Erie Township, Miami County, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Erie Township is one of fourteen townships
in Miami County
, Indiana
, USA
. As of the 2000 census
, its population was 497. The township's only community is Erie.
. Samuel McClure, a trader who arrived in the fall of 1827, is considered the first European to have entered the area, establishing an Indian trading post on the Abraham Dingman farm. Settlement began in 1835, encouraged by the new canal. The Methodists and United Brethren
were the first religious organizations in the township, organizing in 1846 and 1849 respectively.
An 1896 history of the county recounts a short description of early life in the area as described by George Nicholson, a pioneer who settled in Erie Township in 1844:
, Erie Township covers an area of 16.89 square miles (43.7 km²); of this, 16.69 square miles (43.2 km²) (98.83 percent) is land and 0.19 square mile (0.4920977409 km²) (1.14 percent) is water.
Erie Township consists of level, open farmland to the north, giving way to an east-west belt of wooded hollows and valleys farther south, and finally bottomland along the Wabash River
, which forms the township's southern border with Butler Township
. Daniel Creek, Schrom Creek and several smaller streams flow south into the river. The township is bordered on the west by Peru Township
and on the north by Richland Township
. Its eastern border is with Wabash County
.
U.S. Route 24
runs east and west through Erie Township, connecting Peru
and Wabash
.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
in Miami County
Miami County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,082 people, 13,716 households, and 9,806 families residing in the county. The population density was 96 people per square mile . There were 15,299 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, its population was 497. The township's only community is Erie.
History
Erie Township was organized on August 27, 1839. Originally called Black Hawk Township, it was renamed in September 1847 for the Wabash and Erie CanalWabash 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...
. Samuel McClure, a trader who arrived in the fall of 1827, is considered the first European to have entered the area, establishing an Indian trading post on the Abraham Dingman farm. Settlement began in 1835, encouraged by the new canal. The Methodists and United Brethren
United Brethren
United Brethren may refer to:*Apostolic United Brethren, a Mormon fundamentalist group headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah*Church of the United Brethren in Christ, an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana...
were the first religious organizations in the township, organizing in 1846 and 1849 respectively.
An 1896 history of the county recounts a short description of early life in the area as described by George Nicholson, a pioneer who settled in Erie Township in 1844:
It had been the custom to go to Peru and vote and then spend the day in hilarity. Intoxicats [sic] were free and spirits high. There was always a half dozen or more fights during the day. Some big fellow who felt like a Sampson and Croesus over the effects of some one's treating strutted down the street swinging his arms as big as Pompey and challenged any Democrat to a wrestle... In those early days it was a very dull Saturday if there was not at least one fight.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, Erie Township covers an area of 16.89 square miles (43.7 km²); of this, 16.69 square miles (43.2 km²) (98.83 percent) is land and 0.19 square mile (0.4920977409 km²) (1.14 percent) is water.
Erie Township consists of level, open farmland to the north, giving way to an east-west belt of wooded hollows and valleys farther south, and finally bottomland along the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
, which forms the township's southern border with Butler Township
Butler Township, Miami County, Indiana
Butler Township is one of fourteen townships in Miami County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 838.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Butler Township covers an area of ; of this, is land and is water.-Unincorporated towns:* New Santa Fe at * Oakley...
. Daniel Creek, Schrom Creek and several smaller streams flow south into the river. The township is bordered on the west by Peru Township
Peru Township, Miami County, Indiana
Peru Township is one of fourteen townships in Miami County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,666.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Peru Township covers an area of ; of this, is land and is water...
and on the north by Richland Township
Richland Township, Miami County, Indiana
Richland Township is one of fourteen townships in Miami County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,149.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Richland Township covers an area of ; of this, is land and is water.-Unincorporated towns:* Chili at *...
. Its eastern border is with Wabash County
Wabash County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,960 people, 13,215 households, and 9,395 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 14,034 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
.
Unincorporated towns
- ErieErie, Miami County, IndianaErie is an unincorporated community in Erie Township, Miami County, Indiana....
at 40.8011537°N 85.9913799°W
Major highways
U.S. Route 24U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...
runs east and west through Erie Township, connecting Peru
Peru, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile . There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7 per square mile...
and Wabash
Wabash, Indiana
Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County....
.
Political districts
- Indiana's 5th congressional districtIndiana's 5th congressional districtIndiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana that takes in the eastern and northern suburbs of Indianapolis, including Marion, Carmel, Shelbyville, and Noblesville and parts of Kokomo...
- State House District 23
- State Senate District 18