The history of Mower County, Minnesota, is the story of its people - their dreams, their hard work, their joys, and their disappointments. It is the story of the Native Americans who built mounds and lived in villages along the shores of the lakes. It is the story of the early pioneers who braved the hot, sticky summers and the sub-zero winters. It is the story of the merchants, who believed in the future of these small farming communities, and the entrepreneurs, who platted sites for new villages.

These stories are told here with the help of over 200 vintage prints and photographs from each of the twenty townships that make up Mower County. In these townships, many communities have developed over the years. Some lived only a short time, dying out because they were bypassed by the railroads that crossed Southern Minnesota, or because the villages could not attract settlers. Those that survived grew, and to this day provide homes for descendants of the earliest pioneers, as well as newer residents, who were drawn by industry or the beauty of Southern Minnesota.