The town of Lafayette, at first included in Spring Prairie, was set off
March 21, 1843. It is town 3 north, range 17 east, less section 31, set
off in 1846 to form the town of Elkhorn. Beginning on its north line, and
following the direction of the sun, it is bounded by Troy, Spring Prairie,
Geneva and Elkhorn, and Elkhorn and Sugar Creek. Sugar creek crosses
from west to east a little north of the middle line of the town, and affords
a small amount of mill power. In earlier years, it was well wooded
with the several varieties of oak, and at points along the creek with sugar
maples, from which the Indian occupants of the county hunting ground
derived a noteworthy supply of crudely made sugar.
Before the establishment of rural free delivery, there was a post office
at Bowers, near the junction of two highways from Spring Prairie to Elkhorn,
east side of section 26. In earlier times this office was a few rods distant
and was named Grove. There was also an office at Fayetteville (which
railway men persistently call "Peck's Station").
Isiah Hamblin and family led the immigration to Lafayette in June 1836.
He settled on section 25 and built his cabin immediately. Within the year
Solomon A Dwinnell, Elias Hicks, Alpheus Johnson, Charles Cauncey Perrin
and Isaac Vant followed. Other early followers include: Nathaniel Bell,
William Bohall, Alexander H Bunnell, Morris Cain, Harvey M Curtiss, George
W. Dwinnell, David S. Eltin, Thomas Emerson, Daniel McDounogh and Samuel
Harkness, Riley Harrington, Daniel Hartwell, Charles Heath, Mason A. Hicks,
Henry Johnson, Dr. Jesse C. Mills, Anthony Noblet, Emery Singletery, Duer
Y. Smith, Sylvester G. Smith, Daniel Kingsley Stearns, David Tower Vaughn,
John Wadsworth, Stephen Gano West and Jesse Pike West.
In 1884, there were seven school districts.
A church in section 10 at the Bishop farm, its service usually supplied from the Congregational
church at East Troy, and near it is a well kept burial ground laid out
in 1848. There are also graves at "Westville" in section 6 and at the Seymour
farm in section 18, laid out in 1844.
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