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1885: Church only structure in town that will become Hills

Subhead
Bits By Betty
Lead Summary
By
Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical Society

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.
 
Rock County Village of Hills
         Ranking second in size among Rock county villages is Hills, situated in the southern part of Martin township, two miles from the Iowa state line. It is located at the junction of the Great Northern and Illinois railroads, giving it transportation facilities excelled by no other town in the county excepting Luverne. As regards trade territory, Hills has a strategic location, drawing its trade from an area of exceptionally prosperous country — a finer agricultural country than which it has never been the fortune of the author of this volume to see. The village itself is in keeping with the country surrounding. It is compactly built and presents an attractive appearance, being generally regarded as the neatest looking municipality in Rock county. It has broad streets, lined with substantial brick and frame business houses and handsome residences, and shade and ornamental trees cover the entire townsite.
         Although Hills takes a high rank in the matter of size and importance, it is one of the younger villages of Rock county, having come into existence after, and as a result of, the building of the Sioux City & Northern (now a branch of the Great Northern) railroad from Sioux City to Garretson The first building erected on the townsite was put up prior to this time, however, — long before the location of a village there was thought of. This building was a church, the house of worship of the Immanuel Norwegian Evangelical Union (Synod), which was erected in 1885. From that date until late in the year 1889 the church alone occupied the townsite of Hills.
         The Illinois Central railroad was built through the neighborhood in the fall of 1887, and men who were following the fortunes of that road founded the town of Bruce, a couple of miles west of the future town of Hills, which, of course, precluded any idea of founding a town in such close proximity by the Illinois Central interests. But when the line of the Sioux City & Northern was definitely located and grading was commenced late in July, 1889, the farmers living in the vicinity of the point where the new road would cross the Illinois Central interested themselves in inducing the railway company to locate a town at that point. In August, before track laying was begun, a number of Martin township farmers raised $1,000 by subscription, with which they purchased of F. C. Finke a forty acre tract on the northeast quarter of section 28. This they turned over to the railroad authorities, with the understanding that a station should be located thereon and a townsite platted. The matter of the establishment of the new town hung for some time,2 but the representative of the railroad company accepted the forty acre tract and in September purchased a seventeen acre tract adjoining from William Thompson.
 
                  2There appears to be some question as to whether or not a new town will be started at the crossing of the Sioux City & Northern and the Illinois Central near Bruce, in Martin township. A tract of forty acres has been donated to the company for a townsite at the point mentioned, but it appears that the Central road is opposed to the scheme and it is stated on what appears to be pretty good authority that the Sioux City and Northern company has no intention of putting in a depot there.—Rock County Herald, August 30, 1889.
 
         The story of the village of Hills will continue in the June 4 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.

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