The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.
Rock County Village continued from 8-6-20 edition of the Star Herald.
Hardwick
Hardwick became a municipal corporation in 1898. So early in its history as 1893, however, the first attempt to bring about this desired condition was made. On July 20, 1893, a petition was presented to the board of county commissioners, asking it to take the necessary steps to bring about the incorporation of ten square miles of territory as the village of Hardwick, it being necessary to take in that much territory to secure the number of inhabitants required by law. The commissioners referred the matter to the county attorney, who held that the facts set forth in the petition did not satisfy the requirements of the law, and the county board refused to grant the petition. The residents of Hardwick employed A. J. Daley as their attorney and secured an alternate writ of mandamus from the district court, demanding that the commissioners either grant the petition or show cause in court why it should not be granted. At the hearing, which was set for August 4, Judge Brown quashed the writ, upholding the action of the county board, and Hardwick continued under the local government of Denver township.
The matter of incorporating was again taken up in the fall of 1898, and on October 7 the county commissioners called a special election, to be held October 10, to decide the matter. Out of a total of thirty-seven votes, twenty-six were in favor of and eleven against incorporating the four southeast corner sections of Denver township into the village of Hardwick. The first village officers were chosen at another election, on October 25, and soon thereafter Hardwick began its municipal career. Following is a list of those elected to office during its history: 24
1898—President, J. B. Iverson; trustees, H. T. Holverson, James P. Kennedy, John Overland; recorder, George O. Ross; treasurer, L. M. Larson; justices, William Ross, F. W. Case; constables, C. J. Moe, Thomas Kennedy.
1899—President, J. B. Iverson; trustees, H. T. Holverson, James P. Kennedy, John Overland; recorder, L. M. Larson; treasurer, George O. Ross; justices, J. F. LaDou, William Ross; constables, Thomas Kennedy, D. J. Stoakes.
1900—President, J. B. Iverson; trustees, H. T. Holverson, James P. Kennedy, F. W. Case; recorder, J. D. Thompson; treasurer, L. M. Larson; justice, Thomas Trenhaile; constable, Thomas Kennedy.
1901—President, J. B. Iverson, trustees, H. T. Holverson, James P. Kennedy, Q. Stark; recorder, J. D. Thompson; treasurer, L. M. Larson; justices, Thomas Trenhaile, F. W. Case; constables, Thomas Kennedy, H. Schroder.
1902—President, W. T. Berry; trustees, R. A. Hecht, F. W. Case, John Overland; recorder, J. D. Thompson; treasurer, L. M. Larson; justice, William Ross; constable, E. I. Harding.
1903—President, Q. Stark; trustees, R. A. Heckt, D. J. Stoakes, James P. Kennedy; recorder, H. T. Holverson; treasurer, L. M. Larson; justice, A. H. Higley; constables, Thomas Kennedy, C. J. Moe.
1904—President, Q. Stark; trustees, James P Kennedy, D. J. Stoakes, L. M. Larson; recorder, H. T. Holverson; treasurer, R. A. Heckt; justice, William Ross; constable, Thomas Kennedy.
1905—President, E. C. Heckt; trustees, John Overland, Otto Bargenquest, F. W. Case; recorder, A. J. Hemmings; treasurer, R. A. Heckt; justice, O.E.. Fellors;25 constable, William Ryan.26
1906—President, H. T. Holverson; trustees, John Overland, Adolph Carl, F. W. Case;27 recorder, T. S. Hartley; treasurer, R. A. Heckt; justices, M. L. Wahlert,28 E. T. Thorson; constables, W. T. Murray, O. Bakka.
1907—President, H. T. Holverson; trustees, John Overland, R. A. Heckt, James P. Kennedy; recorder, D. J. Ross; treasurer, E. C. Heckt; justices, T. O. Tollefson, T. S. Hartley; constables, Emil Paustian, Will Mannigel.
1908—President, James P. Kennedy; trustees, Thomas Trenhaile, D. J. Stoakes, R. A. Heckt; recorder, H. T. Holverson; treasurer, E. C. Heckt; justice, E. T. Thorson; constable, Albert Sodeman.
1909—President, James P. Kenendy; trustees, Thomas Trenahaile, D. J. Stoakes, R. A. Heckt;29 recorder, H. T. Holverson; treasurer, E. C. Heckt; justices, P. T. Petersen, W. F. Ihde; contables, W. T. Murray, Emil Paustian,
1910—President, James P. Kennedy; trustees, D. J. Stoakes, F. G. Hartley, O. H. Gravatt; recorder, H. T. Holverson; treasurer, E. C. Heckt; justice, P. T. Petersen; constable, W. T. Murray.
1911—President, James P. Kennedy; trustees, T. S. Hartley, O. H. Gravatt, J. H. Johnson; recorder, J. B. Iverson; treasurer, E. C. Heckt; assessor, M. L. Wahlert; justices, P. T. Petersen, H. T. Holverson; constables, W. T. Murray, Henry Hoffman.
24Saloon licenses have always been granted in Hardwick. During its municipal career the question of license has been voted on three times—in 1899, 1900, and 1903. License carried each time, the vote being, respectively, 29 to 21, 37 to 18, and 42 to 20.
25In April, 1905, H. T. Holverson and A. H. Higley were appointed justices.
26Thomas Kennedy was appointed constable in April, 1905.
27Resigned in May and was succeeded by M. L. Wahlert.
28Resigned in June and was succeeded by O. H. Gravatt.
The story of the village of Hardwick will continue in the August 20 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.