| Official Name: | Richland Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Indiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Steuben |
| Government Type: | Indiana township |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 15.58 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 15.58 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 415 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 36.6 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Elevation M: | 289 |
| Elevation Ft: | 948 |
| Coordinates: | 41.5708°N -84.8319°W |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Area Code: | 260 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 453800 |
Richland Township is one of twelve townships in Steuben County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 415, down from 570 at the 2010 census,[3] and it contained 163 housing units, making it the smallest township in the county.
According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of, all land,[3] second smallest after Clear Lake township.
(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)
The township contains five cemeteries: Alvarado, Amish, Metz, Mount Pleasant, and Bethel.[4]
The first land registration was made by John Douglas on October 11, 1835 but Robert Jackman and family were the first to settle in the township, in 1836. The 1840 census shows only 16 families, including those of Douglas and Jackman.[5]
Much of this early community was centered on what came to be the village of Richland Center, where a log cabin schoolhouse as well as a Methodist church were built in 1850.[6] When this village, which was never incorporated, organized a U. S. post office, there was already an Indiana post office named "Richland Center", so this post office was named "Alvardo", which eventually became the name for the village.[7] Like the rest of Richland township, Alvarado slowly lost population during the 20th century and, in the 21st century, is a small collection of dwellings, farm buildings, and the Alvarado United Methodist Church.