People's voice., 1897-07-22
THE CENTENNIAL TOWNSHIP OF
SUMNER COUNTY.
a SKETCH OF ITS HISTORICAL IMPOR-
TAS-E-ITs PEOPLE AND RESOURCES.
ORGANIZATION,

While people of the effete East were
OF attending the Centennial exposi-
tiOE at Philadelphia, the bOundleSs
plaias of Kansas were filling up with
peaple. New farms were being opened,
aex counties formed and new town
ships organized. The grasshoppers
hHd had their inning; new activity had
appeared as a result Of the reaction
and the unlimited promise of match
less western Canaan.
On February p, 1876, We find the
following proceedings Of recOrdOn the
con- missiOners' journal of Sumner
county:
''In the matter OF the petition Of j.
W. Edwards aud Others Tor the form
atlUn UT ueT municipal township 10
be called the municipal township Of
-SeVenty-Slx,' the board finds upon
consideration Of said petition and the
sworn testimony introduced in sup
pUrt thereof; lSl, that said proposed
new municipal township contains an
area of lhirty.siX square miles: I'd,
Ehat within the limits thereof there
are more than POO md tide inhabit-
ants, aud that the petition filed for
the purpose Of obtaining the fOrUa-
tlOn of said new municipal township
has been signed by nifty qualified elec-
tors resident within the proposed ter.
Titorial limits.
1t is therefore ordered by the board
that the municipal township Of "Sev.
ezty-Six" be and the same is hereby
organized and set off; bounded and
described as follows, tOwit: Begin
ming at the northwest corner Of con-
greSsiOnal township number thirty
cue (3l) south of range Dumber one ~ |
west aid extending thence south on
the west line Of said congressional
township six miles, thence east on
the south line of said congressional
township six miles, thence north on
the east line of said congressional
township six miles, and thence west
on the north line of said congressional
township six miles to the place of be-
ginning And upon motion the fol,
lowing named persons were appointed
officers of said township, tO-wit: ].
". Edwards, trustee; GeO.W Holmes,
treasurer; and j. S. Rinear clerk.
And the place of holding elections ia
SAID township fixed at the residence
of Elias Lister until otherwise ord
cred.
The north half of the township was
taken frOw London township and the
south half from Wellington.
The board of county commissioners
was then constituted as follows: N. |
J. Dixon, chairman, Samuel Balm and |
Wm. Garter. Stacey B. Douglass was
county clerk.
AT the first general election held |
November 6, 1876 the following town
ship Officers were elected: W. A.
WlnSell, trustee; having received 36
votes while E. Lister received only %:
W. H McMath, clerk same vote, over
N. S. Hale; W. Shannon, treasurer
received 81 votes, while Warren Bar
ker received "A. This being presi-
dental year-the memorable contest
between Hayes and Tilden-it will be
noticed that party lines were pretty
closely drawn. The vote also shows
the relative strength of the two old
parties at that time. The Hayes elec.
tors five in NUMBER received 3S VOTES
while the Tilden electors received
only a. At the same time G.. ". Bow
man was elected justice of the peace
over G. W. Holmes, and G. S. Worden
constable over j. Matthews. Two
rOad oyerSeerS were elected viz: J.
W. Rankin and J. A. Dunlap.
The township took its name from
having been organized in lS76-the
centennial year.
EARLY SETTLERS.
The first actual settlements in Sew
enty-Six township were in the fall Of
1871. Myron W. Hunt whose dea.h
occurred about four years ago was one
of the very earliest settlers, arriving
in October, 1871. He died il Colorado
where he had gone in quest of health,
while he yet lived on his homestead.
His widow, Mrs. Sarah Hunt. now re.
sides 10 Wellington with Ter family
of two daughters aud one son-a!l horn
mere and now grown to maturity. Mr..
Hunt came here single and was mar.
riej one year later at Kansas City
since which time until his death Mrs
Hunt had been sharer of his ioys
-nd SOrrotuc 1O'S