The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.
Rock County Village (continued from 10-29-20 edition of the Star Herald.)
Magnolia
Magnolia, an incorporated village of eastern Rock county, is a station on the Worthington-Mitchell branch of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad, seven miles east of Luverne. The line separating sections 11 and 14, Magnolia township, passes through the center of the village, which is situated one mile from the boundary line between Rock and Nobles counties. Magnolia has kept pace with the development of the county in general. In a business way it is well represented by lines usually found in towns of a few hundred inhabitants.
Though the Magnolia of today has been the development of the past two decades, the town was in the process of formation for approximately fifteen years before it received the impetus which ushered it in as a promising Rock county village. Its career has since been one of continued progress.
We may go back so far as 1872, several years before the first railroad found its way into the county, to commence tracing the course of events which have directly concerned the building of this Rock county village. In the spring of that year a postoffice, which the Magnolia office later succeeded, was established just over the county line on section 18, Westside township, Nobles county. This office was in charge of Rensellear Simmons and was known as Westside. It was a station on the old Worthington-Sioux Falls mail route, and for a number of years numbered as its patrons the early day settlers of the territory in which the future town was to be located.
The branch road of the Sioux City & St. Paul railway from Worthington to Sioux Falls was built into Rock county during the summer and fall of 1876. Luverne was the only established town and for awhile remained the only station on the line in the county. Before a year was over, however, the railroad officials selected a site for a second station on section 13, Magnolia township, in close proximity to the large farm owned by Hon. E. F. Drake, the president of the company. In his honor this “town” was christened Drake, or as it became more commonly known, Drake station. There was no idea at the time of founding a town, not even the first step of making a survey given a consideration. And during the eight years of its existence Drake developed but little beyond its original condition.
A depot was never built at that point, simply a platform. During its history only two business enterprises were established there, and then not until it was about to be forced to resign in favor of a newer rival a half mile to the west. When trains were put in operation on the new railroad the overland mail route from Worthington to Sioux Falls was discontinued, and after the establishment of Drake station, that was made the receiving point for the mail consigned to the Westside postoffice.
There were signs of activity at Drake station during the winter of 1882-83. In its issue of December 1, 1882, the Rock County Herald said: “The alleged village of Drake, commonly known as Drake station, is enjoying a real estate boom. The first lot ever sold in the place was transferred this week for the princely sum of $1.” In the course of the year 1883 Thompson Bros. erected a grain warehouse at Drake, and on October 1, of the same year, its only store opened for business. It carried a general stock of merchandise, flour, feed, wood, coal, etc., and was established as a branch store by Patterson & Walters, of Luverne. This firm conducted the business only a few months, selling to Philander Phinney, who later, in turn, transferred the business to Ira E. Crosby, who placed George Crandall in charge. There was some talk of moving the Westside postoffice to the Drake store, but the plan did not mature.
The story of the village of Magnolia will continue in the Nov. 12 edition of the Star Herald.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.