Townships

Survey System in Ordinance of 1785 –
    Parcels of land were odd sized and shaped, with boundary lines marked by streams, trees, rocks & other natural markers which may or may not remain in place.
     Land claimed was the best land, however irregular in shape it might be which left odd, irregular patches in between which remained the property of the state but had very little value.
     Ordinance of 1875 set up a system of survey and sale of the Northwest Territory.
        The land was to be divided north-south in tiers was called ranges.
            East-west rows called townships
            Six mile squares called townships
            The township square was divided into 1-mile squares called sections.
                Sections could be divided into fourths, eighths, etc.
    When the land was sold, a whole piece – section, quarter section, etc. – was sold.
        The buyer had to take the bad with the good.
        Fewer boundary disputes
        No left over patches of land of little value left in the hands of the government.

“ORIGINAL SURVEY OF BUFFALO COUNTY -
        On the establishment of Fort Kearney in 1848, the war department ordered a military reservation of ten miles square surrounding the fort to be surveyed and established. Accordingly the Fort Kearney military reservation was surveyed in 1848, this being the first survey of record in the county, and it appears that the lines thus established were recognized in all future surveys in both Buffalo and Kearney counties.
        In 1866 the second and third standard township lines in the county were surveyed
            Third standard was the present north line of the county
            Second standard the line between townships eight (8) and nine (9).
        In 1866 range lines 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 were run
        In 1866, the township and section lines in ranges 13, 14, 15 and 16 were run
        In 1868 the township and section lines in ranges 17 and 18 were run
            This completed the original survey of the county.”

Survey timeline:
1848 – Survey of Fort Kearny military reservation
1866 – All range lines (the north-south lines) were surveyed
            The line between townships 8 & 9 the county’s north boundary were surveyed
            Township and section lines for Ranges 13-16 were surveyed
1868 - Township and section lines for Ranges 17 & 18 were surveyed
 

Precincts - Townships
1875 – each six-square-mile parcel was called a precinct.

    Precincts in Buffalo County in 1875 were
        Shelton
        Gibbon
        Center
        Kearney
        Crowellton – Odessa in 1877
        Western – later Elm Creek
        Grant
        Schneider
        Cedar
        Loup
        Buffalo

1883 – State law regulating organization of townships
        County Board adopted the act and set up all townships in Buffalo County except Collins and gave them all names.

        Collins formed from Riverdale in 1917
(some counties never changed the term "precinct" even though they divided their counties into "townships" as the law described.)

Settlement Pattern in Buffalo County,
        Along trails following Platte River valley
        Gibbon Homestead colony – along the Wood River and up Buck Eye Valley.
        Along the Loup River
        Along Cedar Creek in east
        Along Beaver Creek

Townships in Buffalo County –
        Buffalo County has 6 columns of Ranges and 4 tiers of Townships, each 6 miles square, except for the bottom tier which includes those parts of the next township which are north of the Platte which is our southern boundary.
        Every so often an extra column of sections is added to a range to adjust for the curvature of the earth. One was added on the west side of range 16 so each township is 7 sections wide instead of 6.
 

-----------Range 13 (east edge of county) ------------

CHERRY CREEK TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 13
    • Named for one of the creeks in the township

GARDNER TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 13
    • Named for George L Gardner, who claimed a homestead there in 1875

SHARON TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 13

SHELTON TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 13
    • Shelton & Sharon were originally called Wood River
    • Name probably changed when Wood River Center name was changed
    • Welsh letter in 1873 to Postmaster General:
        "Washington, D. C.
        Dear Sir:
        You are hereby notified that the name of this post office has been changed from Wood River Center to

        Shelton and you will govern yourself accordingly."
    • Don’t know when the two townships split.

-------------------

PLATTE TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 8, RANGES 13 AND 14
    • East half, below Shelton Township was called Island Township
    • Assessor’s book – 1882 – Format of this book was different.

        Asked for more than animals, wagons & household furniture.
    • Crops raised were mostly wheat and corn along with some oats, and one 15 acre field of barley.

        Also asked for number of fruit trees and forest trees. Four were listed:

This man had seven acres of land, 3 in oats and 4 improved [must be where the fruit trees
were] He also had 2 horses, 1 beef, 400 lb of hogs, 1 wagon, 1 sewing machine, $10 worth of tools, $10 worth of household goods, and $100 value of improvements.
 

-------Range 14---------

GARFIELD TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 14
    • Contains Ravenna & Poole

SCHNEIDER TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 14
    • Named for Dr. Schneider, native of Saxony, who came in 1873 and left in 1874

VALLEY TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 14

GIBBON TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 14
    When the railroad was built, a siding was placed at what is now the town site of Gibbon and named Gibbon Siding

     in honor of Gen. John Gibbon, who served in the Mexican and Civil War

----------Range 15---------------

BEAVER TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 15
    • Named for Beaver Creek
    • Contains Sweetwater

CEDAR TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 15
    • Named for Cedar Creek where first settlers lived

THORNTON TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 15
    • Named for S. W. Thornton one of the first settlers, came in 1874

CENTER TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 15

    Also as much of town No. 8, range No. 15, as is in Buffalo County.

-----------Range 16-------------
(The range with the extra column of sections)

LOUP TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 16
    • Named for the Loup River which flows on its southern boundary
    • Contains Pleasanton

RUSCO TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 16
    • Named for W. Rusco, who settled there in 1876.

DIVIDE TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 16

RIVERDALE TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 16
    • Also as much of town No. 8, range No. 16, as is in Buffalo County.
    • Collins Township – Town No. 8, Range 16, Sections 24-26

        and as much of town No. 8, range No. 16, as is in Buffalo County – was formed after 1917.

----------Range 17------------

SARTORIA TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 17
    • Township government organized in 1884
    • Sartoria & ½ of Scott were first called Taylor Township

SCOTT TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 17
    • Named for Benjamin Scott who filed the first claim in 1873
    • Scott township was formed from three rows of sections in Sartoria township and
            three from Grant in August 1887.

GRANT TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 17
    • Named for William Grant who came in 1874
    • Contains Amherst

ODESSA TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 17
    • Also that portion of town No. 8, range No. 17, within Buffalo County.
    • Odessa was originally called Crowelton

--------------Range 18 (west edge of county)----------------

HARRISON TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 12, RANGE NO. 18

ARMADA TOWNSHIP-TOWN NO. 11, RANGE NO. 18
    • Named for the town of Armada
    • Contains Miller

LOGAN TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 10, RANGE NO. 18
    • Original name was Buffalo
    • Assessor’s book, 1876 - All odd numbered sections were owned by the UP.
    • No one else owned any land in the township yet.

        According to Bassett there were two homestead claims filed in 1878 and one in 1879.
        14 names listed with property assessed. Totals for the township were
              7 horses
              4 mules
            12 cattle
              8 carriages/wagons
        $227 other
              no value for household furnishings.
              4 dogs

ELM CREEK TOWNSHIP--TOWN NO. 9, RANGE NO. 18
    • Also that portion of town No. 8, range No. 18, embraced within Buffalo County.
    • Elm Creek was Western