Grant Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Grant Township is one of sixteen townships
in Cerro Gordo County
, Iowa
, USA
. As of the 2000 census
, its population was 354.
Grant Township was the site of the airplane crash
north of the city of Clear Lake
, in which rock and roll
stars Buddy Holly
, Ritchie Valens
, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson
, along with their pilot Roger A. Peterson
, were killed on February 3, 1959. The site is located in the extreme eastern part of the township, near its border with Lincoln Township
.
, it contains one cemetery, Grant. The city of Fertile
borders it to the north.
Township (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....
in Cerro Gordo County
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 44,151 in the county, with a population density of . There were 22,163 housing units, of which 19,350 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, 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 354.
Grant Township was the site of the airplane crash
The Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...
north of the city of Clear Lake
Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,161 at the 2000 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate...
, in which rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
stars Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
, along with their pilot Roger A. Peterson
Roger Peterson (pilot)
Roger Arthur Peterson was a 21-year-old pilot of the aircraft whose crash took the lives of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson as well as himself...
, were killed on February 3, 1959. The site is located in the extreme eastern part of the township, near its border with Lincoln Township
Lincoln Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Lincoln Township is one of sixteen townships in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 277.-Geography:Lincoln Township covers an area of and contains no incorporated settlements. According to the USGS, it contains one cemetery, Lincoln. The southeast corner of...
.
Geography
Grant Township covers an area of 35.45 square miles (91.8 km²) and contains no incorporated settlements. According to the USGSUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, it contains one cemetery, Grant. The city of Fertile
Fertile, Iowa
Fertile is a city in Worth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 360 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Fertile is located at ....
borders it to the north.