Lincoln township occupies the extreme north-west corner of the County. It is bounded on the north and west by Grundy County on the south by Spring Creek, on the east by Grant township. It has various small streams, the Little Wolf being the largest all running in a south-eastern direction, and empties into Wolf Creek, in Spring Creek township, near the Badger Hill Flouring mill. Fifteen Mile Grove lies in Lincoln, about three fourths of a mile south of the north-west corner, and covers an area of some fifty acres with as nice timber as can be found in Iowa.

On the 5th, day of June 1861, a petition was presented to the Board of Supervisors of Tama County, signed by voters of township 86, Range 16, praying for a division of Spring Creek, township and the organization of a new township to be known as Lincoln township; petition granted, and first election ordered to be held on the second Tuesday in October, 1861, at the house of Joseph Prescott, when and where township officers were to be chosen.

Lockhart Wilber was the first white settler within the limits of the present township. After him came J. and G. Prescott, and families, from Black Hawk County, in 1855. Not having either house or permanent shelter of any kind to move into, the settlers were forced to make their wagons and tents suffice for domiciles until a log shanty could be erected. While the labors of house building were progressing, night after night were these pioneers listeners to the howling of ravenous wolves, until sleep came to deaden the unwelcome sounds upon their senses.

Their homes were finally reared beneath umbrageous trees in the still beautiful Fifteen Mile Grove. Greenwood Prescott still remains a citizen of the township. S. V. R. Kelley and family the Henrys and the Lewises are also old settlers.

Lincoln township remained comparatively unsettled until about the year 1870, when a German colony began settling within its borders, and to-day it is thickly populated by a good class of German citizens.

The first school house built was on land in Fifteen Mile Grove donated by G. Prescott, and first school was taught by a daughter of W.B. King.

Early settlers used to claim that this grove was fifteen miles from no where. It has been the scene of various misdeeds, and upon one occasion the corpse of a man was found in the grove, having marks of violence which indicated foul play.

In the year 1876 Stephen and Henry Wilson erected a store and are now carrying a line of groceries etc. successfully.

A blacksmith shop has been in operation here for a number of years. There is an excellent stone quarry in the grove.

The following is the list of the township officers as shown from the clerks’ books.

Justices - S. C. Henry, S. V. R. Kelley, J. and G. Prescott, A. C. Brockway, R. Dick, S. H. Baldwin, A. W. Stover, J. F. G. Cold, A. E. Stewart.

Clerks - J. Prescott, S. V. R. Kelley, A. C. Brockway, J. F. G. Cold, C. H. Baldwin.

Trustees - S. C. Henry, S. V. R. Kelley, G. and J. Prescott, F. C. Kelley, H. J. J. Jentzen, D. M. Wane, J. W. Henry, G. C. Henry, W. C. Thomas, J. Linn, A. Stoner, J. Rodman, K. Cowan, J. Dick, A. Eldridge, R. Way, C. H. Baldwin, D. B. Hammersley, A. C. Brockway, D. H. Lambury, R. Dick, G. M. Baldwin, C. Siek, A. E. Seward, S. Robinson, M. H. Rehder, F. E. Kook, J. Daugliesh.