Mower County was officially formed on March 1, 1856, with the signature of Governor Willis A. Gorman. It was named Mower after John E. Mower, a territorial legislator. Until this time, Mower County was part of Wabasha County. Hunter Clark made the first settlement in the western part of the county, where Oakwood Cemetery is currently located in Austin.
The first Board of Commissioners met on April 7, 1856, in Frankford and located the county seat there. Since there was no official county building, all of the records were kept in a tin box. Wherever this tin box was located was where the county seat was established. A plot was designed to steal the box and relocate it to Austin. The plot was a success. In March 1857, the county board obtained the office of A.S. Everest in Austin to be used as the county seat headquarters. An election followed on June 1, where the citizens of the county voted to have Austin established as the permanent county seat. The vote was split between the western residents and the eastern residents. In January 1868, the first courthouse was built.
Since that time, the county has grown tremendously. Austin is still the county seat and largest city in the country.
