Notwithstanding the many changes that had taken place, and the belief that the rearrangement of township lines in 1870 would be final, Freedom township was completely wiped out within three months, and Grant township had its name changed to Jamesport.
The next and last change comes to Benton township in 1878. The County Court on August 5th, 1878, ordered that sections thirty-one to thirty-two inclusive of township sixty-one of range twenty-nine, now a part of Marion township, be added to Benton, and henceforth Benton township shall include all of township No. 61 of range 29 and sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36, township No. 62, of range 29, making the said township of Benton seven miles north and south, and six miles east and west.
This may be the last change made, but Salem, Washington, and Lincoln are liable at any time to have the same luck befall them, and they are really entitled to the six sections which are on each of their southern borders. It would be a good idea for the County Court to make this change at once, so that the map which will soon be printed may lave correct township boundary lines.
For the past two or three years Benton has steadily grown in wealth and population, and the extension of the Wabash Railroad to Omaha has opened a good market for her immense tracts of timber. The treeless plains of Nebraska have had many of their houses and barns built from Benton town-ship lumber and many hundreds of thousands of feet have been shipped to that State since the completion of the above named road.
The township law which was repealed in 1877 was again enacted in 1880 and 1881; and the following township officers were elected at the April election of 1881:
Trustee, Henry Ramey
Clerk and Assessor, Charles E. Hill
Collector and Constable, E. H. Tillery
Justices of the Peace, J. W. Casebolt, and Jasper N. Bailey.
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