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CHAPTER X.
VILL AGE AND CITY GOVERNMENT.
Manitowoc county contains two cities, Manitowoc and
Two Rivers and two villages, Reedsville and Kiel, that have
been incorporated under the state laws, the former under spe-
cial statutes and the villages in accordance with general laws.
Both Manitowoc and Two Rivers had twenty years of village
existence before entering upon a civic life. It is the purpose
of this chapter to study the political and administrative. his-
tory of each of them.
MANITOWOC.
The village of Manitowoc was an integral part of. the
township of the same name and indistinguishable from it, un-
til March 6, 1851 on which date a law was signed which
authorized its incorporation. Even earlier this step had.been
proposed as the township, because of the fact that there wan
no other legal entity, way obliged to do much improvement
outside of the scope of a rural community. Thus thep travel
across the Manitowoc river became so important that in 1848
it became necessary to supersede the primitive ferry by a
bridge, In this first bridge, which was an inexpensive struc-
ture, there was no draw since at the time there was no neces-
sity for one. At this time the business portion of Manitowoc
was almost entirely on the north side and as many families
resided on the opposite side a ready means Qf communication