WARD TOWNSHIP
FROM OXEN TO CASINO
Compiled by Joanne Barton

The organization of Clarke County was done in August 1851. The county seat was established at this time. Pioneers started arriving in 1851. It is noted that Jerry Jenks came to Clarke County in the fall of 1850, and entered by land warrant 900 acres of land in Ward Township for which he paid about 60¢ an acre. He was a native of Massachusetts. In the spring of 1851, he moved his family to section 13. He was elected County surveyor in 1851, and in 1855, was elected Judge of Clarke County. He also served as Ward Township assessor for one year.

The fall of 1855 and spring of 1856, brought more settlers. According to Andreas Historical Atlas of 1875, the inhabitants of Ward Township came from many places: Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Illinois; also from Ireland, England, and Germany.

John Piper came to Ward Township in 1856, and settled on section 15, where he accumulated 720 acres of land. Being an early settler, he was several times chased by prairie fire, the most serious one being 5th of November 1861. While gathering corn, he saw smoke some distance west, the prairie being on fire. About 10:00 he and neighbor U. Smith went out to protect themselves and in a short time neighbor Samuel Crooks came to assist them. After noon Mrs. Smith, thinking there was no danger, started to take them some provisions as they had gone without their dinner. By this time, seeing they couldn't accomplish anything by back firing, they gave it up and all started for Mr. Crooks', which was nearly a half mile south. After traveling some distance, Mr. Smith concluded he would go home, which was east one-half mile, and told his wife to go to Mr. Crooks. Before reaching Mr. Crooks' place, they were cut off by this western fire, but seeing a place some 20 feet square, where the sod had been taken off, Mr. Piper stopped there. He tried to persuade the others to stop, too, but they went on and were burned in the fire. Mrs. Smith was found on the ground and Mrs. Crooks died that night, Mr. Piper was burned badly.

The railroad was slow coming to Clarke County. Until 1868, stage lines ran daily east and west. The first gauge lines established in 1855, ran tri-weekly. In 1868, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was built across Clarke County bisecting Ward Township. This later became the CB & Q, and later Burlington Northern, as we know the railroad today. These early pioneers came by oxen and wagon after leaving the Mississippi River. Today 1-35 cuts through the eastern edge of Ward Township and now has two exits.

Ward Township, along with Troy, Madison and Washington Townships have the least timber in the County, and were more generally open prairie when the pioneers arrived. By the 1880s, there were a dozen or more rock quarries in Ward Township. At the present, Richard Sargent is shown as owner of about 1200 acres, which is the rock quarry operated by Martin Marietta. The small quarries were incorporated into one large quarry. The railroad appears to have been built on a ridge dividing Ward Township. The southern half of the township is drained by White Breast Creek and the northern half is drained by South Squaw Creek.

Early maps show the low-lying area on the South Squaw Creek, which became West Lake. Southern Iowa towns, which are not located on any important streams have one problem in common — an everlasting quest for an adequate water supply for an increasing population. In 1886, a contract was let for a well 1500 feet deep. After a year the contractor had gone less than 1000 feet. Near the 1500 foot level, plenty of water was found but it was too expensive to pump and too hard for usage. The next attempt at water was a small pond constructed on the site of East Lake. This was used until about 1915, when a second deep well was drilled back of the City Hall. The city had the same problems they'd had with the first well. Next, East Lake was enlarged with a sand filter constructed at the east city limits. The filter worked only for a short time and was bypassed so that on unpurified water was pumped into the mains.

In 1933, construction of the new lake in Ward Township was begun. As 1934, was the year of the infamous drought, they were unable to fill the new lake that year. In 1935, severe flooding occurred and despite sandbagging efforts the new dam washed out. Pipe was leased and the line was laid from the "Q" reservoir to the new purification plant until repairs could be made. Due to silting, the dam has been raised at least three times. In 1958, the lake increased to 120 acres in size; in 1959, 160 acres and in 1983, to its present size between 300 and 320 acres. West Lake drains some 8000 acres. Today Lakeside Casino, (2011, now Terrible's) along with a hotel and restaurant, which plans to employ 720 people — more than all the residents of Ward Township in 1880. Wouldn't those early pioneers be shocked to see their Township today?

Clarke-Decatur Activities Center

Ward Township has another claim to fame: In 1958, when rural schools were being phased out, the Ward Center rural school became the Clarke-Decatur Activities Center. Taught by Mary Delk, assisted by volunteers, it provided quality local services for people with developmental disabilities. When Decatur County left the program, the name was changed to Clarke County Activities Center. The center provided a sheltered workshop and also a work-activities program. In 1986, it came under the auspices of Bethphage, and group homes were developed. In July 2003, the local program consolidated its service and today is part of a national faith-based organization, Mosaic. The origin of it all was one man with an idea and persistence — Clifford Jones of Osceola. He and his wife, Charlene, invested countless hours and miles of travel to meetings with the result of Ward Center, now expanded step by step to the present reality. How many lives have been changed by their efforts will never be known.

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Last Revised February 15, 2015