This township was named after General U. S. Grant, as a mark of honor and respect to one of the greatest soldiers the world has ever known. It is nearly bisected by the Raccoon river, which runs diagonally through it from northwest to southeast. Quite a large per cent of its territory is bluffy and broken, the contribution made to the river, and in addition the site of the city of Jefferson was captured from Grant--Grant usually did the capturing--so that in the matter of prairie acreage, it possesses less than any other township in the county. Its area is thickly populated, however, and the river bottom farms are great crop producers. The chief early day industry of the township was the Jefferson Roller Mills, and it was a large factor in enhancing the prosperity of Jefferson, as it bought patrons here whose homes were fifty miles distant, with their big loads of grain to be ground for family use. Under the ownership of Harrington, Moorhouse & Milligan, for nearly a score of years, this mill had a tremendous traffic. There is no village in the township, owning to its close relations with the county seat but there are two rural churches: "The Centennial" Methodist Episcopal, built in the early 80's, and "The 20th Century" Presbyterian, which was born about 1900. They are both offshoots of the Jefferson churches whose denominational names they wear. Since the era of good roads, it is more difficult to keep up the organizations, as the temptation is strong to worship in the city churches. One of the leading thoroughfares out of Jefferson is called the Panora road, which is graveled [sic gravelled] well toward the southern limits of the county. The schools of the township are well maintained, but the attendance is small. Grant has more water courses than any other township in the county, taking size into account.