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 04-30 edition)
Riverside (Battle Plain)
In the early summer of 1877 Major D. E. Runnals and others asked that the northeast corner township be declared organized under the name Riverside. The commissioners created the township July 16, 1877, and provided that the first town meeting be held at the home of C. B. Rolph on August 11. The precinct was duly organized and went under the original name until March 19, 1878, when, notice having been received from the state auditor that another township in the state had a prior claim to the name Riverside, the name was changed to Battle Plain, in honor of the Indian battlefield located within its boundaries. Government land patents have been issued to claimants in Battle Plain township as follows:
Hugh A. Hoy (28), Frank Smith (14), James H. Mansell (2), Peter Landin (30), Nels Nelson (30), James P. Kirkham (30), Otis H. Rolfe (18), Howard F. Oliver (14), George A. Oliver (14), William Wall (26), Jasper Rolfe (18), Major D. E. Runals (32), Joseph W. Woodfield (10), David Hendershott (4), Daniel M. Hendershott (4), Charles Cowan (32), Francis L. Harrison (20), Charles A. Oliver (24), Christopher N. Remme (26), Alfred Goodwin (22), John J. Gulin (30), William H. Thompson (22), Job Haskell (12), Heirs of James W. Cafferty (26), William Munholland (22-32), James Adams (10), William C. Brockway (8-34), John Boyes (12), Byron T. Huyke (12-32), Charles B. Rolph (28), George Cole (20), William F. Warner (14), Chester Warner (22), Heirs of Samuel T. Warner (26), Jerome Cowan (20), Nehemiah D. Gilbert (6), Charles Crippen (6), Thomas E. Fitzgerald (28), John R. Norton (34), Sarah Norton (34), Edward Harvey (18), Hugh Mitchell (8), Fenninmore M. Snow (2), Dennis Harvey (6), Henry D. Sample (10), Frank O. Burhans (8), Sarah J. Brockway (6), Frank L. Cronk (8), Chester O. Wellman (4), Knute G. Oldre (24), Emory T. Thorson (30), Andrew Anderson (30), Stephen Cowan (34), William H. Gordon (18), Ezra F. Cole (20), Lars Knudson (34), Ole G. Hoime (24), Charles W. Mitchell (4), James W. Mitchell (6).
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.