Location
Rock County This county was established May 23, 1857, and was organized by a legislative act March 5, 1870. Its name and also that of the Rock River refer to the prominent rock outcrop (called "The Rock" on Joseph N. Nicollet's map in 1843) of reddish gray quartzite, forming a plateau of gradual ascent from the west and north, but terminated precipitously on the east and south, which occupies an area of three or four square miles, situated about three miles north of Luverne, on the west side of the Rock River, above which it has a height of about 175 feet. In this generally prairie region, "the Mound," as this plateau is now called, commands an extensive prospect. The name is translated from the Dakota "Inyan Reakah or River of the Rock," as it was mapped by Nicollet. From: Upham, Warren. Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, First edition 1920. Third Edition 2001. Print.
