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This town is in the north western part of the County, and is bounded as follows: North by Palatine and Wheeling,
east by Maine, south by Addison in Du Page County, and west by Schaumburg. It is somewhat rolling prairie, and
is watered by Salt Creek in its western portion, and by two small branches of the Desplaines River, one of them
in the northeastern, the other in the southeastern portion. The soil is a rich prairie loam. The name of the town
was derived from the name of the largest grove within its limits, Elk Grove, so named, it is said, by the Indians.
This grove is mainly east of Salt Creek on Sections 16, 17, 20 and 21, the creek serving as a cheek or barrier
to prairie fires from the West. It contained about thirteen hundred acres of very fine timber, the varieties being
white, red and burr oak, maple hickory, and some basswood. The largest tree measured by any of the early settlers
was four and a half feet in diameter. At the present time this area is rather more thickly timbered than at first,
but the largest tree now standing is not over two feet in diameter.
So far as ascertainable no white men settled in this town previons to 1834, during which year quite a number appeared
upon time scene. Dr. Frederick T. Miner in the spring of that year built the first house in the town, on Section
16. J. A. Barnes also built a house that spring on the same section. Leander Collins built the third on Section
21, and Caleb Lamb the fourth also on Section 21. Thomas Smith settled on Section 20 early in this year, John Whiting,
Sr., settled on Section 21, George A. Knowles on the same section, Aaron Miner probably on the sante section, and
F. W. Page on the southwest quarter of Section 9, all in 1834. These may fairly be named the pioneer settlers of
the town, although perhaps not named in the order of their arrival. In 1835 Mark Morse settled on Section 21, Ashbel
Miner cn Section 16, and Silas Wheeler on Section 9 ; in 1836 Joseph Converse settled on Section 18, John Allen
on Section 20. Asa Davis on Section 18 or 19, and Ichabod, David and Joel Draper on Section 15; in 1837 John Bowe
and Horace Rice settled on Section 19. Thus the township was gradually settled up. In 1850, when the town was organized
under the law, it had probably about three hundred and fifty inhabitants, as indicated by the vote cast at the
first eiection. The organization was effected April 2, 1850, at Miner's tavern. The meeting was called to order
by Ira Cooper, who was elected Moderator, and R. F. Clough was elected Clerk. The oath of office was administered
by B. B. Lincoln, Esq. The town was, at that meeting, divided into six road districts, and Overseers of Highways
elected as follows: John Nason for District No. 1; F. T. Miner, No. 2; Mace Gay, No. 3; John Allen, No. 4; R. F.
Clough, No. 5, and E. N. Skinner, No. 6. For general officers of the town this first election resulted as follows,
each officer receiving the number of votes appended to his name: Supervisor, H. F. Clough, 54; Clerk, L. T. Skinner,
60; Assessor, Mark Morse, 48; Collector, B. R. B. Miner, 40; Overseer of the Poor, F. T. Miner, 25; Commissioners
of Highways, John Allen, Mace Gay and G. H. Pratt, each 49; Justices of the Peace, J. W. Jones, 53, and R. F. Clough,
52; Constables, I. M. Cooper, 47, and B. R. B. Miner, 39. On the 1st of June $150 was raised for road purposes.
Subsequent elections have resultea as follows:
Supervisors- H. F. Clough, 1851 ; J. W. Jones, 1852-53; L. T Skinner, 1854 to 1857; Benjamin Waters, 1858;
J. F. Kennicott, 1859; Benjamin Waters, 1860, J. M. Allen 1861 to 1864; M. L. Curtis, 1865; John Allen, 1860; Christian
Busse, 1867 to 1873; John AlIen, 1874 to 1877; Christian Busse, 1878 to 1883, inclusive.
Clerks.- L. T. Skinner, 1851; I. M. Cooper, 1852; L. T. Skinner, 1853; J. M. Allen, 1854 to 1856 : I. W.
Jones,' 1857 to 1363; Lucius Skinner, 1864 to 1866; Elbert Wheeler. 1867 to 1883, inclusive.
Asseccors. - Ira Cooper, 1851-52 ; H. F. Clough, 1853 L. W. Whiting, 1854; J. F. Kennicott, 1855: John Allen,
1856; H. F. C Clough, 1857; D. Gould, 1858; H. F. Clough, 1859-60; John Allen, 1861 to 1866; Herman Heimsoth 1867
to 1873; Henry Goede, 1874; Barney Finke, 1875; Henry Goede, 1876; Herman Heimsoth, 1877 to 1882; Fred Gehrke,
1883.
Collectors.- J. S. Clough, 1851-52; J. M. Allen, 1853-54; I. M. Cooper, 1855; Lucius Skinner, 1856 to
1860; S. P. Brown, 1861; Herman Heimsoth, 1862; Lucius Skinner, 1863; J. H. Curtis, 1864; Lucius Skinner, 1865-66;
H. J. Hotopp, 1867-68; Christian Henges, 1869; Henry Breuscher, 1870 to 1871 ; Conrad Neideit, 1873 to 1876; Fred
Brecht, 1877 to 1883 inclusive.
Commissioners of Highways.- John Allen. F. F Seybold and Mace Gay, 1851, Mace Gay, A. F. Jones and H. Senne,
1852; E. N. Skinner. F. W. Page and H. Senne, 1853; F. W. Page, I. M. Cooper and H. Senne, 1854; John Allen, Jr.,
H. Senne and Benjamin Waters, 1855 ; John Allen, Jr., F. Teseh and B. H. B. Miner, 1856; F. W. Page, C. L. Taylor
and F Tonne, 1857; F. W. Page, Lucius Skinner and B. Reker, 1858; M. L. Curtis, Christian Bnsse and F. W. Page,
1859; F. W. Page, I. H. Cooper and Herman Heimsoth, 1860; F. W. Page, Christian Busse and Herman Heimsoth, 1861
; Christian Busse, 1862 : Herman Heimsoth, 1863; F. W. Page, 1864; Christian Busse, 1865; Fred Tonne, 1866 ; Fred
Kleimder, 1867 William Heikhoff, 1868; William Linnerrnann. 1869; Henry Fromling, 1870 ; Fred Luhring, 1871 ; Christian
Henges, 1873 ; Henry Hewer, 1874; Fred Luhring, 1875 ; Christian Henges, 1876; Henry Breuscher, 1877-78; Loueis
Busse, 1879; William Theiman, 1880; Henry Breuscher, 1881; Loueis Busse, 1882; Conrad Mahlenkamp, 1883.
Justices of the Peace.- L. T. Skinner and R. B. Miner, 1854; L. T. Skinner and Henry Senne, 1858; William
A. Russell, 1859: M. L. Curtis, 1860; D. K. Draper. 1861; M. L. Curtis and Christian Busse, 1862; P. M. Pettibone,
1864; W. H. Higgins and M. L. Curtis, 1866 ; H. Senne, Jr., 1869; M. L. Curtis and H. Senne, Jr., 1870 ; Lucius
Skinner, 1873 : Elbert Wheeler, 1874 75; Lucius Skinner and Elbert Wheeler, 1877; Elbert Wheeler and John Barnes,
1881.
Constables.- B. H. B. Miner and J. B. Whiting, 1851; J. S. Clough and H. Senne, Jr., 1852; J. M. Allen,
1853; William Gay, 1854; Lucius Skinner and Herman Heimsoth, 1857; J. H. Curtis. 1861-62 ; J. C. Neideit, 1864;
Fred Kleimder and J. H. Curtis, 1866; H. T. Hotopp and George Fredericks, 1867; H. T. Hotopp and H. Senue, Jr.,
1868-69: Henry Breuseher, 1870; William Skinner, 1873 to 1877; John Barrett, 1879; Fred Preeht, 1881-82.
School Trustees.- Christian Busse. 1870; John Allen and Henry Laudtmeier, 1823; E. B. Wheeler. 1874; Henry Laudtmeier.
1875; John Allen, 1876; Christian Busse, 1877; Henry Laudtmeier, 1878; E. B. Wheeler, 1879; William Linnermann,
1880; William Reikhoff, 1881; Henry Goede, 1882.
The post office was established in Elk Grove probably in 1837, with F. T. Miner for Postmaster. F. W. Page then
succeeded him, and F. T. Miner then succeeded Mr Page, who the second time succeeded Mr. Miner. F. T. Miner then
became Postmaster for the third time, and was next succeeded by Caleb Lamb. Mathaw L. Curtis succeeded Mr. Lamb,
aud was himself succeeded by Mrs. Dewey. John Henry Curtis then became Postmaster and was the last Postmaster in
the township. there being now no post-office there. F. T. Miner kept the office on Section 21 and on Section 15,
F. W. Page on Section 9, and John Henry Curtis on Section 28. The population of Elk Grove in 1880 was 1,201.
Mount-Prospect is a small station on the Wisconsin Division of the Chicago & North-Western Railway, twenty
miles from Chicago. There is a station here and a few houses, and but two trains each way stop each day.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS- No public school existed in this town for some years after its first settlement. Private
schools were taught in private houses. Some of the first teachers were a Miss Dow, Mrs. Morse, R. F. Cough, Mrs.
Warner, and Mr. Pennover. In November, 1840, a school house was erected, in which school was kept during the succeeding
winter, the summer of 1841, and a part of the next winter, when it was burned. The first record of a meeting of
the Board of Tiustees is dated March. 1842. In the following July the town was divided into three school districts;
in 1842 No. 4 was added, in 1846 No. %, in 1832 No. 6, in 1867 No. 7. At the time of its organization each district
contained the following number of school children: No. 1, 12: No.2, 43; No.3, 43; No. 4, 13; No 5, 28; No. 6, 77.
and No. 7, 62. The census of 1883 shows the number in each district is as follows: No.1, 57; No. 2, 68; No.3, 141;
No.4, 28: No.3. 131; No. 6, 171, and No. 7, 61, making a total of 637 school children in the township.
The present school fund is $1,122. The first treasurer of the school fund was Caleb Lamb, the second Ira Cooper,
the third R. F. Clough, and the fourth and present one, Lucius Skinner.
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