In 1833, Sidney Williams arrived in the area which is now Marshall County and purchased of land on the present day site of Argos. Mr. Williams built a tavern, an inn, and helped build a section of Michigan Road. Mr. Williams sold his land to Clark Bliven, the man who built the courthouse on the Williams's land. This local place of rest wasn’t considered a town until some time later. On January 8, 1851, John Pleak and Marquis L. Smith, laid out the town of Sidney, which is the predecessor to Argos. The town of Sidney was named in honor of Sidney Williams. On November 6, 1856, the town of Fremont, adjoining Sidney, was laid out by Joseph H. Rhodes. Fremont was named after Col. John C. Fremont, who on November 6, 1856, won the Republican candidate for president. On May 21, 1859, a meeting was held for anyone who was interested in the formation of a new township was held in the school house. The purpose of the meeting was to select a name for the township and appointing a suitable person to be the trustee. The names that were offered up for vote were Argos, Noble, and Richland. Noble was withdrawn. The vote total was Argos 12, Richland 8. The commissioners ordered the Township to be called Walnut Township due to the abundance of walnut trees in the area. John A. Rhodes and Charles Brown were proposed for trustee. Rhodes won by a vote of 18 to 4.
