Chatham Township

Chatham Township

Chatham embraces the south half of Congressional township, 120, range 26, and has an area of about 11,520 aeres. Originally in the Big Woods, it was divided into lakes, marshland and forests. Buffalo lake, which extends into this township, is its largest body of water, and there are also numerous smaller lakes. Mill creek is the principal stream.

Chatham was a part of Buffalo until 1866. January 5, 1866, the county commissioners received a petition signed by J. M. Murphy and thirty-eight other citizens of Buffalo and Maple Lake living in the proposed new town, that township 120, range 26, be organized and named Chatham. The petition was granted, and the first meeting was held at the home of Benjamin Ambler, January 22, 1866. The officers elected were: Supervisors, Willard Mann (chairman), Herman Erath and Patrick Flaherty; town clerk, James Ambler; justices of the peace, Hiram Lobdill and William P. Jewett; town treasurer, Benjamin Ambler; assessor, John Carroll; constables, James Murphy and Albert Erath.

Maple Lake, which had been organized by the commissioners and held its first election May 11, 1858, objected to its territory being taken away in this manner, and W, G. MeCrory brought action in the district court to have the north eighteen sections returned to Maple Lake, the contention being that Maple Lake had been reduced below the minimum thirty-six sections, The court restored the eighteen sections to Maple Lake, leaving only the south eighteen to Chatham.

These south eighteen sections were organized as the town of Chatham, by act of the legislature, March 2, 1868. The first meeting was held April 7, 1868, and the following officers were elected: Supervisors, W. W. Washburn (chairman), Gottlieb Haug, James C. Nugent; town clerk, Herman Erath; treasurer, James E. Cochran; assessor, John C. Nugent; justice of the peace, W. W. Washburn; constable, Albert Erath.

The first. settler in Chatham was Moses Li, Calkins, who located on section 25, in November, 1855. In 1856, Samuel Chamberlain settled on section 28, and Joseph Armstrong on section 35,

Benjamin Ambler came in August, 1857, and took a claim on section 34. He was a mason by trade and became a prominent citizen. Being unmarried, he was known as ''Uncle Ben'' by everyone in the county. With him came William Sullivan, who settled on section 34, and practiced law in Rockford and Monticello. He moved to Hennepin county in 1865 and died in 1868. In October of the same year, Gottlieb Haug came, It is told of Mr. Haug that in the spring of 1858, desiring to make maple syrup, he walked through the deep snow and slush to St. Paul, forty-five miles away, borrowed six dollars, bought a kettle weighing 76 pounds and brought it home on his head. It was in 1857 that the Buffalo and Forest City road was laid out through the town, and communication with the outside world then became less diffienlt,

The first white child born in the town was Margaret Haug, born February 22, 1858, Alexander Ambler taught the first school. it opened on July 1, 1860. The first schoolhouse was erected the same year.

The first attempt to utilize the water power on Mill creek was made in 1867, when Charles H. Irvine, of Monticello, commenced a dam and a mill in the southwest corner of section 25. After many changes a dam was finally put in and Wakeman operated a sawmill there for about a year. Wesley Bailey then made an attempt to operate a mill on the site, but later moved to Buffalo.

Those who enlisted in the Civil War from this town were: Sixth Vol. Inf - Co. B, James G. Nugent. Eighth Vol. Inf. - Co. FE, James Amble, Albert Erath, Herman Erath. Hatch's Battalion - Co, D, J. B. Charles; Co. E, I. Berthiaume, Peter Lefaivre. W. W. Washburn and others also enlisted, but they are not eredited to this town in the adjutant general's report.