County Organization

At the time of organization of Butler County in 1868, the following county officials were declared elected:

 

H. Pepper - Clerk

David R. Gardner - Treasurer

C. C. Loomis - Probate Judge

William Butler - Sheriff

J. A. Taylor - Coroner

W. T. Richardson - Surveyor

James Green, Henry Wilson and David Reed - Commissioners

The County Seat was located at Savannah.

 

The first meeting of the Commissioners was held at Bone Creek Schoolhouse October 21, 1868.  The

The only business conducted was the election of a Chairman, which was James Green.

 

The county was divided into quarters, each quarter comprising a precinct.:

 

Bone Creek

Pepperville

Ulysses

Oak Creek

At a meeting of the board held at the house of  County Clerk Pepper, January 4, 1869, the bonds

of the several county officers were presented and approved.  F. C. Johnson was appointed and

commissioned to lay out a county road, following as close as possible to the old Government Road.

 

At a regular meeting of the board , held at the house of Commissioner Wilson, W. T. Richardson

was appointed County Surveyor, and an order was passed to attach Polk County to Butler for

revenue purposes.

 

At a meeting held December 20, 1869, an order was passed for the construction of a court house,

at Savannah.  

 

The next meeting, held January 4, 1870, the name of Savannah was given to the county seat.

 

April 16, 1872, the county was again divided into precincts, each eight miles square, except where

the indentations of the Platte form the north boundary:

 

Linwood

Savannah

Pepperville

Summit

Center

Oak Creek

Richardson

Ulysses

Reed

Again re-arranged on, March 3, 1874, by calling each township a precinct, except Richardson,

which included two townships, but since has been subdivided.  Their names at present are as

follows, following the order indicated above:

 

Platte 

Linwood  

Bone Creek  

Savannah 

Pepperville 

Alexis 

Summit  

Olive 

Franklin 

Skull Creek  

Oak Creek  

Center 

Reading  

Reed  

Ulysses  

Plum Creek 

Richardson  

 

During the years 1869 thru 1872, Savannah was the county seat, after a bitter struggle, the

county seat was moved to David City, named in honor of Mr. Davids, a friend and relative

of Mr. William Miles, patron and part owner of the site.  The ground was immediately

surveyed into blocks and lots, an a court house was erected, to which the records of the

county were at once transferred, on August 6, 1873.

 

David City (the "s" is dropped for convenience), soon became a stirring town---the

metropolis, business, political and social center of the county.

 

Since 1876, Butler County has gone steadily on in the march of progress.  She has withstood

prairie fires that swept almost everything out of existence in their fiery track, devastating

insects, terrible snow storms, hurricanes, and numerous other disheartening misfortunes,

inasmuch that it is truly wonderful how she managed to escape and become successful in her

pursuit for prosperity and wealth.

 

In 1859, there were scarcely a dozen settlers in the limits of the county, and the majority of

these were scattered along the old wagon trails to the mountains.

 

In 1868, when the first election was held, 68 voters were polled, which would indicate a

population of about 200.

 

In 1870, the population had increased to 1,260; in 1873, to 3,800; in 1874, to 4,440; and

in 1876, there were 4,695 counted.