Atchison Township

Atchison Township

Atchison township, which is the second civil sub-division of Nodaway county from the western line, is joined on the north by the state of Iowa, on the east by Hopkins and Union townships, and on the south by Union and Nodaway townships. It contains about fifty-five sections of most excellent farming land. Its western borders are washed by the waters of the Nodaway river, thus forming several fractional sections, the township on its west being Lincoln.

Atchison was the first township defined and laid off by the county court at its first day's session at the first term, at which time Lebbins Manley was appointed constable. The date of this action was April, 1845, anc^ this was the first of the original four township formed in Nodaway county. As first bounded, Atchison township embraced the entire northwest portion of the county, but at the May, 1845, term of county court, its boundary was changed "so as to include the road on the main divide between the NAdaway and One Hundred and Two rivers, so far as said township is bounded on said road."

In June, 1866, the township met with another change of boundary, when its territory was confined to the lands bounded practically as follows : Be¬ ginning at a point on the state line, above present Hopkins and running west on Iowa state line to the Nodaway river ; south to a point just west of Burling¬ ton Junction; east to Maryville and north to place of beginning.

Physical Features

Atchison is mainly a prairie township; however, there are skirtings of native timber along the Nodaway river and its tributaries. Along Clear creek the land is broken and quite rough ; numerous springs were found by the settlers, gushing out from the hill sides. Sinking creek (a singular nat- ural feature) rises in the western part. Hows on a mile or more southwest, when it disappears beneath the surface of the ground for about one mile, then comes to the surface and flows into a shallow lake a mile or more long, which finally finds its wav to the Nodaway river.

Early Settlement

The first man to become a permanent settler within Atchison township, as now described, was Ephriam W. Johnson, who came from Lawrence county, Indiana, arriving November 6, 1841, at a point three miles north of where he finally permanently settled, about eight miles north of Clearmont. on section 35 township 66, range 36. That was before the land survey had been made as to sections, and he, like all early pioneers, took a claim. At that date this territory was annexed to Andrew county, which extended north into what is now Page county, Iowa, to a point about two miles south of Clarinda. After a great dispute, the calling out of militia on the part of both states, and finally getting a court decision, in 1849 the present state line was fixed.

When pioneer Johnson arrived here, he had seven children, but only fifty cents in silver - all the wealth he possessed. He had no supplies for the winter, and what he might get had to be brought from Buchanan county. He went to work making rails for a Mr. Martin and finally got together a load of provisions and started for home. He was accompanied by two brothers, Thomas and Eli B. Johnson, who in 1861 emigrated to California. There was also with the party a man named Campbell. On November 26, 1841, they camped, at night, on the White Cloud, near the place later called the Prather farm. That evening it began snowing from the north. The next morning they thought they would try and reach home, fearing they might perish in the great storm. The snow had ceased falling and it was calm, but the snow was so deep they could not take their wagons with them; so each man got on his horse, taking about a bushel of meal and a little piece of meat, starting at daylight for a thirty-mile ride, with the harness on the horses. The snow was drifted from hill to hill. As soon as the horses got saddle-skirt deep, they would lie down; so the men took their turn about to throw out a road through the deep drifts with their hands. About the middle of the afternoon Tom Johnson and Campbell gave out, and then Ephriam and his brother Eli had all the work to do. They worked on for dear life until nearly sundown, when they were about three miles from home. Campbell, who was a very profane man, then said to Ephriam Johnson :

Past And Present

"Do you think we will get in, Johnson?'' The latter replied, "I don't know, Jim; I doubt it." Campbell said, after a moment's reflection, "I believe 1 will quit swearing." They were so near home, however, that the thought of home and family seemed to nerve them to the utmost limit. As the evening shades fell upon them, and the night was fast approaching, when the snow might be their only winding sheet, they strained every nerve and urged their horses to their utmost strength to break through the drifts. At last they saw a light glimmer through the darkness, and just as their strength failed them, and horses and men utterly prostrated, were about to fall and perish amidst the terrible drifts, they reached their cabin door. We will drop a veil over the joyful meeting - no pen can describe or artist picture. Suffice to say Mr. Johnson and his family clasped each other in their arms and thanked God for a great deliverance from death.

Mrs. Johnson and her two sons had seen the awful storm was upon them and had resolved to make a heroic struggle for life. Levi, the older, ten years of age, and Joseph, only eight, had cut and packed enough wood on their shoulders, although the snow lay three feet deep in the timber, to keep the fire burning. They would warm themselves and then go out together in the awful storm for more wood, working on amidst snow until they were rescued from their great peril. The snow melted gradually and went off entirely in about three weeks, when Mr. Johnson and his companions re¬ turned to the White Cloud and brought home their wagons.

Of Mr. Johnson, it was written in 1882 that he was the father of the first child born in Atchison township, named Eli B. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were at that date the progenitors of fifty grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

Joseph A. Johnson, who came with his father, Ephriam, to the country in 1841, lived at home until twenty-one years of age, but pre-empted land in 1854 on section 35 and there opened up a farm. In 1844, when he was about twelve years of age. his parents went to Page county, Iowa, on a visit, leaving himself and six other children at home. One day four hundred In¬ dians came suddenly to the house on ponies. There was only a little clear¬ ing about the house, just a garden spot. Some Indians hitched their ponies, while others left them unhitched, but all filed through the house as if they had never seen such a building before. They were friendly and did not molest anything. One Indian, however, made as if he would shoot the dog, when loseph snatched down the gun and was going to shoot the Indian. As the chief patted him on the head, he murmured, "Brave boy, brave boy," and then wanted him to go along with them.

The next settlers were probably a Mr. Earner, John and William Taner, and their widowed mother. These came in from Virginia in 1842. Then came a widow named Hickman, with her two sons, John and Henry, from Indiana, in 1843.

In 1845 canie John H. Warrens, from Johnson county, Missouri. He was the first justice of peace ever commissioned in Nodaway county. He was well-fitted for frontier life. Later he removed to Gage county, Nebraska. West Farrens took a claim about the same time, six miles northeast of old Clearmont, as did Harvey Dillon, who died in 1850. In 1844 came William Houston from Indiana; he settled eight miles northeast of Clearmont.

Another pioneer in the township was Alexander Swaney; also J. C. Smith, who came in 1855 and claimed lands in the edge of Clearmont. John Allison also settled and opened up a farm one mile north of Clearmont in 1855.

From the last date given, the influx of settlers was too great to be traced out in detail in this connection. This township had a population of one thousand six hundred and ninety-six, according to the last Federal cen¬ sus. The school history of the township will appear in the educational chap¬ ter largely, but it may be stated that at this date the township has good school houses.

The only town within the borders of Atchison township is Clearmont, five miles to the northeast of Burlington Junction, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. At one time the Wabash route had a branch to Clarinda from Clearmont, but about 1889 it was sold to the Burlington system, and its track in Page county was torn up from Clarinda to Brady ville, Iowa.

The original postal name was Clairmont, but it has long since been styled "Clearmont," supposedly from a town of the same name in Indiana, from which Stephen Call emigrated and laid out the place. Marion Conley and Mr. Call owned the land on which the town was platted. The range line 37 passes through it. Call owned the east and Conley on the west side. The town site was platted in 1857 by Alonzo Thompson. One lot was given the surveyor for doing the surveying. Conley erected the first house in the town after it was platted. It was constructed of hewed cottonwood logs. The pioneer blacksmith - "the Village Blacksmith" - was John Griffy. A saloon was thought indispensible and so one was put up by John Markwell.

In the spring of 1859 a wool-carding factory was put in operation. This business was in operation for more than two years, but on account of a financial panic its proprietor was compelled to give up the enterprise. The machinery was sold and in the place of it was constructed a shingle machine, which made a good grade of cottonwood shingles, which found a ready sale at from two dollars and a half to four dollars per thousand.

A saw mill was owned on the west side of the town by John and Lewis Caughman, but operated by Mr. Spurlock. The pioneer store was built in 1865; it was a general merchandise stock owned by Cross & Groves.

The next store was that of James & Wilkin. Others who were connected with merchandising at Clearmont were William M. Gray. Scott & Smith. Isaac Wallace, Cooper Moreland. John G. Combs and Stephen Curren. Later dealers were Cissna & McKittrick.

In the fall of 1879 both the Burlington and the Wabash railroads reached Clearmont. Jerry Smith gave the Wabash road a half interest in thirty acres of land northwest of the old town, on which the new and present Clear¬ mont stands today. He also gave ten acres to the Burlington road for depot grounds. In the new place, A. M. Scott put up the first building intended for a store. The date was December. 1879. A hotel was erected by F. D. Sturtevant. J. M. Evans put up a store building about the same time.

Craig & Smith established a lumber yard during the first year's history of the place. Samuel Sinebaugh and W. F. Smith built their dwellings next and at about the same date. In the summer of 1880 the Baptist and Metho¬ dist churches were built. A history of those will appear under the heading of '^Churches of the County."

About three years before the platting of the new town, Jerry Smith har¬ vested a crop of corn on land thus platted, that averaged sixty-five bushels to the acre. One hundred thousand bushels of corn were shipped from Clear¬ mont in the autumn of 1881.

As to the church and lodge history of Clearmont the reader is referred to general chapters in this work on the subjects which they represent.

Newspaper - Clcarmont News , by A. P. Skeed. Established 1888. Postoffice - The following have served as postmasters since the town was established : Kittie Wallace, W. B. Price, W. G. Carpenter, F. C. Newlon. There are now two rural routes going out from Clearmont.