VERDI Township was named for the renowned Italian operatic composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). This name means "verdant or verdure," descriptive of the greenness of the township, which in all its extent is during the spring and summer a far-reaching green prairie. The village in section 35 had a post office beginning in 1879, first located in John C. Enke's general store; Enke died in Lake Benton on January 25, 1935. It had a station of the Chicago and Dakota Railway and a number of businesses, including a creamery and a hotel.