Wirock, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wirock, Minnesota
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A portion of Wirock
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 Wirock, Minnesota
Location in Minnesota
Wirock, Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Murray |
| Townships | Bondin Iona |
| Elevation | 1,575 ft (480 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
56131
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| Area code(s) | 507 |
| GNIS feature ID | 654284 |
Wirock is a small, unincorporated community in Murray County, Minnesota, United States. It is not an official town with its own government. Wirock is located between two other areas called Bondin and Iona.
You can find Wirock about 5 miles west-northwest of Fulda. It is also about 4 miles southeast of Iona.
Contents
Discovering Wirock's Past
Wirock is mostly located in the northeast part of Section 24 in Iona Township. The community got its name from the Herman Weirauch family. People decided to call it Wirock because it was easier to say than "Weirauch."
How Wirock Started
In 1906, Mr. Weirauch gave two acres of his land to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. This land was used for a side track, which is a short railway line. In 1907, he gave seven more acres so a town could be built. Streets and alleys were planned and officially recorded.
Early Businesses in Wirock
The first grain elevator in Wirock was built by Peter Brynes in 1907. A second elevator was added in 1913. These elevators were important for storing grain from local farms.
Charles Wendling opened Wirock's first grocery store in 1909. Around 1920, a second, larger grocery store was built. This store sold groceries and also acted as a place to buy farm produce and cream. Mr. P. J. Nelson was the first to stock this store. Later, Tebbe Basche, Reiner Bruns, and Vance Scott ran the store.
A train depot and a blacksmith shop were built around the same time as the second grocery store. John Uttech ran the blacksmith shop, a hardware store, and the post office. After he left, the post office moved into the main store building.
A Nickname for Wirock
Some people used to call Wirock "Buttinsky." This was because they felt Wirock was created to "butt in" on the nearby towns of Iona and Fulda.
Wirock's Decline
Wirock was the last community to be established in Murray County. Like many other small communities, it slowly became less active. The railroad line was used less and less starting in the 1960s. By 1969, Wirock’s train depot was moved to Pioneer Village in Worthington, Minnesota. It became part of a historical exhibit there. The railroad tracks were removed in the 1980s. Today, not much of the original village remains.
Images for kids
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A portion of Wirock
