10 years ago (2011)
•The record price paid for Rock County agricultural land at a public auction jumped to $12,4000 Thursday, Nov. 10, as land owned by Robert Kitchenmaster was offered for sale.
The sale broke the $9,050-per-acre record paid for 160 acres in Mound Township Aug. 24.
Ron Van Ruler was the successful bidder, buying 150 acres of prime farmland three miles east of Hills that had been in the Kitchenmaster family for 70 years.
This is exactly why auctioneer Chuck Sutton told the 50-some bidders, neighbors and onlookers that purchasing land is a chance buyers shouldn’t miss.
“If land sells today, they’ll tell you it won’t be back on the market for 40 or 50 years.”
25 years ago (1996)
•Rock County, frozen under several layers of ice, could use a little sunshine.
After nearly a week of gray skies, freezing rain and a dusting of the white stuff, area residents are hoping to see sunshine soon.
According to Cliff Millsapps, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, this is the worst ice storm the area has seen for two decades. “Basically, I’ve been here for 15 years, and this is the worst I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Millsapps said. “If you talk to the old-timers, they’ll tell you it’s been longer than that.”
Area schools have closed and run late starts since the weather turned ugly Friday. School buses and cars in ditches were good indicators of the wisdom of those cancellations.
50 years ago (1971)
•Two hundred dressed turkeys, weighing about 8-10 pounds each, will be given away by Luverne business firms this week in one of the biggest pre-Thanksgiving promotions ever conducted by the Luverne Chamber of Commerce.
Registration will be conducted at 50 Luverne business firms Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each firm will be giving away from one to 10 birds. Drawing will be held at each individual store or business late Saturday afternoon, winners will be notified.
75 years ago (1946)
•D. W. Danforth, Luverne, is the new president of the Rock County Fair Association. He was elected at the annual meeting of the organization’s directors Monday night of this week. He succeeds L. D. Long who has held the position for the past several years.
Officers re-elected were F. F. Michael, vice president; H. R. Cleland, treasurer, and Herbert Moeller, secretary.
It was reported at the meeting that the new grandstand built this year is valued at $9,500. This includes the $1,000 worth of salvage lumber used from the grandstand which blew down in the storm a year ago this past spring.
Despite the fact that no fair was held this year, the debt of the fair association has been reduced from $9,000 to $6,500.
This year, checks issued for prizes to 4-H club members amounted to $247.50. This amount will be returned to the association from state appropriations for this purpose.
100 years ago (1921)
•R. P. Chase, state auditor, this week distributed $3,387,129.75, the largest amount of special pubic school aid ever appropriated by a Minnesota legislature. The distribution is in accordance with Chapter 473 of the laws enacted by the last legislature.
The money is in aid of the various public schools and is distributed on certification of the state board of education under provisions of Chapter 467, Laws 1921. Every county in the state is participating, 242 high schools and special departments receiving $1,334,566 while 269 graded schools receive $440,301, consolidated school districts $756,294, and rural schools $855,968.75.
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