This township was organized April 7, 1873, on petition of L.G. Bennett, Hiram Stewart, S.T. Bender, and 41 others. It is bounded on the north by Shelby county, on the east by Knox township, and on the south by James township, and on the west by Minden township.

Among the first settlers were the following: Jacob and Franz Haas came from Sauk county, Wisconsin, July 12, 1872; Joseph Frum, from Monongahela county, West Virginia, and settled February 25, 1872; A.M. Scott is another pioneer who came, bought land, and commenced a farm in 1869. He went into partnership with P.S. McCandless in opening up the farm. T. Goodwalter came in 1872. The first schoolhouse was built in 1871, called the No. 2, and is known as the Frum school.

The first school was taught by Alonzo Barnett. No. 6 was erected in 1874; and No. 4 was built in 1874. John K. Cooper, afterwards the county superintendent, was the first teacher. Mr. Cooper is a native of Maryland and served in the Union Army in Lockwood's Brigade, Twelfth Army Corps, at the battle of Gettysburg. No. 5 school was built in 1877, Miss Mary J. Trotter becoming the first teacher there, and No. 7 was built the same year, with Miss Plumer the teacher; No. 8 in 1880 was taught by Fremont Benjamin, now a lawyer in Council Bluffs.

The first election to organize the township, held October 14, 1873, with 54 votes cast, elected the following officers: S.H. Buckley, C.H. Brown, and T.T. Larkin, trustees; S.B. Frum, township clerk; William Buckley and F.N. Keeney, justices of the peace; D. Gross and A.M. Scott, constables; William A. Clark, assessor; and Hiram Stewart, road supervisor.

On the evening of July 28, 1879, Jacob Maason was killed by Christian Pittman, being stabbed to death.

The early settlers were largely Germans and the first church organized was the German Evangelical Association, organized and presided over by Rev. Aaron Bassart for two years, and succeeded by Wilhelm Jones, and he in turn by Flegler Aschenbrenner.

The township officers in 1907 are: Trustees, George Haas, C.V. Rock, and Henry Flemming; clerk, C.P. Wasser; justices of the peace, Adolph Baustain and J.L. Buckley; assessor, E.A. Bergman; constable, W.W. Frum. Of the present Board, C.V. Rock is president; E.A. Bergman, secretary, and D. Gross, treasurer.