Editing Rock County, Minnesota (section)

==Geography==
Rock County is located at the southwestern corner of Minnesota. Its western border shares a boundary with the eastern border of [[South Dakota]], while its southern border is adjacent to the northern border of [[Iowa]]. The county is characterized by the flow of the [[Rock River (Big Sioux River)|Rock River]], which runs southward through its east central part, and Beaver Creek, which flows southward through its west central region. The landscape primarily consists of low rolling hills with various drainages. The county's predominant land use is agriculture.<ref name="RCM">[ ]</ref> The terrain gradually slopes southward, with the highest point situated near the midpoint of the county's northern boundary, reaching an elevation of {{convert|1,759|ft|m|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name="alt">[https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm "Find an Altitude/Rock County MN" Google Maps (accessed March 13, 2019)]</ref> Rock County spans an area of {{convert|483|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|482|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.3|sqmi}} (0.06%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060200/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=October 24, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The entire county falls within the hot summer [[humid continental climate]] zone (Dfa). [[File:Rock_Co_Pie_Chart_No_Text_Version.pdf|thumb|right|Soils of Rock County<ref>Nelson, Steven (2011) ''Savanna Soils of Minnesota''. Minnesota: Self. pp. 69-70. {{ISBN|978-0-615-50320-2}}.</ref>]]

===Lakes===
One of Minnesota's nicknames is "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and it is speckled with bodies of water large and small. But four of the state's counties do not contain a natural lake; Rock County is one of them.<ref>The four counties lacking a natural lake are Mower, Olmsted, Pipestone, and Rock.</ref> Rock County did host a manmade lake from 1938 until 2014: a [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] work project constructed a small dam (the "Lower Dam") on Blue Mounds Creek in 1938, creating a small lake in [[Blue Mounds State Park#Cultural history|Blue Mounds State Park]]. This continued until June 2014, when the dam was damaged by rain and floodwaters, allowing the pond to drain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luverne Dam Breaks, Drains Popular Lake |url=http://www.keloland.com/news/article/news/luverne-dam-breaks-drains-popular-lake |access-date=February 5, 2018 |website=KELOLAND News}}</ref> In June 2016 the [[Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]] announced its decision not to rebuild the dam.<ref>[http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2016/06/22/dnr-decides-not-to-rebuild-blue-mounds-state-park-dam/ "DNR Decides Not To Rebuld Blue Mounds State Park Dam" (Minnesota Natural Resources news release dated June 22, 2016). Accessed March 13, 2019]</ref>

===Major highways===
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* [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 90 in Minnesota|Interstate 90]]
* [[Image:US 75.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 75#Minnesota|U.S. Highway 75]]
* [[Image:MN-23.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 23]]
* [[Image:MN-269.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 269]]
* [[Image:MN-270.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 270]]
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===Adjacent counties<ref name=alt/>===
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* [[Pipestone County, Minnesota|Pipestone County]] – north
* [[Murray County, Minnesota|Murray County]] – northeast
* [[Nobles County, Minnesota|Nobles County]] – east
* [[Lyon County, Iowa]] – south
* [[Minnehaha County, South Dakota]] – west
* [[Moody County, South Dakota]] – northwest
{{div col end}}

===Protected areas<ref name=RCM/>===
* [[Blue Mounds State Park]]
* [[Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)