CHAPTER XXI.
GROVE TOWNSHIP.

EARLY ITEMS.

The first child born in Grove township was [the] son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayborn Marion, and this noteworthy addition to its population occurred in a log cabin, on section 34, in the fall of 1854

In December, of the same year, Willis Wakefield was born to Mr. and Mrs. George W. W. Wakefield, and the youngster grew to maturity and a useful manhood as a resident of the township.

The first girl born in the township was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. D. McGeehon, December 22, 1854. These three births all occurred in the vicinity of Turkey Grove. In this locality, on section 14, Mr. McGeehon also erected the first house in the township, in the summer of 1852.

In the early days there were two especially noteworthy floods in Grove township. On the 5th of July, 1858, the water in Turkey creek rose twenty-three feet in three hours at Wakefield's mill, just below the mouth of Jim branch. In September, 1861, occurred another sudden rise, following a heavy rain, putting the country under several feet of water, and causing damage to property and loss to live-stock.

On the 9th of July, 1880, a cyclone passed through the county, which some of the people of the township had good cause to remember. It came from the direction of Pottawattamie county, and passed through the township from southwest to northeast. The farms of A. N. Gaylord, L. N. Granger and Caspar Beckman were devastated, and these gentlemen lost their houses, fences, stock and even trees.

One of the most destructive wind, rain and hail storms in the history of Atlantic and the surrounding country, was that which occurred Tuesday evening, about 7:30, July 28, 1871. The rain was preceded by a terrible wind, and after a few minutes of driving floods, hail of enormous size commenced to fall. This hurricane of mingled rain and hail came from the northwest and swept through Atlantic, wrecking Stafford & Hawk's new brick store, crippling the new Presbyterian church, flooding the "Telegraph" office and riddling the windows of the Reynolds House, as well as numerous private residences. The storm lasted for three quarters of an hour, and during its continuance the air was so full of rain, hail, flying lumber, glass and other movable articles, that it was like the darkness of a hideous night. As a criterion to the number of window panes destroyed, in about a week after the storm Atlantic firms alone had disposed of over 10,000 lights. The loss to the country was severe, but the track of the storm was so narrow that the effect of the ruined crops was not felt by the community at large.

"Compendium and History of Cass County, Iowa." Chicago: Henry and Taylor & Co., 1906, pg. 226-227.
Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, July, 2018.