How Leavenworth Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Leavenworth Township.
Mississippi Indians (Chocktaw) migrated from the south to the Leavenworth area, settling near bodies of water where there were fish and water. River banks and the areas around lakes provided timber that was used for fuel. Later, when people began to homestead on area lands, they settled along the banks of the Cottonwood River.
Located along the Shetek Trail, an east-west wagon trail, Leavenworth was organized on April 16, 1857 and platted that year in section 14. It was probably named for Colonel Henry Leavenworth, a commander who in 1819 established the fort now called Fort Snelling. John B. Calkins' log cabin was built about 1857, and the following year he became the postmaster at Leavenworth.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
