Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-12-09
ORGANIZATION
OF TOWNSHIPS
More of the History of These Organ
izations-Formed About
Thirty Years Ago.
MEN ACTIVE IN THE WORK
independence, Cass, Fremont, Free
dom, harrisburg and
Williams.
MEN ACTIVE IN THE WORK

From the History of Hamilto
County by F. @. and J. w. Lee: In
dependence township was organize
Jan. 4, 1888, and was taken fror
Boone, Webster and Hamilton town
ships. It contained all of the con
gressional township of SO, range %
except section 6 and the north one
half of section Z, which remained
part of Boone township.
Freedom township was organized
Jan. II, 1884. The resolution O.
the board of supervisors organizing
this township and readjusting thu
lines of Boone, Webster and Hamil'
ton townships was adopted.
FREMONT TOWNSHIP.
Fremont township now includes
congressional township SO, range 26
with an area of SO square miles
The surface of the earth is uniform.
ly level, and the soil is rich black
loan. Formerly it contained much
swamp land, but in recent years the
great Breitenkamp-Gannon drain,
with it's laterals-has furnished an
outlet for drainage and the swamp
land has been nearly all reclaimed.
The earliest settlements in this
township were in its eastern and
northern portions. The first settler
in Fremont township was undoubt-
eddy Jacob w. Paine, who opened up
and improved the farm now occu-
pied by C. A. How'd on Boone river
in 1854. He was followed closely
by w. w. Boak. Later in 1856
came the McLaughlins, and in 1857
N. H. HELEN opened large farm In
the northern part of the township.
No doubt N. H. HELEN was one of
the most picturesque and dashing OF
pioneer characters. He dressed the
part of the pioneer according to the
most approved literary ideals. He is
described as riding horseback into
Webster City, dressed in black
trousers, riding boots that reached
his knees, red shirt, with pistol and
bowieknife strapped at his belt and
wearing a broad brimmed white hat
that covered head of thick, long,
coal-black hair.
In 1863 Fremont township had a
of IA people. This stead
lily increased until 1880, when she
6S5 souls, and in 1910 the
population had increased to much
higher figures.
The only postoffice in Fremont
township is Highview. This little
village consists of depot, an eleva-
tor and store.
CASS TOWNSHIP.
Cass township included congress
sional township SO, range rs and is
the home of the Oldest settlers in
the northern part of the county. The
first settlers were Peter Lyon, the
Stanly family and Patrick Frakes
and family. Soon after the Frakes',
came Horace and Benjamin Segar,
L. B. Hill, Zera Hayden, A. Haswell,
John w. Lee, Reuben Bennett and
w. D. McFerren and many others
and in several cases the descend
ants of these pioneers own and
manage the farms their fathers or
grandfathers settled upon.
The surface of Cass township is
broken by Boone river through the
western tier of sections, and by
White Fox creek through its center,
so the land is more rolling and was
naturally better drained than the
townships on either side of it. The
river and the creek were both skirt
ed with timber and this feature, too,
encouraged the early settler to stop
in this locality where he could have
a natural grove to protect his build
ings and still have rich prairie land
upon which to raise his crops.
In 1856 the population of Cass
township is given at 254, but it
must be remembered that at that
time Cass township had not been
legally organized and it is almost
impossible to tell what territory
was included by the census taker.
The population in 1880 after the
township had been reduced almost
to it's present size was 592. There
are no towns in Cass township; its
nearest trading points are Wool
stock, in Wright county, and Web
ster City. The population Of the
township in 1905 was TOT, compos-
ed almost entirely of thrifty and
prosperous farmers.
HARRISBURG TOWNSHIP.
harrisburg township, after hover.