The western, central and southwestern portions of the township were settled much more rapidly than the eastern portion, and the northeast. It was not until 1848 that the first school-house was put up in that part of the township. Then a log school-house was built on section eleven, township Sixty, range twenty-seven. The increase all over the township, excepting the eastern portion, had been quite steady from the year 1840, but the location of the county seat south of the river, which had been as good as settled that year by the refusal of the county judges to entertain the petition, seemed to give the south and west the greatest incentive to settlement. With no bridges and high water spring and fall, the trouble of crossing Grand River was too great, especially as good land was plenty all over the county and only waiting for takers. Grand River township, of those north of the river, held its own, and at that time it was also all of Jamesport in which quite large settlements had sprung up.
Freshet Of 1844
The great freshet of 1844 is something to be remembered by the oldest inhabitant. That year is memorable from the fact that no mails were received here for nearly two months. The mails were carried on horseback, but the country was flooded for miles, fording places few and far between, and this state of affairs put everything back. Of what was going on in the outside world the pioneers had no account. No papers were received, all was a dense blank as to passing events. This freshet seemed to give the idea that Grand River was navigable, and that spring went so far as to place upon its waters the first and only flat-boat that ever floated upon its muddy and turbulent waters. The continued high water gave time for some of the citizens-of Benton and Grand River townships to build one of these flat-boats. They did so, and loaded it with wheat, corn and bacon – and started for St. Louis. The venture was a success, the cargo having arrived safe at St. Louis. It was there disposed of along with the boat, and the parties made their way back by the usual traveled route. The spring crops were ruined on the bottom lands, and the vegetable crops were a failure. After the falling of the waters, the settlers had little time to rest. Crops of some kind had to-be raised to sustain life, and men and animals had to do the work. The settlers were now so numerous that to enumerate them would be futile, but while new settlers dropped in, the township was being shorn of her great area, and with its present bounds is one of the fifteen municipal townships which go to make up the corporate limits of Daviess county. Originally Grand River township was one of the three first organized when Daviess became a county.
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