1878 History of Jewell County, Kansas

Buffalo Township

was organized at the first meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, August 22, 1870, and was composed Townships 3, 4 and 5, south Ranges 7 and 8 west.

The First Election

for Township officers was held on Tuesday, September 27th, 1870, at which Dvid H. Halstead was elected Justice of the Peace; Jesse N. Carpenter, Township Trustee; Z.F. Dodge, Township Treasurer; Wm. M. Jones, Township Clerk; N. Carpenter failed to qualify as Township Trustee, and on February 29th, 1871, Wm. H. Cameron was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to fill the vacancy, and qualified the same day. The first regular election for Township officers in Buffalo Township was held April 3d, 1871, at which the following officers were elected: J.L. Wagemen, Trustee; Z.F. Dodge, Treasurer; Wm. M. Jones, Clerk; Wm. H. Cameron and R.G. Williams, Justices of the Peace, and James Presler and John K. Dodge, Constables.

The First Settlers

of Buffalo Township have already been named among the "Buffalo Pioneers." Hence we omit them here.

Buffalo township, since its first organization, has been reduced to one Government Township (township 4, Range 7), Prairie, Brown's Creek, Calvin and Centre and Washington have been formed out of its original territory. It now contains six miles square of the finest land in the county, all of which is susceptible of the most successful cultivation, and all of which is taken up. It is well watered by Buffalo and Spring creeks, and is thickly settled by as intelligent, energetic, industrious and moral a community as can be found in any country. There are four school districts, in all of which are good substantial school houses, in which regular terms of school are taught. There are six church organizations -- Methodists, Evangelists, Christians, Baptists, Presbyterians and Catholics, all of whom have regular preaching. The Methodists and Evangelicals each have a nice church building, and the Christians and Catholics are preparing to build. There are four Sunday Schools in the Township, all of which are largely attended. The present population of the township is 613.

The Present Township Officers,

elected November 6, 1877, are: James A. Scarbrough, Treasurer; M.F. Knapenberger, Clerk; R.W. Hill, Treasurer; A.L. Marks and Nicholas Gishwiller, Justices of the Peace, and M.W. George and S.B. Scott, Constables.