Erie Township

Erie Twp. is the smallest township in the county. The first white man who trod her dense forests was Samuel McClure. He came in the fall of 1827, and established an Indian trading post on Abraham Dingman farm. His business was that of trader exclusively and consequently he made no attempt at improvements at any time. So far as can be ascertained no white man entered the township for the purpose of bringing the forests into a state of cultivation until 1835. In that year quite a number, being encouraged by the flattering prospects which were offered by the opening of the Wabash and Erie Canal, entered the township, purchasing land immediately adjoining thereto and known as "Canal Land."
My Grandpa had a farm in Erie Twp. when my mother was quite small. Very few remnants of the farm exist today but after some exploration I was amazed at how much wilderness still exists in certain areas of Erie Twp. My mother went to Erie Consolidated school and had to walk quite a distance to get to the unheated school bus to catch her ride. She told me that certain times of the year she had to be carried across a creek when the water was high so she could get to school. The kids of today would moan if they had to walk that far just to go to school.