CHAPTER XXI. - MARION TOWNSHIP AND DELPHOS
Boundaries, Area and Population - Streams - Railroad Viaduct - Lumber and Bark Industry - Soil - Organic History - List of Original Land Entries - What Mr. Harrison Says - Schools - DELPHOS - Its Favorable Location and Many Advantages - Social and Intellectual Status - Malaria and Cholera Troubles - Miami & Erie Canal - Railroads - Railroad shops - Original Town Plats - First Houses - First Saw-mill and Grist-mill - First White Child - Physicians - First Election - Mayors, Recorders, Treasurers, Marshals and Councilmen since 1852 - Postmasters - Churches - Schools - Societies, etc. - LANDECK VILLAGE - Its Location - Catholic Church - Railroads  and Postoffices in Marion Township.

     THIS township, forming the northwestern division of the county, is bounded on the north by Putnam and on the west by Van Wert County.  It has an area of forty-two square miles, and a population of 5,000 (year 1885), including the eastern part of Delphos.  Outside the town the population in 1880 was 2,485, or 59.16 to the square mile.
     The Auglaize River enters the township in its southwest quarter, flows north through a tortuous channel, and leaves the county in Section 21, Town 2 south, Range 5 east.  The river at this point is an important stream, running between steep banks in some places, through broad bottom lands in other places.  In the valley of the Auglaize the surface is much broken, yet exceedingly fertile.  A hundred streamlets - tributaries of the Auglaize and Ottawa - course through the township in almost level channels rendering the complete drainage of the country practicable at little expense.
     The elevation at the railroad viaduct, over the Miami & Erie Canal, at Delphos, is 188 feet about the level of Lake Erie, which gives a natural fall toward the lake of about thirty inches per mile.
     Throughout the township numerous groves of excellent hard-wood timber are found - all the species named in the chapter on Natural History attaining their full growth here.  So early as 1843 the lumbermen came into the woods of Marion.  In 1845 the bark industry caused war to be waged against the huge elms, ash, juniper, and almost all the trees and shrubs to be found here.  The lumber and bark industries stripped the primeval forest of its beauty.  When, in 1872-72, the great timber manufacturing concerns were established, the material was still there to cull from; but the appearance of the woods told of vandalism and waste.
     The lands of the township are admirably adapted to agriculture.  For many years the early settlers were content with their small clearings.  At present many large farms mark the progress of this district.

ORGANIC HISTORY.

     The township of Marion, as originally constituted, was set off from the north end of Amanda in December, 1833, by the Commissioners of Allen County, acting on a petition presented to them that year by the settlers in Township 3 south, Range 5 east.  When the counties of this district were redistricted in 1848, the south half of the original township of Marion was added to the north half of Amanda, under the name Amanda, while the south half of Town 2 south, Range 5 east, was taken from Jennings Township, in Putnam County, added to the north half of original Township 3 south, Range 5 east, and set off under the name of Marion.  At the same time six sections were taken from the northeast part of the original town of Jennings, in Van Wert County (Town 3 south, Range 4 east), and added to the reorganized town of Marion, giving this northeastern township an area of forty-two square miles, and making it co-extensive with the township of Richland, in the northeastern part of the county.  The first Trustees were Christian Stukey, Michael Swisher and Thomas J. Fair; Clerk, With J. Cochran; Treasurer, Ferdianad Miller; William Brady and William Scott, Road Commissioners to open the Auglaize & Van Wert Road.

LIST OF ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES.

     The original land buyers within the territory now comprised in Marion, are named in the following lists of entries made in the Land Receivers' books from 1825 to 1854, when the last parcel of public land was sold.  By far the greater number of the persons named had settled here previous to purchase, or came to reside on their lands immediately after entry.  Others, who then resided west of the county line, or in other towns of Allen, were interested in lands here, and many of them took a full part in the development of this township.

TOWNSHIP 2 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST.

TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST.

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