Almond Fryer settled on the banks of the Upper Iowa River in section 14 of the township in 1855. The name at the time of surveying was Lodi, but when the township was organized in February 1874 it was called "Belleview," as was the railroad station. Lodi, Italy, the namesake of the township, is a town in Lombardy made famous by a battle that Napoleon fought there. At the organizing meeting, the people of the township re-adopted the name Lodi and elected a moderator, a clerk, three judges of the election, a chairman, two supervisors, a treasurer, two justices of the peace, and two constables. The current village of Taopi was started as a corporation in 1875.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lodi Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1965Adams sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lodi Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Lodi Township
Nobody well known was born in Lodi Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
