Cicero Township is one of six

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in Tipton County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 8,086 and it contained 3,646 housing units. It is the largest of the six townships in the county.

History

The

Miami people The Miami (Miami-Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now identified as North-central India ...

were the first occupiers of Cicero Township. Upon early white settlement, the Miami resided on reservation land in what was then known as Hamilton County. On January 15, 1844, that reservation land became a part of Tipton County. The Miami were forced to leave the county, resulting in the

Potawatomi Trail of Death The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced removal by militia in 1838 of about 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from Indiana to reservation lands in what is now eastern Kansas. The march began at Twin Lakes, Indiana (Myers Lake and Cook ...

.Pershing, p. 82 The majority of white settles in Cicero Township were from Southern Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Squatters were abundant in the area prior to land being available to purchase, which began in 1838.Pershing, p. 84 Settlement was sporadic in Cicero Township due to land that was "flat and low and would be difficult to drain," according to white settlers.Pershing, p. 85

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of , all land.

Natural landscape

Reports from the early 20th century state that despite being very flat and hard to drain, Cicero Township had lands with the finest agricultural potential "in the state." Historically, the area had plentiful

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

and

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergree ...

s, but most of the trees were cut for lumber in the late 19th century.

Deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

, possum, and

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

s were plentiful during this time, too.

Black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

s were common near Cicero Creek.

Gray wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

s, and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s were hunted almost to extinction in the township's forests.

Cities and towns

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

Unincorporated towns

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

Former settlements

* West KinderhookPershing, p. 90 * ParrotsvillePershing, p. 91

Adjacent townships

* Liberty Township (north) * Wildcat Township (northeast) * Madison Township (east) * White River Township, Hamilton County (southeast) * Jackson Township, Hamilton County (south) * Jefferson Township (west) * Prairie Township (northwest)

Economy

19th century

The first

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

in the township was built by Samuel King. The mill handled both

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

and corn, using water from Cicero Creek for power. On a good day, King would process twelve bushels of corn.Pershing, p. 88 The second mill in the township was built by King and William Buffington. Also located on Cicero Creek, the mill was conveniently located at the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad Company stream crossing. The mill sawed timber and processed wheat and corn. Benjamin Bailey built a mill, which was horse powered, in 1850. Bailey allowed any farmer who wanted to grind their own corn to use the mill and horse. George Kane and Newton J. Jackson built a saw mill, which ran on

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

, in 1851. The land where they built the steam saw mill is known as Jackson Station. Cicero Township's economy grew after the completion of the railroad to

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located ...

, which connected Peru to the

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

, in 1854. Another steam mill was built, by Thompson Innis, in 1854 at Parker's Mill (also called Parker's Corner).Pershing, p. 89

Education

Early history

The first school was founded in West Kinderhook by Silas Blount in 1842. Early schools in the township were paid with private funds and teachers were paid based on student subscription.Pershing, p. 189
/ref> By 1914, public schools were operating in the township.Pershing, p. 190
/ref>

Today

Students who reside in Cicero Township attend schools that are a part of the Tipton Community School Corporation.

Government

Political districts

Indiana's 5th congressional district Indiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana that takes the north side of Indianapolis as well as its eastern and northern suburbs, including Marion, Carmel, Anderson, Noblesville, Fishers, ...

* State House District 32 * State House District 35 * State Senate District 20 * State Senate District 21

Infrastructure

Transportation

In 1844, Cicero Township was split into three transportation districts, each two miles wide. The initial roads were of poor quality and mainly corduroy roads. The roads suffered considerable damage during wet seasons and were prone to seeking given the damp and low geography of the township.Pershing, p. 87 By 1914, railroads served the township and roads were made of

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

and

macadam Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...

Major highways

Indiana State Road 28 State Road 28 is an east–west road in central Indiana in the United States that crosses the entire state from east to west, covering a distance of about and passing about to the north of the state capitol of Indianapolis. Route descriptio ...

Airports and landing strips

* Tragesser Airport

Cemeteries

The township contains these eight cemeteries: Bethsaida, Fairview, Goar, Goodykoontz, Mauldentown, Sandbank, Stewart and Sumner.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* Pershing, Marvin W. "History of Tipton County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions". Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen (1914).
United States Census Bureau 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)

IndianaMap

External links

Indiana Township Association

United Township Association of Indiana
{{authority control Townships in Tipton County, Indiana Kokomo, Indiana metropolitan area Townships in Indiana