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–Not graded
History · Red Rock Township

26% of Red Rock Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on.

0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Red Rock Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Red Rock Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Red Rock Township’s homes were built before 1954.
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Start Red Rock Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Red Rock Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Red Rock Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Red Rock Township.

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In 1855 John L. Johnson came to the township from Wisconsin and built a sod shanty in a grove of trees in section 4 that had a large, red rock in it. This grove eventually became known as Red Rock Grove and later the whole township took its name from this area. The rock can still be seen in section 5 (about 1.5 miles northwest of Brownsdale) in the southeast corner of the land owned by Craig Bauman. The area of Red Rock Township around the town of Brownsdale was the source of much of the lumber which helped to build Mower County. Most of the wooded sections of the township were logged in the 1850s and 1860s and much that wood was cut in Brownsdale's steam-powered sawmill, one of the town's first permanent structures. The township is now largely treeless, with the only significant stands being along Roberts Creek and Dobbins Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Red Rock Township on the map, 1954 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Red Rock Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Red Rock Township on the 1954 USGS mapRed Rock Township on the 1982 USGS map1954Austin sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Red Rock Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Red Rock Township

Nobody well known was born in Red Rock Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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T
Tim O'BrienAmerican novelist · b. 1946
John MaddenAmerican football coach · b. 1936
Richard EberhartAmerican poet · b. 1904
A
Amanda HockingAmerican writer · b. 1984
Burdette HaldorsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1934
Tom LehmanAmerican professional golfer · b. 1959
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Nicolville
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Red Rock Township
GreenwoodTanner

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Dexter TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWindom TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaltham TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAustin3 historic placesBLansing TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Red Rock Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.