Maple Township, Dodge County, Nebraska

Maple civil township comprises Congressional township 18, range 7, east, hence is six miles square and it is bounded on the north by-Everett Township, on the east by Nickerson, on the south by Piatt Township and on the west by Cotterell Township. Originally Maple Township as now constituted formed a part of Everett and Nickerson townships or precincts as then known, but in 1886, when "Township Organization" came into effect, the present limits were fixed. This is one of Dodge County's inland townships and has neither railway line nor village within its borders.

Population

In 1890 the United States census gave this township a population of 778; in 1900 it was placed at 1,409, but in 1910 it was decreased to 606. Its population is about equally divided between American and foreign born.

Schools and Churches

The reader is referred to the special chapters in this work on the schools, churches and lodges of the whole county for facts concerning such subjects in this township.

Post offices

Maple Creek post office was established in this township in 1870, on a mail route from Fremont to West Point. This post office in 1892 was being kept in section 3.

Jamestown post office was located in section 20, and Bangs post office in section 15.

The pioneer postmaster was Father Monroe, who kept the Maple Creek office at his home in section 4. The advent of the free rural delivery postal system has greatly changed the mail facilities in this township and daily mails come from various post offices right to the very dooryard of the farmer.

First Settlement

Maple Township was first settled by Seneca Hager, in section 20. He came from Platte Township, where his parents had settled in 1856. Rev. Jacob Adriance, section 20, came to Dodge County in 1858, first locating at Fremont as a Methodist Episcopal minister. In that work he continued many years. In 1862 he located land with a land warrant, and in 1879 moved to the premises to remain. His settlement and labors were indeed full of interesting incidents and pioneer experiences.

George Knoell of section 26 came to this county in the spring of 1859, locating at first in Platte Township with his father, he himself being only sixteen years old at the time of his father's settlement.

Charles A. Bang, of section 14, came in very early. He came from Denmark, worked about three years and returned to his native land.

After a visit in Denmark he returned to this county and was employed in a mill at North Bend until 1869, when he purchased and improved eighty acres of land, to which he added until he owned a half section.

Ole Hanson settled in section 26; in 1866 he went to work at Fremont and about three years later, 1869, he homesteaded land, where he resided many years.

Rasmus Hansen, section 35, came to Dodge County in the autumn of 1867 and engaged at sawmill work near Fremont. Eighteen months later he rented land upon which he lived two years. He then took a homestead, lived thereon five years, sold and purchased 120 acres nearer Fremont. He sold again and moved to Oregon, but six years later returned and finally settled on land in section 35.

James C. Nelson of section 22, came to Dodge County in the spring of 1867, first stopping in Fremont. At the time he was a young single man, and he hired out by the month as a farm hand. He soon claimed eighty acres of wild land as his own and there made a good home.

Eighteen hundred and sixty-seven saw another truly representative settler in the person of Lewis A. Warner in section 3, who came to Dodge County in the fall of that year. For three years he rented land near Nickerson, after which he moved to the Maple Creek county and there engaged in farming and stock-raising.

J. E. Dorsey settled in Maple Township on Maple Creek, section 1, in 1867; later he moved to North Bend.

L. M. Keene came from Maine in Company with Chester Morse in 1867 and located in section 12, Maple Township. Later he moved to Fremont, where he soon became one of the successful financiers of the city. Chester Morse located in section 4. Not many years later, however, he moved to North Bend, and later in company with others, platted the Village of Morse Bluff, south of the Platte River from North Bend. "Old Mr. Monroe" settled in section 3 at about the last named date- 1867-and remained there until overtaken by death.

Thomas and W. F. Wilson came in from Ohio and located on the north line of the township. In 1869 came Melcher Endley, locating in section 10, a part of which he homesteaded and another portion he bought. After proving up he sold and returned to Ohio.

Another homesteader of 1869 was James Hiscock, who in 1887 sold to J. A. Sill and removed to Colfax County, Nebraska.

James L. Davis came in 1869, took an eighty-acre tract as his homestead right, and lived on the same until 1887, then moved to Fremont, where after a few years he died.

In 1870 came Seth Harkness to section 13. He bought railroad land and resided in this township until 1880, when he sold and moved to Hamilton County, Nebraska.

G. W. R. Pettibone became a resident of section 2 in 1870. He bought out a homesteader and lived in the township until 1876, when he moved to Fremont and there embarked in business. Subsequently, he went to Deadwood, South Dakota, and there traded for a time but returned to Fremont and later settled in the City of Lincoln, where he became general agent for a Des Moines insurance company, and in 1892 was reported to have made $200,000 at the insurance business.

Among the settlers in the "seventies" was John L. Ritter of section 4. Later he engaged in the grain trade at Hooper; also at North Bend, and finally became a member of the Town Site Company of Morse & Ritter, platting Morse Bluff.

Other pioneer settlers were-C. E. Forbes, section 14; William Springer, 1870; W. C. Aiken, section 10; Casper Eidam, a farmer of section 16, came to the county in 1870 and located in Platte Township, where he rented land for a time before purchasing.

David Brown, section 4, came in the spring of 1870, then rented land on Maple Creek four years, then bought eighty acres of his own. William C. Wallingford located in section 34 in 1870. He rented land near Fremont five seasons, after which he bought in section 7, Platte Township, farmed there ten years, then went to section 34. Peter Johnson, another 1870 immigrant to Dodge County, followed railroad work two years. He then went to breaking prairie and a year later purchased eighty acres of land in section 15.

In 1872 Edward Hooker located at Fremont, near which city he rented land a year or more, then homesteaded part of section 5, this township.

Edward Rannie, section 15, came to the county in May, 1872. He took up a quarter section of unimproved land.

Hon. Julius A. Sill, section 11, came to this county in the early spring of 1872. In 1892 he owned 400 acres of valuable Dodge County land.

Frank F. and Hugh C. Brown, Christian Hansen, Hans Hansen, John G. Dykeman, Henry Rebbe, B. C. Allen, Ezra Philips, James L. Brown, Peter Slack, William Philips, Eugene M. Tarbell, Theodore R. Stout and Philip Sullivan all came to this township at an early time and helped to subdue the tough prairie sod and transform the wild prairie into the present beautiful and high-priced farming lands one now sees throughout this and adjoining townships in Dodge County. They "builded better than they knew."

Dodge County | Nebraska AHGP

Source: History of Dodge and Washington Counties, Nebraska, Rev. William H. Buss and Thomas T. Osterman, Volume 1, The American Historical Society, Chicago, 1921.

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