Burke Township

Burke Township

Township 10(i of range 4-1 was created by action of the cfiunty commissioners .\pril -2(1, is:9, and named Erin. The first town meeting was held at the residence of Jficbaol Jloriaiity on the northwest quarter of section 1.5. At a subsequent meeting in the claim shanty of John Shea, on tiie southwest quarter of section ".'(i, it was decided to change the name to Burke, in honor of Rev. Thomas N. Biirko." The change was ratified by the county co)umissioners June 2, 1879.*

28. Ann Day taught the first school (private! in the township, and West Webster was the first public sclioo) teaclier. The first church services were held at tlie home of E. W. Day. and that gentleman was the superintendent of the first SatilDath school in Pipestone coimtj'. The first white child born in tlie township was Kittie Finnegan. Ijorn in 1879. The second child born was Frank Kingsbur.v. born the same year.

'Rev. Thomas N. Burke, O. P.. was born in Galway, Ireland. He was a renowned orator and famous lecturer in defense of Ireland. He visited .\merica on a lecturing tour in 1871.

^Five hundred sixty acres of sod were turned in Burke township in 1878 and 940 acres in 1879. In tile last named year the acreage sown to crop was as follows: Wheat. 460 acres; sod corn, 250 acres; oats, 85 acres; barley, 5 acres.

Grange

The township of CTrange was put uiulcr local o-oveininent only after a lengthy squabble over a name. Among the i)a)nes suggested were Upton, HeybuDi and Clai-y. At an election for the puj'pose the na]ne Clary was chosen, in hoioi' of an early settler, but when the to\vnshi|i was created by the con))nissioners A|i]il -^G, is;!), in response lo a petilion by W. R. Brown and others, it was named Blaine. On June "i the commissioners changed the name to (i)ange. The township was organized at the first town )neeting, held at the home of J. T^. Huniphrey on section 20 May 17. The foll(iw))ig were g)'a))icd bir)d patcntr^ in (Ji'ange low)isl)ip:

Fountain Prairie Rock

Rock townsliip, named after the river wiiich ^ow» thrnugh it, was also created June 'I'lie tirst town meeting was lield .(line 14 at tlie residenoe of W. SI. Ware (111 section 'i'i. The organization was legalized liy the county hoard .lune 28, 1879. Gdverniiient hinds in Rock t(iwiislii|i were granted as follows:

Gray township was created June 28, 1879, the first town meeting was held July 19 at the home of Andrew 0. Gray on the southwest quarter of section 10, and the township was officially declared organized July 28. The precinct was named in honor of Andrew 0. Grar, the first permanent settler in the township. At the first town meeting the following ofPicers were elected and served as tho precinct's first officials: L. D. Peck. Andrew 0. Gray and E. S. Averv, supervisors; C. W. Fenlason, clerk; W. S. Bradford, treasurer; S. C. Bailev and Rod ('ainpl)ell. justices of the peace; T). Young and H. Dickey, constables. The grantees of government land in Gray township :

Elmer

The petition asking for tlie creation of township 105 of range 45 was presented to the county board July 28, 1879, and final hearing on the matter was set for .\ugust 28. At that time the township was declared created, and Saturday, August 30, was named as the date for holding (he first town meeting, at which the name of the precinct should be chosen by ballot. Many of the first settlers came from Milwaukee, AVisconsin, and the name of (heir city had many adherents at the election for choice of a name. At the meeting, lield on the northwest quarter of section 20, the name Elmer was chosen. The following were the first officers of Elmer township: Fred Kurz, F. A. Bishop and William Tibbetts, supervisors ; J. A. Lemmenes, clerk ; John D. Tyler, treasurer; William Bi.xby, M. Bromley and E. E. Clements, justices of the peace ; C. G. Sercumb, S. Y. Sickler and Henry Paul, constables. Homestead and timber culture patents were granted in Elmer township as follows: