The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.
Rock County Village of continued from 6-18-20 edition of the Star Herald.
The next item we have to consider in the history of Hills was also an important one — no less than the removal of the entire business section of the town. The village was originally located three blocks west of the present location, on low ground. In 1893 F. C. Finke platted an addition on the higher ground, and early in the year 1895 he submitted a proposition for the removal of the business houses to Summit avenue of his addition, which would place it about midway between the two depots. A meeting of the property owners on main street was held early in April, when Mr. Finke made his proposition, to the effect that in case the move was made each property owner should receive free a lot of relative location to the one on Main street and that each building should be moved free of cost to the owner. On April 20, at another meeting, the proposition was accepted. Ole Sandbo, William Thompson and A. O. Skattum were appointed a committee to represent the business men in the legal transaction. To the committee Mr. Finke delivered a bond, signed by himself, Goodman Anderson, J. C. Steensen and J. R. Wright, pledging the removal of the buildings free of cost and damage. The contract was signed on May 4, and at once the fourteen buildings comprising the business portion of the town were moved to the present site.
After the hard times period, during the closing years of the decade which had ushered in Hills, steady improvement was made. In 1896, although a full recovery from the hard times had not been made, the building improvements amounted to $12,640, according to the figures of the Hills Crescent. Among the principal buildings were the Hills creamery, implement house and residence of Ole Severson and a residence by P. H. Bly. In 1897 the improvements reached a total of $13,000, including the Presbyterian church; in 1898 they were placed at the same figure; and in 1899 at $11,550, including the Rock County Banking company’s brick block, Wright & Munson’s elevator and J. R. Wright’s residence.
The year 1902 was an exceptionally prosperous one in Hills, the building improvements for the year amounting to $53,500, including many handsome residences. On March 13, 1902, the Crescent boasted of the following enterprises: two banks, two department stores, two hardware stores, two hotels, five elevators, two lumber yards, two implement houses, two harness dealers, three fuel dealers, three wall paper dealers, one furniture store, one machine repair shop, two stock yards, one feed mill, one restaurant, one real estate firm, one meat market, one drug store, one confectionary store, one stock buyer, one laundry, one millinery store, one newspaper, one photograph gallery, one barber shop, one shoe repair shop, one bicycle shop, one billiard hall, three dress-making establishments, two railroads, two express agencies, one undertaker, one carpenter shop, seven carpenters, two dray lines, one bakery, five insurance agencies, three painters, one physician, a detention hospital, a telephone system, three churches and three lodges.
The story of the village of Hills will continue in the July 2 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.