42°37′N 94°08′W / 42.62°N 94.14°W / 42.62; -94.14

Wahkonsa Township
Township
Wahkonsa Township is located in the United States
Wahkonsa Township
Wahkonsa Township
Wahkonsa Township within the United States
Wahkonsa Township is located in Iowa
Wahkonsa Township
Wahkonsa Township
Wahkonsa Township (Iowa)
Coordinates: 42°37′N 94°08′W / 42.62°N 94.14°W / 42.62; -94.14
Country United States
State Iowa
CountyWebster County
OrganizedMarch 3, 1856
Named forIndian chief
Time zoneUTC-06:00 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-05:00 (Central (CST))
Other spellingsWakonza, Wahonksa[1]
School districtFort Dodge Community School District[2]

Wahkonsa Township is a township in Webster County, Iowa. Since the year 1872, the township includes only the city limits of Fort Dodge and no longer many notable settlements.[2]

History

Wahkonsa Township was organized on March 3, 1856,[2] in an attempt to reduce the boundaries of Washington Township which for a time contained all of Webster and Hamilton counties. The boundaries of the township, as well as those of six other townships organized that day in Webster County, were fixed by the County court.[3] Wahkonsa Township was set to contain 470 mi² (300,800 acres) of land.[2]

Wahkonsa township was named in honor of a young Indian chief of the name who frequently visited the neighboring city of Fort Dodge. The first settler in the present-day township was Mrs. Geo H. Rodgers, and the first sermon preached was by Reverend J. B. Montgomery in 1851.[2]

The boundaries of the township were changed on March 24, 1857, so that the township would only border east of the Des Moines river, in exchange for some additional territory in the north. In 1865, the boundaries of the township again changed as the territory today known as Badger township separated. The boundaries were reduced again in 1872 to only include township 89 and range 28, and finally on September 6, 1877, with the separation of Cooper Township. Wahkonsa Township now only embraces the city limits of Fort Dodge, no longer including nearly any notable settlements.[3]

1857 Election Results

The first township elections took place on Monday, April 6, 1857 in an old log school-house built by the government[2] which elected the County Judge, Clerk of the District Count, Sheriff, Treasurer, Recorder, Drainage Commissioner, County Surveyor, County Assessor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Register of State Land, Commissioner of Des Moines River Improvement, Township Trustee, Township Clerk, Justice of the Peace, Constable, and Road Supervisor (not included) of the township.[1]

1857 Elections[1]
Candidate Office Votes Received Votes Cast
L. M. Scott Township Trustee 81 399
Robert F. Gray Constable 76 264
Fred Boot Justice of Peace 75 241
Lewis Davis County Assessor 86 142
Gideon S. Bailey Commissioner of the Des Moines River Improvement 83 141
Samuel Rees County Judge 89 141
Adam Mepmore Drainage Commissioner 84 141
Theodore S. Parvin Register of the State Land 82 141
Jno. H. Williams Sheriff 80 141
Maturin L. Fisher Superintendent of Public Instruction 83 141
Samuel Rees District Clerk 89 140
A. Morrison County Surveyor 80 139
J. A. Humphrey Township Clerk 78 137
Thos. White Treasurer 73 132
Jn. Garaghty Recorder 70 131

^ Information is organized by votes cast. If there is a tie in votes cast, it is organized alphabetically by office.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "1875 poll book #554 for wakonza (wahkonsa) township". iagenweb.org. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "1876 Centennial History of Webster County, its Towns and Townships, also the City of Fort Dodge" (PDF). iagenweb.org. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Chapter VII: Organization and government of Webster County". iagenweb.org. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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