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Origin
of the name. - The name of this
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The
railroads. - This township is
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Early
entries of land and first settlers - Being all prairie, the
township was of the latest settled, the first comers, as a general
rule, keeping close to the timber for its seeming protection.
The prairie was considered a bleak, barren waste, unfit for
habitation or cultivation, the magnificent richness of the soil not
being appreciated by men accustomed to hilly woodlands. The
timber was convenient for fuel, building and fencing, and men clung
to it, for it was considered injudicious to expose one's self and
family to the full sweep of the winter storms and annual and really
dangerous prairie fires.
The first entries of land we find are about as follows:
Sigler H. Lester, Dec. 5, 1836, entered west half of the
northwest quarter of section 30, town 16, range 8; John Hammer,
May, 1837, north half of the northwest quarter of section 18, town
16, range 8; 1837, July 22. Jacob Moore took lot 2,
southwest quarter of section 30, town 16, range 8; the bulk of the
lands entered for him were six miles south; June 19, 1838.
Thomas Lewis entered lot 2, southwest quarter of section 18,
town 16, range 8; 1837, Samuel Lester, on lots 3 and 4,
northeast quarter of section 6, town 15, range 8, and other large
lands; 1849. William Brian, north half of the northeast
quarter of section 19, town 16, range 8. Mr. Brian
distributed his lands among the children, otherwise he would have
been the largest land owner in the county. Most of the land
entries were made in 1852-53. Up to that time it appears that
there wa a check upon settlements of lands by entry, or rather the
buying of such lands, the district for the most part being withdrawn
from sale pending the location of the lands granted it by
government. In 1853 H. Sandford entered the northeast
quarter of section 33,town 16, range 8, which adjoins Tuscola on the
west, and in the palmy days was firmly held at one hundred dollars
per acre. amongst the active and prominent of earlier
settlers, as farmers and cattle men, were O. C. and M. F. Hackett,
Owen J. Jones and Joseph W. Smith in the south part,
and in the north B. F. Boggs, Benham Nelson, George P. Phinney
and Caleb Garrett. He emigrated from the adjoining
township of Garrett in 1874. Ample notes of the career and
influence of many of these gentlemen will be found elsewhere in this
volume.
The sixteenth section in every congressional township
was, by law, set apart for sale for the use of schools, and so sold
by the state. It was required to be surveyed into lots, the
utility of which isnot clear, as the government subdivisions would
have answered every purpose of description.
Section 16, town 16 north, range 8 east, in Tuscola
township, was divided into sixteen lots, each lot being one of the
original forty-acre tracts; the numbering began in the northeast
corner and ended in the southeast. The purchases were made in
1857. W. P. Carter took six of them; T. G. Chambers
two; J. F. Parcels four; Le Roy Wiley four.
There is no record authority in Douglas county for the numbering,
the only guide being the various conveyances, which, however,
generally give the number of the lot as well as the regular
subdivision.
First
town meeting. -
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The
original town of Tuscola. -
Winston's addition. -
Wamsley & Cannon's addition. -
Kelly's addition. -
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Mathers' addition. -
Conelius' addition. -
Population and condition. -
Early
events. -
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Incorporaton. -
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City
Charter. -
Hotels.
-
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Churches. - The
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tous matters, joint meetings and exchange of pulpits being the
frequent leading features that go far toward clipping the wings of
those smart fellows, who, claiming the difference of creed as a
sufficient excuse, would fly to glory unincumbered church.
The
Press. -
Centennial History -
Resolved, That Henry C. Niles be employ
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