By Jankidudu – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Rock county was originally created in 1857. In 1869 the settlers petition to begin county government and in 1870 the county was officially organized.  Governor Austin declared Luverne as the county seat of Rock county in 1870.

Between the years 1871 and 1878 all of the twelve townships were created.  The following townships were eventually created:

Luverne – organized February 1871.

Clinton – Clinton was originally part of Grant township which was formed October 1871.  It is named after the town of Clinton, New York.

Beaver Creek – organized September 1872.  The township is named after the stream which flows through the township.

Magnolia – created in November, 1872.  The name for the township was suggested by Philo Hawes to be named after his former home in Rock county,  Wisconsin.

Kanaranzi – organized January 1873.  It is named after the creek that appears on Joseph N. Nicollet’s map of 1843 which was spelled Karanzi.

Martin – created in Marych 1873 and named in honor of John Martin, the first settler there.

Gregory – for a while the whole north half of the county was called Gregory township.

Vienna – originally part of Gregory, it became independent early in 1874.

Springwater (Albion) – also part of Gregory, it petitioned in 1874 to be created.  The original name was Albion but changed to Springwater later that year when a large spring was found in section 32.

Mound – also part of Gregory, it was formed in April 1877 and named in honor of the vast pile of rock within its boundaries.

Battle Plain (Riverside) – originally part of Gregory, it was created in July 1877.  It was originally called Riverside but a township of that name already existed in Minnesota so it was changed to Battle Plain in honor of the Indian battlefield within its boundaries.

Rose Dell – became independent of Gregory county in August 1877.  It was named in honor of a rock gorge that was filled with wild roses in the summer.

Denver (Dover) – the last part of Gregory county was organized in August 1878 as Dover.  The commissioners changed the name to Denver because a Dover township already existed in the state.

This history of Rock county and its communities is closely tied to the early railroads.  As the railroads were built across the county, stations were established by the railroads.  These stations eventually became the communities of Rock county.