The early
history of Carson Township is identical with that of Macedonia of which
it was a part. The egg from which both the township and town was
hatched was Loshe's Mill. With the opening up of the branch roads from
Hastings and Avoca, both township and town rapidly gained importance.
The township is small, having but twenty-four sections, twelve of which
were detached from Macedonia and as many from Belknap. Both are named
in honor of a prominent railroad official. The township is of the same
quality that obtains all along the Botna Valley, than which the world
has no better. The farmers are largely engaged in stock raising and
becoming wealthy, while the town is assuming the dignity of a city,
although it has been twice tried by fire.
The town was incorporated in 1881 and
the
first mayor was W. W. Gardner, and the first council consisted of the
following persons: Dr. F. S. Thomas, Wm. H. Graff, A. J. Anderson,
Isaac Culberson, James Ellis, and S. P. Hardenbrook. The present city
government is as follows: Mayor, E. T. Osler; marshal, J. C. Bradley;
recorder, Frank Galloway; city council, F. A. Bigalow, W. M. Holtze, W.
D. Landon, E. W. Rowe and Wm. B. Bodyfeldt.
The city has five churches, Methodist,
Christian, Presbyterian, Catholic and Latter Day Saints. It also has a
graded school with principal and five teachers, three general stores
carrying heavy stocks, two of hardware and furniture, one lumber yard,
two drug stores, two livery stables, one flouring mill, part of which
is the old Loshe to which an addition has been made and steam power
applied thereby furnishing power for the electric light plant in
addition to the manufacture of flour. It also furnishes power for the
water service in the business part of the city. It has also two barber
shops, four physicians, two lawyers, one machine shop, one blacksmith
shop employing a number of hands, a printing office with weekly
newspaper, the Carson Critic, with F. G. Week editor and publisher;
State Savings Bank, J. R. Chaloupka, cashier and manaer.
The fraternal orders are represented by
one
Masonic lodge, with Eastern Star, one of Modern Woodmen, with Royal
Neighbors.
During 1889, the town was visited by a
destructive fire that swept the entire north side of Main Street, and
again in 1894 a second made a clean sweep of the south side, which was
followed by rebuilding with brick as had already been done on the north
side. The people here have been to great pains and expense in
constructing good cement walks that add much to the appearance and to
the comfort of the public.
In addition to the railroads, the wagon
roads of this part of the county are in splendid condition, the road
drag being much in evidence. On coming here after years of absence, one
misses the kindly faces of the old pioneers, both fathers and mothers,
but their work is done. They have opened up one of the most lovely
spots on earth and are now resting in a pretty little city of granite
and marble on a lovely spot overlooking the Botna Valley, about a mile
from town.
The township officers are as follows:
Trustees, Claus Hartz, C. H. Coyl, and A. F. Stone; clerk, F. G. Weeks;
assessor, T. W. Dungan; justices of the peace, D. McMillan and Z. F.
Linville; constables, A. A. Faley and Thos. Brack.
According to the state census of 1905
there
were in Carson Township exclusive of city, one hundred ninety one
persons of school age, of which ninety-two were males and ninety-nine
females. In the town of Carson, there were one hundred and eighty one
of which eighty were males and one hundred and one females.
The school board consists of J. H.
Galloway,
president; C. Hartz, secretary, and P. F. Schoening, treasurer. Pay of
teachers, $40 and $35 for first and second grades respectively.
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