The law organizing the town (parts of Harmony and Turtle in Township 2 north, Range 13 east) was approved by Gov. Dewey.

The evidence

• “Porter Wheeler, by the inhabitants of town 2, range 18, convened for the purpose of petitioning the legislature, then in session, to pass a law organizing the south of Harmony and the north part of Turtle, as a legal town. Tho law was passed, and approved March 26th, 1849, by Gov. Dewey, making it the duty of the electors of said town to hold their first town meeting at the house of Justus P. Wheeler. The first town meeting was held at the place appointed, on the 8d day of April, 1849. By a vote of a majority of the electors of the town, the meeting for 1850, and the election for 1849 and 1850, was held at the house of Mr. Samuel L.”

  1856-history-of-rock-county/12-la-prairie.md, PDF p. 109 / book p. 91

  Guernsey, Orrin, and Josiah F. Willard, editors. History of Rock County, and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics' Institute. Janesville, Wis.: William M. Doty & Brother, 1856. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871593.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “It received its name from the fact that the whole town is almost entirely an open, unbroken prairie. The name is from the French, signifying " the meadow, or, the pasture." It was organized by act of the Legislature,, approved March 26, 1849, by which act those parts of the towns of Harmony and Turtle, which were then comprised in Township 2 north, of Range 13 east, were set oiFand organized as a separate town. The west half of Section 6 was subsequently set off to the city of Janesville. The first town meeting was held at the house of Justus P. Wheeler, on the 3d day of April, 1849 ; whole number of votes cast at this meeting was fifty-six. The town officers elected were : Justus P.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/13-rock-county-ch07-town-histories.md, PDF p. 509 / book p. 513

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “It received its name from the fact that the whole town is almost an entirely open and unbroken prairie. The name is from the French, signifying ''The Meadow or the Pasture." It was organized by act of legislature approved March 26, 1849, by which act those parts of the towns of Harmony and Turtle, which were then comprised in township 2, north of range 13 east, were set off and organized as a separate town. The west half of section 6 was subsequently set off to the city of Janesville. The first town meeting was held at the house of Justus P. Wheeler on the 3d day of April, 1849 ; whole number of votes cast at this meeting was fifty-six. The town officers selected were : Justus P.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/31-smaller-cities-villages-towns.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 183 / book p. 689

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources · may repeat 1879-history-of-rock-county, so not counted as independent