In 1899, the Iowa and Minnesota Land and Townsite Company circulated a petition to locate a railroad station in Lake Hanska Township, and after seventy-seven people signed it, Harry and Anna Jenkins platted the village of Hanska in section 24 on October 9, 1899. It became a station on the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. Hanska is a Dakota Indian word meaning long or tall, used to describe the long, narrow lake in Lake Hanska and Albin Townships. Hanska was incorporated in 1901, when its population was 178. The first business in Hanska was the J.W. Thompson Hardware store, which opened in 1899. The Hanska and Linden Co-operative Store and Hanska-Linden Cooperative Creamery were established in the early 1890's and were located in South Town or Blessum Addition, an area incorporated into the village of Hanska in 1971. A fire in 1904 destroyed many business places, but the residents survived the loss and rebuilt their village. The early immigrants were predominantly Norwegian, and many Norwegian traditions continued for more than a century, reflecting immense pride in that heritage.