Shelby County Iowa Townships
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ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS
SHELBY COUNTY, soon after its organization was divided into two civil townships- "Galland's Grove" and "Round" being the names of such divisions. From time to time these divisions have been sub-divided, and, rebounded until about 1875 when they assumed the uniform shape and size in which they are at present. These changes always being necessary in the settlement of any new county, owing to the fact that the settlement is usually made near the streams and within easy access to groves, etc.; but upon final development, roads, school-houses, etc, are needed in a more uniform manner, hence these equal and square sub-divisions of most of the counties in Iowa.CASS Township is bounded on the north by Washington, on the east by Lincoln, on the south by Shelby Township and Pottawattamie County, and on the west by Harrison County. It was constituted June 7, 1869, at which time it had a population of 120 people.
CLAY Township comprises township 789 range 37, west, and is south of Jackson Township and Audubon County, west of Audubon County, north of Cass County, and east of Monroe Township of Shelby County. It was constituted a civil organization September 16, 1867, when it contained a population 80 people.
DOUGLAS Township is bounded by Greeley Township on the north, Polk on the east, Harlan on the south, and Westphalia on the west. It was constituted April 8, 1871, with a population of 164.
FAIRVIEW Township is south of Lincoln and Harlan townships, west of Monroe, north of Pottawattamie County, and east of Shelby Township. It was constituted September 3 1860, with a population of 130.
GREELEY Township is bounded north by Crawford County, east by Jefferson Township, south by Douglas and west by Union townships. Its organization dates from June 2, 1874, when it contained a population of 70.
GROVE Township, which is one of the two original townships of Shelby County, was organized with its present boundaries in - 1854, with population of 174 people, most of whom were what the Utah Mormons term "Apostate Mormons", a class of Mormon believers who left the sect on account of the practice of polygamy, and settled in the western part of Iowa, refusing to go farther than Kanesville (now Council Bluffs) with President Brigham Young. It is now bounded on the north by Crawford County on the east by Union Township, on the south by Washington Township, and on the west by Harrison County. It is in the northwest corner township of Shelby County, was the first one settled, and now comprises congressional township 81, range 40, west.
HARLAN Township is congressional township 79, range 88, west, and was first constituted September 3, 1860. The county-seat is within the township at Harlan, an incorporated town. It is bounded on the north by Douglas, on the east by Jackson on the south and Fairview and Monroe, and on the west by Lincoln townships.
JACKSON Township, which is south of Polk Township, west of Audubon County, north of Clay and Monroe townships, and east of Harlan Township was constituted September 31 1860, and now comprises congressional township 79, range 37,west. When organized its population was less than 30 people.
JEFFERSON Township is bounded on its north by Crawford County, on the east by Audubon County, on the south by Polk Township, and west by Greeley Township. It comprises congressional township 81, range 37, west, and was constituted April 3, 1871, at which date it had a population of 117.
LINCOLN Township comprises congressional subdivision 79 range 39, west, and was constituted April 3, 1871, with a population of 129. It is now bounded on the north by Westphalia Township, on the east by Harlan Township, on the south by Shelby and Fairview townships, and on the west. by Cass Township.
MONROE Township, bounded on the north by Jackson and Harlan townships, on the east by Clay Township, on the south by Cass County, and on the west by Fairview Township, was constituted January 7, 1873, with a population of about 550 people. It is made of all of township 78, range 38, west.
POLK Township is south from Jefferson, west of the Audubon County line, north from Jackson Township and east from Douglas Township. it was constituted April 3, 1871, and now comprises township 8O, range 37, west, having, when first organized, about 20 people within its border.
SHELBY Township is bounded, north by Cass and-Lincoln townships, east by Fairview Township, south by the Pottawattainie County Line, and west by Harrison County. It was constituted September 6, 1870, and comprises present congressional township 78, range 40,west. It had about 190 population in 1870.
UNION Township is south of Crawford County, west of Greeley.Township, north of Westphalia Township, east of Washington Township. It was constituted September 4, 1871, with a population of 87. Its present limits embrace all of township 81, range 39, west.
WASHINGTON Township is bounded, north by Grove Township, east by Westphalia Township, south by Cass Township, and on the west by Harrison County. Its organization dates from April 3, 1871, and its present territory embraces all of congressional township 80,.range 10, west. At the time it was constituted its population was 163.
WESTPHALIA Township comprises all of township 80, range 39, west, and was organized June 2 1874, with a population of 207 people. It is bounded, north by Union, east by Douglas, south by Lincoln, and west by Washington townships.
Go to the Westphalia Township Page.
Note: Early civil records and census' do not record the towns now recognized, but the residence as the township where the town was located.
**Information from History of Shelby and Audubon Counties, Iowa. W.S. Dunbar & Co. Publishers, 1889.
Contributed by Kathleen Weiland.
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