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From: "Joan Achille" <>
Subject: [ILKNOX-L] Rio Twp. 1878 Knox Co History
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 19:47:51 -0700


Rio Township
This township llies in the extreme northwest part of the county, and
is not suprassed by many in the whole Northwest. In the Spring of
1830, Joseph ROWE located on Sect. 33, being the first settler in
the twp. He was soon followed by Reese JONES and Joseph HALLIDAY,
the former locating on the northwest corner of Sect. 6 within a
stone's throw of the corner of the county. Soon thereafter came
Abe JONES, and in 1832, John CRESSWELL settled on Sect. 27, near
Fort Aggie, which was situated within forty rods of the southwest
corner of the same section. This fort was built during the Black
Hawk War in 1832 and was named in honor of CRESSWELL's wife. It
stood unmolested until 1836 when Joseph HAHN tore it down and
constructed a barn out of the logs near where the fort stood.
In 1836 came Nelson and Lewis COE, and John WOOLEY. Wooley had
come into Knox twp. in 1832, where he remained for four years.
Luther FITCH came in 1840. About 1851 a meeting was held by
request to select a name for the township. Someone made a motion
to lay off a town along the slough east of the road and north of
the barn of E.A. BARTLETT for the reason that the land was good
for nothing else. The Mexican war had just closed and the Rio
Grande river as the boundary line of the United States and Mexico
was in the mouth of every war man in opposition to Rio Nueces
river as claimed by the Mexicans. At this meeting the Rio Grande
had a majority of admirers. It was proposed that the township
should be called Rio. This was accepted and adopted, and thus
ever since, has the township worn the beautiful Spanish name.
There are four churches in Rio Twp. One union of Congregational
and Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Regular Baptist,
and Protestant Methodist.

Joan

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