, 1886. It was signed by B. B. Wilson
"and fifty-two others." It was taken from the municipal township of Plevna,
the west half, consisting of township 24, range 10 west. The first election
took place on November 2, 1886, and resulted in the selection of B. B.
Wilson for trustee; Charles A. Payton for clerk; T. J. Hanley for treasurer; J. S.
Curra and J. M. Talbott, justices of the peace, and W. H. S. Benedict and
Cicero Williamson, constables.
MEDORA TOWNSHIP.
On December 3, 1888, Henry Hartford headed a petition and
eighty-eight others likewise signed it, asking for the creation of Medora township.
It was to be taken from Little River and a part of Clay townships. It was
irregular in its form and the description of the township was as follows:
"Commencing at the northeast corner of section 6, township 22, range 4,
west: thence running east to the southeast corner of section 31, township 22.
range 4 west; thence west to the southwest comer of section 36, township
22, range 5 west; thence north to the northwest coiner of section 25,
township 22, range 5; thence west to the southwest comer of section 19, township
22, range 5 west; thence north to the northwest corner of section 6,
township 22, range 5. west; thence east to the place of beginning."
ARLINGTON TOWNSHIP.
On January 4, 1881, Robert Burling and "fifty-six others" presented a
petition for the creation of a new municipal township, which they wanted
named Arlington, after the famous "Arlington Heights." The territory was
to be obtained by taking the east half of what was then Langdon township.
The geographical description of the new township was as follows:
Township 25, range 8 west. The election of the first officers of the new township
was fixed for February 5, 1881. The commissioners granted the petition for
the new township and the election was held on the date fixed, but here again
it evidently was found easier by the clerk of that day to file the results of
the election in some pigeon-hole rather than to record it, so no names are
available for the first officers of Arlington township.
NINNESCAH TOWNSHIP.
Ninnescah township was organized on July 1, 1889. Samuel Adamson
headed a petition of the residents of what is now Ninnescah township to cut
off part of Albion and Sumner townships and make the new township that
was to be named after the stream that flowed through that part of Reno
county. The new township was to be composed of all of township 26, south
of range 5, west of the sixth principal meridian and section 34, 35 and 36 in
township 25, south of range 6. The board of county commissioners granted
the petition and fixed the date of the first election for August 5, 1887.
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Reno Co. KHHP
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This website created Dec. 13, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
� 2011 Kansas History and Heritage Project
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