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WHEELER'S GROVE, IOWA

Wheeler's Grove began as a promising town near the present Wheeler's Grove Church in Section 16, Grove Township. It was sub-divided in 1905 and stage coach lines were passing through until the railroad came and it, like many other small towns, died.

The town of Eminence also began to thrive after being laid out by L. D. Woodmansee in 1875, but like Wheeler's Grove, was destined for an early death when the railroad came through Macedonia. A bustling town was growing in the northeast corner of Section 28. There were five churches within a small radius.

Nearby, the Mormon Cemetery hold the graves of many of the early settlers. The two oldest graves date back to 1869. Burial plots are six foot wide and run from north to south with families buried in a row.

Commonly seen in the 1970's are deer, coyotes, red fox squirrels, ring-necked pheasants, gophers, ground hogs, badgers, and an occasional gray wolf. Draft horses are a definite minority, oxen extinct, gasoline and diesel engines are our source of agricultural power. Four and eight row equipment and self-propelled combines work the land. Land sells for an average of $1250 per acre in Grove Township.

Many homes have air conditioning. Fuel shortages are forcing people in our day to think of solar heating and other sources of energy. Let it be know that Grove Township will adjust to the changes with a forward look.