Emmet township embraces township 115, range 36. It is bounded on the north by Crooks, on the east by Troy, on the south by Flora and on the west by Sacred Heart. It is crossed by the C. M. & St. Paul Ry. It has one city, Renville, located in the northwestern part.

Emmet township was first settled in 1869. In 1868 Sylvester Brooks, and son, Nelson W. Brooks, from River Falls, Wis„ came to the vicinity of Sacred Heart creek, and after living with Samuel Bernell for a while, erected a cabin of their own. In the same neighborhood there was living a German named Holstein. Mr. Brooks was joined In June, 1869, by his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Dodge, and their two children, who took up their homes with Mr. Holstein. With them came Loren A. Brooks and H. E. Wadsworth. Dodge, Brooks and Wadsworth had all lived at River Falls, Wis., and all were veterans of the Thirtieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. After taking their claims, Wadsworth and Brooks in section 32, Emmet and Dodge in section 30, in the same township, Wadsworth and Brooks returned to Wisconsin, while Dodge continued to live with his family in Sacred Heart township.

The first permanent settler was William Powers, who arrived In the latter part of June, 1869. At that time no one was living in the township. The story of the Powers settlement is a most interesting one. William Powers, James Daly and John Warner had been friends in Pennsylvania, where Daly and Warner were born and where Powers had come from Ireland as a young man. From Pennsylvania all [three] men had come to Blue Earth county in this state.

In June, 1869, William Powers and his family, and James Daly, started overland for Renville county. With their wagon as their headquarters they camped on the northeast quarter of section 32, in Emmet township, while Powers and Daly drew logs from the Minnesota river bottoms and erected a cabin.

After the cabin was completed and the Powers family comfortably located, Daly went back to Blue Earth county after his own family and John Warner and family. Daly located on the northwest quarter of section 28, and Warner on the southwest quarter of section 22. These three families were the only people who spent the winter of 1869-70 in Emmet township.

In April, 1870, Wadsworth and Brooks brought their families from Wisconsin, and Dodge came up from Sacred Heart with his family, and all three families located on their claims.

The next group of settlers to arrive were the members of the David Benson party. David Benson and James Jacobson were college mates in Norway. Among their friends were Espen Hanson and Ole Quamsoe. In the spring of 1870 they set out from Dodge county, Minnesota, for Renville county. Benson and Hanson brought their families, the other two were single men. All took land in section 6 and moved into a cabin which had been erected for the Hanson family.

Benson, Quamsoe and Jacobson then went to Mankato on foot and from there to Rochester, where they worked in the harvest fields. In November, Benson came back to Emmet, leaving Quamsoe and Jacobson at Rochester. When he reached Emmet he found that his family had left the Espen Hanson cabin and were living with Peter Johnson, who had brought his family to Emmet late in the summer and put up a shack on section 4.

John G. Lee and family, and Ole Hanson and Ole Simonson, arrived at the home of Haakon Andraa in Sacred Heart, June 24, 1870. A son, Gunder J. Lee, with Hanson and Simonson, looked about for land, and finally selected a site in section 4, on the banks of what was afterward known as Lee Lake, which has since been drained. A cabin was erected and there the Lee family spent the Winter, while the young men returned to Wisconsin. They too, later located in Emmet township.

Carl Carlson and family settled in section 4, in the fall of 1870.

Others who came in 1870 were Patrick Coulahan, Timothy Muldowney, Timothy Daly, Charles Pickthorn and Cornelias Crowley. Coulahan and Muldowney settled on section 28. Crowley settled in section 32. All brought their families except Daly, who took up his residence with his brother.

Joseph Brammick came to Emmet township in 1870, but it was not until two years later that he settled here.

Among the other early settlers may be mentioned Wesley Wiley, Hoppley Tibbitts, Howard Tibbitts, Julius Myer, Bartel Brummer, Julius Brummer, Charles McElrath and Hans Ness.

The first death in the township was that of a child of Peter Johnson. In choosing a place for the burial of this child, Johnson selected the site for the present Renville Union cemetery, now known as the Fairview cemetery. "The living," said Mr. Johnson, as he stood on the swell of land overlooking the ideal spot where the dead now sleep, "can always choose a desirable location so for the dead who cannot choose we should give our best." He therefore wrote to Land Commissioner Skinner of the railroad company, and as a result the railroad deeded five acres to be held In trust forever for those who await the Judgment.

The first child born in the township was William, a son of James and Eliza Daley, born February 20, 1870. The first adult to die was Christian Nacke, who was frozen to death January 7, 1873. His dead body was found near section 14.

The first school was taught in the winter of 1870-71 by Charles Peneman in the home of L. A. Brooks. In 1871-72 Mr. Peneman taught in the home of Charles Elrath. The schoolhouse was erected on the present site in 1875. The district is known as district 37.

The early history of district 33 is well worth recording. In 1873 the school board was organized with David Benson as director, John Cole as treasurer and Howard Tibbetts as clerk. At the very beginning there was a serious contention as to who should be the first teacher for the three months' school which they planned to hold. Treasurer Cole had promised John Larkin, who lived on the Minnesota river, in Flora township, that his daughter, Daisy, should be the teacher provided that Director Benson and Clerk Tibbetts would consent. A meeting was called, and the honorable board was informed by Clerk Tibbetts that he had corresponded with a young lady in Wisconsin and had engaged her as the teacher. After some highly impolite language between Cole and Tibbetts, the meeting adjourned at about 3 o'clock in the morning.

Cole then called on Benson and told him that if the Wisconsin lady were engaged Larkin would sue the district. "Tell Larkin," said Mr. Benson, "that if he will behave himself and stop this foolish talk about suing the district, that his girl will get the school, for you and I make a majority." So Miss Larkin became the first teacher in the district and Tibbetts and the Wisconsin lady were left to nurse their wrath. The first school was held in the corn crib of Wen. Werden.

Emmet township was organized September 7, 1870, and the first election held September 21, 1870, and the following officers elected: Supervisors, Loren A. Brooks (chairman), John Warner and William Powers; clerk, Patrick Coulahan; treasurer, H. E. Wadsworth; justices, William Powers and L. A. Brooks; constables, C. Pickthorn and James Daley. William Powers was moderator of the meeting, H. E. Wadsworth was clerk, while John Warner and L. A. Brooks were judges of election. Each of the candidates received twelve votes except L. A. Brooks, who for justice of the peace received eleven votes. The present officers are: Supervisors, A. F. Bratsch (chairman), Fred Kramin and Henry Gens; clerk, Louis Grunert; treasurer, Gust. Stern; assessor, John Gens. The township elections are held in the city of Renville.

Emmet was named from Robert Emmet, the Irish patriot. The petition for this name was fathered by William Powers, and the name was chosen in spite of the fact that H. E. Wadsworth wished the town named in honor of his wife.

The first personal property assessment made in Emmet township was made in 1871. Those assessed were: George Bennison, L. A. Brooks, Barthold Brumner, Patrick Coulahan, G. L. Dodge, James Daly, Timothy Daly, B. McElrath, Thomas Foster, Julius Meyer, Timothy Muldavney, Chas. Pickthorn, Wm. Powers, John Smith, Alfred Symes, H. E. Wadsworth, John Warner, Wesley Wiley.

The first real estate assessment of Emmet township, 115-36, was made in 1874. Those assessed were: George Ott, section 30; Everett Wadsworth, section 32; Loren A. Brooks, section 32; B. McElrath, section 32; G. L. Dodge, section 30: Wm. Powers, section 32; Cornelius Crowley, section 28 (note to effect that this was transferred to Gotfried Grabow); James Daly, section 28; John Warner, section 22; Howard Tibbetts, section 18; Peter Paqueth, section 20: L. D. Worden, section 18: John Johnson, section 18 (116-36), now Crooks; John Gist, section 30; J. W. Lowery, section 24 (note to effect that this was transferred to John Brettin).