Andrew Peterson Farmstead Blog

Chaska has been the county seat since 1856 but that honor has not come without a fight. During the past 143 years there have been three battles for the Carver County seat.

Chaska, in fact, was not the first county seat. When Minnesota’s Territorial Legislature organized this county in 1855, they established the county seat at San Francisco Township. Like Chaska and Carver, San Francisco was founded on the Minnesota River and was seeing growth due to the settlers entering Carver County from the river. The Legislature, however, allowed the county’s voters to determine a permanent site for the county seat. San Francisco, Carver and Chaska all wanted the honor. The county seat would help secure continued prosperity for that community since many farmers bought their supplies when they paid their taxes at the county courthouse. There would also be a need for accommodations for those visiting on county business. In 1856, Chaska received 303 of the 525 votes and was awarded the county seat.

By the early 1870s, the issue of the county seat’s location was raised. Carver County’s population was now more spread out and citizens living in the central and western parts of the county felt that the county seat should be centrally located. They suggested that the county seat be moved to Benton or Waconia and signed a petition asking the state legislature to call a special election to address the location issue. The legislature never called the election and the issue died for another fifty years.

In 1920, a group of citizens formed the Carver County Seat Removal Committee whose goal was to move the county seat to Waconia. As in the 1870s, their issue was location. The committee said that the county buildings were in poor condition and since new buildings were needed anyway, the county seat should be moved to a central location. The Waconia Village Council even gave their permission to allow their village hall to be used as the county courthouse until a new county building could be built. The Waconia Patriot and the Young America Eagle ran numerous articles supporting the move to Waconia and worked feverishly to convince area residents to vote in favor of the move.

In Chaska, the Weekly Valley Herald was printing articles to convince their readers to vote against the move. County officials gave testimony that the county buildings were in fine shape and new buildings were unnecessary. Local citizens also formed their own committee called the Civic Association of Chaska to rally residents.

The battle raged for months in the local newspapers, each accusing the other of misrepresenting the truth. The election was held on June 18 and when the votes were counted, 1989 voted in favor of the move while 2372 voted against. Chaska remained the county seat.

To help prevent future county seat battles, C.H. Klein of Chaska left $500,000 to Carver County in his will for a new courthouse building. But there was a catch. The new courthouse building must be built in Chaska.

Today, automobiles and good roads have made the trip to the county courthouse manageable from anywhere in Carver County. And while county seat battles are a thing of the past, they do make for a lively chapter in Carver County’s history.

Carver County has been home to many different cultures throughout time. One of the best documented early native peoples is the Woodland Culture who lived in this region from 1200 B.C. until 1700 A.D. Their nomadic hunting and gathering patterns depended upon the seasons and resources of the land. More recently, the Dakota Indians used the area for hunting and temporary lodging. With the signing of the treaty of Traverse de Sioux, however, this area was opened for settlement by white pioneers.

In March of 1855, Carver County was organized by the Minnesota
Territorial Legislature. The county was named in honor of the explorer, Jonathan Carver. The original county seat was San Francisco Township but in 1856 voters moved it to Chaska.

Much of the east central part of Minnesota, including Carver County, was covered by the Big Woods; a dense forest of oak, elm, maple and cottonwood trees. The density of the Big Woods made it difficult for early settlers to clear the land for farming.

Many of Carver County’s initial settlers were from eastern states but by the 1860s most new settlers were immigrants from Germany or Sweden. The Germans founded towns like Hamburg, New Germany and Cologne while the Swedes settled in East Union and Watertown. Most immigrants became farmers but some living in Chaska became laborers in the brick industry.

Located along the Minnesota River, Chaska had good deposits of clay for brick-making.   The cream-colored brick became a favorite for building houses in Chaska and the surrounding rural area. The bricks were also used in the foundation of the Minnesota Capitol building when it was constructed 100 years ago. Slowly the brickyards closed until the last one shut down in the 1950s.

Farming was the chief occupation of Carver County for 100 years. While many grew crops, others were dairy farmers. Creameries were numerous and the county claimed for itself the title of “The Golden Buckle of the Dairy Belt.” Bongards Creameries is still important link to our dairy heritage.

Carver County’s most historically important farmer was Wendelin Grimm, a German immigrant who settled in Chanhassen. Grimm planted alfalfa and gathered the seeds from the plants that survived the first winter and re-planted every year until he had a full crop. His perseverance paid off when Grimm Alfalfa was recognized as the most winter-hardy strain available. In fact, it was used throughout North America between 1910 and 1940 and is one of Minnesota’s leading contributions to the history of agriculture.

Today, farming is no longer the predominant occupation in the county. Carver County has seen an explosion of residential development in Chanhassen, Chaska, Waconia, Carver and Victoria. Many now commute to jobs in Minneapolis or its suburbs. Carver County currently has a population of 80,000 people.

New link to county history website! Want to learn more about the history of San Francisco Township? Follow the link below to explore their new website! www.sanfranciscotownship.com

Living 70+ years in one town. 78-year-old Ron Roeser still lives next door to the home where he grew up in Chanhassen, MN, no. 10 on Money’s Best Places to Live. Watch the CNN video in the link below to learn a bit of the history of Chanhassen and what it’s like to live in one of the 10 best places to live. money.cnn.com/video/pf/2011/08/12/pf_bpl_chanhassen_mn.moneymag/