Rock County will celebrate its 150th Anniversary this year. The news will be the history of Rock County, townships, and communities. The following appeared in the Rose History of Rock County, printed in 1911.
County and Township Organization — 1870-1878 (continued from 03-19 edition)
Kanaranzi
From early in 1871 the residents of the southeast corner township had been under the local government of Clinton township, but on January 15, 1873, upon the petition of A. E. Thomspon and others, their territory was set off into a separate precinct and named Kanaranzi. A time and place for holding the first town meeting was selected by the board, and in a short time township government was begun. The creek which flows through the eastern and southern part of the township furnished the name. Kanaranzi is one of the oldest place names in Rock county and is probably of Indian origin. It appears upon Joseph N. Nicollet’s map of 1843 as the name of the creek, being then spelled “Karanzi.” Those who received government lands in Kanaranzi township are as follows:
Henry G. Boydston (24), George W. Stoops (26), Fielding F. Kitterman (8), Charles Older (30), George Ganfield (14), John Crawford (28), Jacob Rush, Jr. (6), Ole Elefsen (8), Samuel H. Griffin (10), Victor C. Stoops (26), Hulda M. Bradford (30), Marquis F. Baker (4), Wilbur A. Ely (28), Mary J. Gallup (6), William H. Maxwell (2), Bennezett Sherwood (26), Zelora Bailey (20), Jens Hanson (32), James Mitchell (30), William McNab (18), Peter Munson (6), Stillman Toul (14), Niels Peder Jensen (8), Charles W. Humboldt (10), Aseph E. Bowen (10-14), Anders C. Sorenson (32), Bejamin T. Kitterman (18), Andrew Marcellus (28), James L. Colegrove (4), Thomas Ganfield (10), Charles Langenberg (2), William McKay (18), Nels S. Nesheim (18), James Christian (1), J. K. P. Thompson (22), William H. Fabes (22), Loren M. Coon (10), John B. Shurr (34), Ole Hansen (30, Anders Rassmussen (20, Jerome E. Mitchell (34), Lyman L. Bryan (10), Henry Wellendorf (23), Peter Wiese (23), James A. Birkett (12), Byron W. Van Hoesen (34), John Huntington (2), George R. Knap (12), Lawson L. Bryan (12).
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.