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1914 History of Boone County
Chapter XVI
Dodge Township

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At the time of the organization of the county, August 6, 1849, the present Township of Dodge was included in Boone River Township. This division continued until March 8, 1852, when Boone River Township was discontinued and Dodge Township established and named. Judge McCall, who had the official authority to locate, establish and name the township, when petitioned to do so during his official terms, was an admirer of prominent men and he named this township in honor of United States Senator A. C. Dodge, of Iowa, the first man to be honored with that position. The Union Historical Company says: "A. C. Dodge became known to the early settlers through his connection with the Black Hawk war." This is a mistake. A. C. Dodge had nothing to do with the Black Hawk war, but his father, Gen. Henry Dodge, acted a prominent part in the defeat and capture of Black Hawk and his band of warriors. At first Dodge contained a large territory, but after the establishment of Jackson and Des Moines townships, it was reduced to its present size. But Dodge is still the largest township in the county. It contains the congressional township of 85, range 26, and the east one-third of township 85, range 27. It is bounded on the west by the Des Moines River; on the south by Des Moines Township; on the east by Harrison Township; six miles on the north by Hamilton County, and two miles on the north by Webster County. Among the first settlers of the township were M. White, J. Richardson, Joel Baker, W. L. DeFore, W. R. Cole, C. Maupin, I. C. Hull, J. B. Godwin, Almon Stinson, Daniel Knight, M. Leininger, C. Castine, J. Crim, Orlin Hinman, H. Friedley, A. Swigart, J. C. James, Peter Nicholson, John Ridpath, Robert Martin, W. C. Martin, Johnson Dawkins, Benjamin Dawkins, Levi Emerson, Joseph Landon, T. J. Johnson, David Aldrich, Henry T. Martin, C. Stotts, Absalom Kelley, John Kelley, P. K. Detrick, Thomas Neal and J. M. Stotts. The first school in the township was taught in a dwelling house by Z. J. Vontrees, who was a soldier in the Mexican war and who, in 1870, was chosen a member of the board of county supervisors. The first sermon was preached by Ezra Rathburn, a Portuguese, who settled upon a claim but did not become a permanent settler. The services were held in a private house. The first marriage in the township was that of Jacob Baker and Elizabeth Lent, by W. L. DeFore, justice of the peace. The soil of Dodge Township is very fertile and the best of crops are produced every year. The farmers of the township are up-todate, industrious and energetic. They have well improved farms and beautiful and substantial homes. There is nothing which brings happiness and contentment like the home. That part of the township situated along the Des Moines River and its tributaries is much broken. In the early settlement of the township these lands were covered with a heavy growth of timber, most of which has been cut off and disposed of at good returns. Some of these broken lands have been put under cultivation, but the greater part of them are now good pasture land, which makes them valuable. By far the greater part of the township is composed of prairie land which has fine drainage facilities and every acre is utilized. The tax book of Boone County for the year 1853 gives a list of thirty-four names of citizens of Dodge Township who were subject to assessment. There were no real estate assessments in the township for that year and for this reason the personal property only was assessed. J. F. Alexander was the largest taxpayer in the township that year. Next to him came W. L. DeFore, John Mitchell and P. J. Nicholson. J. F. Alexander was the assessor of the township for the year 1853. He was four days assessing the people of the township and two days before the county judge completing the assessment list. For his services he received $1.50 per day, or $9.00 for the whole of the work. The trail and encampment dots on the map of Lt. Albert M. Lea, published in 1836, indicate that the camp of the three companies of United States Dragoons in their march across the Territorv of Iowa camped on section 15, township 85, range 26, in Dodge Township, on the evening of June 21, 1835. These were the first white people to set foot upon the soil of the township. Among these Dragoons was C. W. Gaston, who, a little over ten years later, became the first permanent settler of Boone County. The first petitioner for a county road was P. K. Detrick, who was a citizen of Dodge Township. Through his efforts the road that runs from the south side of Boone County through Dodge Township to Hook's Point in Hamilton County, was established. The hand ax which was used in driving the stakes and blazing the trees along the route of this historic road is now in the possession of the Madrid Historical Society. This hand ax was a gift from a descendant of the P. K. Detrick family. The first real estate mortgage placed upon the records of Boone County was made by John Ridpath to P. K. Detrick to secure the payment of $75. The land mortgaged was situated in section 35, township 85, range 27, in Dodge Township. The date was May 3, 1851. Mr. Ridpath and Mr. Detrick were both citizens of Dodge Township. In 1857 the necessary steps were taken to organize the first agricultural society in the county. A meeting was held at the courthouse in Boonesboro, October 6, 1857. At this meeting five persons of each of the townships in the county were appointed whose duty it was to organize the society. The five persons appointed for Dodge Township were Robert Martin, John Ridpath, W. L. DeFore, Almon Stinson and Daniel Dillon. A large part of the people of the township are good, law-abiding citizens, but there have been a number of crimes committed within its borders, as the dockets of the local magistrates and the criminal dockets of the county show. Like the other townships of the county bordering on the Des Moines River, certain transitory citizens took up their abode on the timbered lands long enough to make trouble for the more permanent settlers. Dodge Township has had trouble with many of these transitory citizens. But very few people who build homes with the intention of becoming permanent citizens are lawbreakers. The mining Town of Fraser, like all other mining towns, has had a shifting population, the kind that commits more crimes than any other, and they are places where lawbreakers prefer to go. More crimes iiave been committed in Fraser than all the rest of Dodge Township. Dodge Township has thirteen school districts and thirteen schoolhouses, all in good repair. They have school in all of these districts every year. The teachers are among the best and the schools are in a prosperous condition. There is no township in the county that has as many schools as Dodge. Fraser also has a school building with four departments. Dodge Township has the honor of the location of the county poor farm. This county institution lor tlie care of the poor and destitute people of the county had been talked about for a number of years, but no definite action was taken until 1867. The county was at that time in debt and there was strenuous opposition to increasing the debt even to purchase a county poor farm. But the need of such an institution had become so imperative that the board of supervisors submitted a proposition to the people to be voted upon at the October election in 1867 to borrow $12,000 with which to purchase a county poor farm. The proposition carried by a vote of 882 for the proposition and 291 against it. Having thus received authority to proceed with the work the board of supervisors, after looking around in various parts of the county, decided to purchase a farm owned by J. F. Alexander, located in Dodge Township. The farm consisted of 240 acres situated in sections 19 and 20, township 85, range 26. The farm is well located and it has been well managed and is now an institution that every citizen of the county has good reason to be proud of. There was one horrible misfortune which occurred at the county farm in the year 1888, which was a very lamentable one. In some unaccountable way a fire occurred in the insane building, which was some distance from any of the other buildings, and it was entirely consumed, together with the eight inmates that occupied it. This much regretted accident aroused the pity and sympathy of every citizen of the county. The fire did not reach any of the other buildings on the farm. The burned building was replaced with another one much better than the one destroyed. The other buildings of the farm are ample for the accommodation of all who have been admitted to the farm. There are now thirty-four paupers at the county poor farm and thirty in the insane department, making a total of sixty-four. It is an honor to Dodge Township to have this most prominent institution in the county within its borders. Among the citizens who have been called upon to serve the county in an official capacity was Levi Emerson, who was elected county superintendent and served from 1862 to 1864. He was succeeded in office by W. C. Martin, who served from 1864 to 1866. He was then elected representative and served from 1866 to 1868. Almon Stinson was elected county supervisor for Dodge Township in 1860 and served two terms, or until 1865. This was during the period that each township had a member of the board of supervisors. Mr. Stinson was succeeded by Benjamin Dawkins, who served two terms, at the end of which time the township supervisor system was discontinued by act of the Legislature and the membership of the board of supervisors was reduced to three. In 1866 A. J. Barkley was elected county recorder and reelected in 1868. In 1888 John S. Friedlev was elected clerk of the District Court and was reelected in 1890. In 1906 George Hannum was elected sheriff and was reelected in 1908. Of the men whose names appear in the above list W. C. Martin may be noted as a man of considerable ability. He was a graduate of DePauw University of Greencastle, Indiana. He was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church and an able speaker. After leaving Boone County he located in Southwestern Iowa, where he was chosen a presiding elder at least one term. Later on he moved to Indianola, where the title of LL. D. was conferred upon him by Simpson College. Mr. Martin was also a prominent teacher, having taught about fifty terms. Another citizen of prominence who was called upon to serve as a member of the Legislature was W. L. DeFore. He was elected in 1873 and he took an active part in securing the Granger legislation of 1874, about which so much has been said and written. One of the most singular formations of land to be found anvwhere in Central Iowa is that range of hills and bluffs known as the Mineral Ridge. It extends across the north end of Dodge Township. The elevations and peaks of this ridge are high above all the surrounding country. They present a striking appearance. The early surveyors could not get the needles of their compasses to work upon this ridge. They said there were deposits of iron beneath the ridge and so they named it Mineral Ridge. RIDGEPORT Two towns have been laid out in Dodge Township. One of these is Ridgeport, situated near the summit of the Mineral Ridge. It was laid out in May, 1854, by John Ridpath and Absolom Kelley and is located on section 18, township 85, range 26. A postofTice was established the same year and J. F. Alexander was appointed postmaster. Ridgeport has never put on much of a growth and its population will not now exceed one hundred people. It has one general store, operated by Mr. Condon, one blacksmith and woodwork shop, two churches and a number of good residences. The oldest church in ilie village is of the Baptist denomination, organized in 1853, with a membership of sixteen. A brick church was erected in 1869 at a cost of $2,300. Their present membership is said to be seventy-five. They have a good Sunday school. Rev. William Sparks, of Marcy Township, was the minister who organized this church. The other church is of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, which was organized in 1866. The charter members were H. Condon, D. Sterrett and wife, Lorenzo Skinner and W. C. Martin and wife. With this small beginning the number has increased until it has now reached about fifty. They have a frame church of sufficient dimensions to accommodate the church and Sunday school. Of the old-time settlers who located in the early '50s there remains but one and this is Jonathan Buechler, who is now ninety years of age. FRASER The second town laid out in Dodge Township was Fraser. It was platted September 21, 1893, by the Eraser Coal Company, the chief man being Hamilton Brown. Fraser is situated on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 35 and on the southeast quarter of section 34, township 85, range 27. Much coal was taken out and shipped from the Fraser mines between the years 1894 and 1912, a period of eighteen years. The place was never anything but a mining town and the population has been of the shifting kind, but it grew to such proportions that according to the census of 1900 it had nearly one thousand people. Ten years later, in 1910, the population had fallen to a little over four hundred. It is claimed bv some that at one time Fraser had a population of miners and floaters of 1,200 people, but such is not the case at the present time. The mines are now worked out and nothing is being done. A visit to this town on the 20th of June, 1914, found the population reduced to less than three hundred. Half the buildings, both business and residences, were empty. There is still a store of three departments, one for groceries, one for clothing, and one for boots and shoes; a hardware store, a billiard hall and a barber shop; but the hotels, boarding houses and restaurants have all closed. The streets have never been graded and no sidewalks have been made and the town is anything but inviting. Fraser still has a schoolhouse of four departments, and for a number of years they were all used. At present onh two of them are needed. There are two church buildings in the place, but the membership is much reduced. One of these is of the Methodist Episcopal denomination and the other is, or rather was, a colored church. Since the mines are worked out the members have all left but one, and he is the minister. He still preaches to a small gathering of white people who, out of courtesy, go to hear him. They say he is a very good man and has the respect and confidence of all his acquaintances. It will not be long until the houses of Fraser will be sold, torn down and hauled away. That part of Fraser which is on the west side of the river in Yell Township is in a more prosperous condition than that on the east side, but it is only a small part of the town. There are two industries on that side. One of these is the tile factory which employs about forty hands. The other is a pumping machine, which takes up sand and water from the river bed. In the process the sand is separated from the water and conveyed into a receptacle, while the water flows into the river again. Much of this river-bed sand is used in the tile factory, and during the cement season an average of about eight carloads per day of it are shipped to other places. The names of those who enlisted in the Union army during the Civil war were, as near as can be ascertained, as follows: Samuel Coe, James W. Higby, G. S. Stark, J. E. Alexander, W. S. DeEore, H. P. Coe, George Huxford, John W. Harris, A. Shafer, Philip Zimmleman, Robert Royster, W. L. DeEore, Joseph Bone, Samuel Bone, Edward Eckley, Tyler Higby, Thomas Kelley, J. L. Starr, Edgar Starr, John Segrin, Martin V. Huxford, Thomas Dawkins, Nelson Stark, A. T. Silver, Jesse Stark, William Wilson, B. F. Nicholson. The following are the names of those who served in the North Border Brigade: Franklin Richardson, Joseph Landen, F. M. Nicholson, S. S. Payne, Columbus Richardson, William Wilson, H. M. Lucas, Robert Musgrove. All of these were citizens of Dodge Township but S. S. Payne and H. M. Lucas, who were citizens of Worth Township. The sketch of Dodge Township would be incomplete without mention of Hon. C. J. A. Ericson. He came to Ridgeport and opened a store in March, 1860. His stock was very small when he commenced, but his prosperity was so rapid that at the end of ten years he had a large store and did a good business. At that date he was persuaded, rather against his will, to purchase the store of Hon. Jackson Orr, in Boone, who had received the nomination for Congress. .Mr. Ericson then moved to Boone and took charge of the store purchased there, but the respect and good will of all the people of Dodge Township followed him. His banking and official careers commenced after he moved to Boone. According to the census of 1910 the population of Dodge Township, independent of the Town of Fraser, was 1,135. The township officers at the present time are as follows: Trustees, Herman Lindmark, John Schmidt and Robert McVicker; assessor, T. ]. Ridpath; clerk, J. F. Condon; justice of the peace, G. V. Mayfield.

Source: History of Boone County, Iowa
N. E. Goldthwait, Supervising Editor
Illustrated, Volume I
Chicago, Pioneer Publishing Company
1914

Transcribed by Lynn Diemer-Mathews and uploaded February 15, 2024.

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