This township is situated in the southeast corner of the county.  It is bounded on the east by the Minnesota state line, and on the south by the Iowa state line.  It has some excellent farms and farm buildings and, comparatively speaking, no waste land.  The main branch of Beaver creek, which enters Palisade township on section thirty-four and runs in a southwesterly course through Red Rock township, enters Valley Springs on section four, and continuing in the same course leaves the township on section seven.  The other branch has its source in the southeast corner of the township, and runs in a northwesterly course until it forms a junction with the main branch of section thirteen in Split Rock township.  The south line, which is the Iowa boundary line, was surveyed in July, 1852; the east, Minnesota boundary line, in July, 1862; the west, by Cortez Fessenden, in July, 1862; the north, by M.K. Armstrong, in October, 1864, and the subdivisions were made by Carl C. P. Meyer in October 1864.  It contains 15,117.82 acres.
     S.A. Johnson and Alfred Larson, and perhaps some others, took up land in this township as early as 1870.  Frank G. Anderson and Stephen Danielson located there in 1871, and from that time the township was quite rapidly settled.  In June, 1872, Jonathan Dunham and M.L. Wood took up land in section three, and a Miss Nancy Merchant pre-empted a portion of the northwest quarter of the same section, where the village is now located.  Messrs. Dunham and Wood erected a residence, and commenced breaking the land, and thinking the location favorable for a business center, made application for the establishment of a post office.  January 1, 1873, the Valley Springs post office was established, and Jonathan Dunham appointed postmaster, the office being at Mr. Dunham’s residence.  A.C. Stone was the second postmaster, and for a while the office was at his residence, but was afterwards removed to the store of Stone & Howe.  The next postmaster was P.E. Howe.  In 1876, Alfred Larson was appointed postmaster, and in 1880, he was succeeded by Charles Olson.  The first store was established by A.C. Stone and P.E. Howe in the fall of 1873.  The first blacksmith shop was that of C.O. Remming on the north side of the railroad, which was opened in the spring of 1876.  In November, 1880, W.W. Bell opened the first harness shop.  A man by the name of Ljungren erected a store building 20 by 50 feet, two stories high, in 1878, and engaged in the hardware business.  On the 4th day of June, 1878, a station was established on what is now the C., St. P., M&O. railroad, and Valley Springs can boast of having the first railroad station in Minnehaha county.  The first marriage was that of P.E. Howe and Frances H. Acker, and the ceremony was solemnized by the Rev. J.W. Rigby June 28, 1874.  The first birth was that of a daughter to John C. and Martha Shepard.  The first school was taught by Miss Ida Shafer during the summer of 1874.  One of the present school buildings was erected in the summer of 1878, at a cost of $1,600. and is a fine two-story structure.  The building which is now the Central House, was erected in 1878, for a private residence.  In 1879, it was purchased by Grove Hemsley, and used as a boarding house one year, when it was enlarged, and has since been used as a hotel, under the efficient management of Frank Mellen, who is still the proprietor.  The Valley Springs Cemetery Association was organized May 2, 1879, and the grounds are located on the southeast quarter of section 3, and contain ten acres.

     The village of Valley Springs is pleasantly and favorably located both for residence and business purposes, and since the location of the station on the Omaha line in 1878 its population and business have been steadily increasing.
    At a session of the territorial legislature in 1879, an act was passed authorizing the incorporation of the village of Valley Springs, but the people did not perfect an organization under its provision.
     In 1883 another act of incorporation was passed.  The territory comprised the south half of the south half of section 34, and the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 33 in Red Tock township, and all of section 3, and the east half of the east half of section 4 in Valley Springs township, making in all a little over 1100 acres of land.  This territory of the village has been greatly reduced, and comprises at the present writing only the south half of the northwest quarter and the north half of the southwest quarter of section 3 in Valley Springs township.  The charter was nearly the same in its provisions as the one incorporating the village of Sioux Falls; in fact, all the village charters granted in territorial days were similar in character.  The government of the corporation and the management of its affairs were vested in a president, who was ex officio a trustee, and four trustees.  The other elective officers were clerk, treasurer, and village justice of the peace.  The board of trustees was empowered to appoint and remove at pleasure a chief of the fire department, a fire warden, attorney, street commissioner, and marshal.  The annual election was directed to be held on the first Tuesday in March.
     The first election was held on the 6th day of March, 1883.  Forty-six votes were cast, and the following named persons were elected:  W.H. Riddell, president, J.E. Hallett, Paul Zimmerman, J. Dunham, and Geo. Cassady, trustees; F. Mellen, justice of the peace; D.B. Cook, treasurer; F.C. Bell, clerk.  D.B. Cook declined to qualify, and Richard Barnett was appointed.  Henry Howe was appointed marshal.  During the summer a village jail was built.
     In March, 1884, the village license for saloon keepers from April, 1884, to January 1, 1885, was fixed at $75.  In December the license was fixed at $200 per year.  In December, 1885, the saloon license was fixed at $600.
     In 1886, two cisterns were built, of a capacity of 200 bbls. Each, at a cost of $230, and 320 of feet of hose and other fire apparatus purchased.  A town hall and engine room were built, at a cost of $914, and a fire department was organized on the 10th day of June, 1886, with twenty-eight members and W.R. Burkholder as chief.
     On the 6th day of August, 1888, a special election was held to determine whether the village should issue bonds in the sum of $800 to pay the indebtedness of the village incurred in building engine room and hall.  The vote cast was thirty-four for, and one against the issuing of bonds, and the bonds were issued.  In December the saloon license was fixed at $700.
     As time progressed, the people of the village desired some amendments to the charter, but as this could not be accomplished by legislation, and the provisions of the general law for the incorporation of municipal bodies were more to their liking, the village board on the 4th day of March, 1895, took the necessary steps and dissolved the corporation of the village, and reincorporated under the general law as the Town of Valley Springs.
     There is not a village in the state that has a better grade of schools, and a higher percentage of church-going people.  It has three church organizations, but no saloon, three resident ministers, but no lawyer.  Its business men are thrifty and enterprising, and but few have fallen by the wayside.
     The village has outgrown the two story school building which was erected in 1878, at a cost of $1,600, and the old bank building is rented for one department.  At the present time 109 scholars are enrolled in the three departments into which the school is divided.  The number of scholars of school age within the village limits is 137.  Three teachers are employed, and Prof. J.A. Ross, one of the best and most efficient teachers in the county, is in charge of the school.
     All lines of business usually found in villages of the size of Valley Springs, are not only well represented, but there are some enterprises of which the people are justly proud.  In 1878, L.K. Lee, then a resident of Valley Springs, built a flouring mill of 100-barrel capacity.  It is a first-class mill in every detail, and its product grades high upon the market.  He also built an elevator of upwards of 30,000 bushel capacity.  The mill has been owned and successfully operated by the Valley Springs Roller Mill Company since 1893.  The Hubbard & Palmer Elevator Company handles grain at this point, and the capacity of their elevator is ample to meet the demands of its patrons.
     In June, 1896, the Valley Springs Creamery Company was organized.  It is not incorporated, but is organized on the co-operative plan.  At the present time there are upwards of seventy-five shareholders.  The public-spirited citizens of the village, in order to aid in the project, adopted a novel plan of procedure.  They organized the Valley Springs Building Association, with shares of stock at twenty-five dollars each, and secured $1,000 in this way, which was used in erecting a creamery building.  The use of this building was given to the creamery company free of charge as long as it was operated as a creamery.  During the year 1898 the company paid $8,945.69 for 1,469,273 lbs. of milk.  From this milk 63,895 lbs. of butter was made, which was sold for $10,946.64.  The whole cost of the plant, including a skimming station at Corson, is a little upwards of $3,000.  It has three separators, and so far has been running at only about one-half its capacity.  It has been well conducted, and is under able management.  J.J. Urquhart is president, Tolle J. Bye vice president, J.G. Kimball secretary and manager, Charles Lathrop treasurer and L. Christianson buttermaker.
     To summarize—Valley Springs has good educational advantages and church privileges, excellent business facilities, and a thrifty, enterprising, honest class of citizens.