Peoria Township, Franklin County, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Peoria Township is a township
in Franklin County
, Kansas
, USA
. As of the 2000 census
, its population was 626. Peoria Township has two unincorporated towns: Peoria and Imes.
, it contains three cemeteries: Davisson, Howard, and Peoria.
The streams of Hickory Creek, Middle Creek, Ottawa Creek and Turkey Creek and the Marais des Cygnes River
run through this township.
, Wea
s and Piankeshaw
s. In April of that year the land was thrown upon the market. Previous to that time, a few settlers had entered the Township in anticipation of that event. Upon being offered, the land was nearly all immediately bought up at prices. During the year 1857, Albert Johnson settled and opened a store, and around his store gathered the nucleus of the future town of Peoria. It is beautifully situated on a promontory projecting between the valleys of Hickory Creek and that of the Marais des Cygnes. Albert Johnson was appointed first Postmaster, and also first Assessor, the latter appointment being made by the County Board. In the year 1859, a strife sprang up for the possession of the County seat. It was then at Minneola (then the state capitol and soon-to-be ghost town); Peoria and Mt. Vernon contended for it against Minneola and Ohio City, at the general election. Peoria was successful. Minneola forbade the removal, and a law suit followed in which Minneola was successful as elsewhere detailed.
The first election in Peoria was held in the fall of 1857, at which there was cast but one Democratic vote. The first Free-state meeting in Franklin County was held at Peoria.
Peoria, today, remains as a small unincorporated settlement. It is home to the historic Briles Schoolhouse, one of the best preserved one-room school houses in Franklin County.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
in Franklin County
Franklin County, Kansas
Franklin County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 25,992. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, its population was 626. Peoria Township has two unincorporated towns: Peoria and Imes.
Geography
Peoria Township covers an area of 35.63 square miles (92.3 km²) and contains no incorporated settlements. According to the USGSUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, it contains three cemeteries: Davisson, Howard, and Peoria.
The streams of Hickory Creek, Middle Creek, Ottawa Creek and Turkey Creek and the Marais des Cygnes River
Marais des Cygnes River
The Marais des Cygnes River is a principal tributary of the Osage River, about long, in eastern Kansas and western Missouri in the United States. Via the Osage and Missouri rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River...
run through this township.
History
Up to 1857 Peoria Township belonged to the PeoriasPeoria (tribe)
The Peoria people are a Native American tribe. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. Historically, they were part of the Illinois Confederation.-History:...
, Wea
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
s and Piankeshaw
Piankeshaw
The Piankeshaw Indians were Native Americans, and members of the Miami Indians who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation. They lived in an area that now includes western Indiana and Ohio, and were closely allied with the Wea Indians...
s. In April of that year the land was thrown upon the market. Previous to that time, a few settlers had entered the Township in anticipation of that event. Upon being offered, the land was nearly all immediately bought up at prices. During the year 1857, Albert Johnson settled and opened a store, and around his store gathered the nucleus of the future town of Peoria. It is beautifully situated on a promontory projecting between the valleys of Hickory Creek and that of the Marais des Cygnes. Albert Johnson was appointed first Postmaster, and also first Assessor, the latter appointment being made by the County Board. In the year 1859, a strife sprang up for the possession of the County seat. It was then at Minneola (then the state capitol and soon-to-be ghost town); Peoria and Mt. Vernon contended for it against Minneola and Ohio City, at the general election. Peoria was successful. Minneola forbade the removal, and a law suit followed in which Minneola was successful as elsewhere detailed.
The first election in Peoria was held in the fall of 1857, at which there was cast but one Democratic vote. The first Free-state meeting in Franklin County was held at Peoria.
Peoria, today, remains as a small unincorporated settlement. It is home to the historic Briles Schoolhouse, one of the best preserved one-room school houses in Franklin County.