At this time the land was marshy and not considered very good for farming, and was used largely for grazing livestock.

The grain grown was either fed to livestock or hauled by wagon to elevators at Ambia, West Lebanon, or Rossville, Illinois.

[4] The small town of Pence lies near the western edge of the township, which is also the Illinois border.

An even smaller town, Stewart, is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Pence and now consists mainly of a grain processing facility.

[6] Jordan Township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides relief to the poor, manages cemetery care, and performs farm assessment, among other duties.